After two days of relaxation and getting cooked in our onsen hotel, we cycled towards the harbour where the boat to Yawatahama would depart. We had used the onsen one last time that morning, so we were full of energy and feeling great (AND clean, which is quite often not the case after camping for a few days). The ferry journey to Yawatahama would take about 2 hours and 45 minutes and we would arrive there around a quarter to 1 in the afternoon. We would have about 66km to go to Matsuyama from there and we had decided we’d see how far we could go that day, no rush to get there this day. Whilst we were waiting to board the ferry off to the side (cars are always let on board first), we saw there was a tank(!) parked behind the row of lorries waiting to board. Some people standing beside us pulled out their phones and camera’s to document the sight and we did the same. It’s not too often you see a tank boarding a ferry (let alone three), with the crew waving from up top. We boarded last, our bikes being tied securely to the side of the ferry. When we entered the (second-class) space of the ferry, we noticed there were no seats, just large tatami-like areas where you could sit, lie or sleep once you’d taken your shoes off. Sleeping was something we gathered was fine, as there was someone already snoring opposite us and some students were chatting amongst one another next to us. We used the time to try and keep up with our blogging duties (don’t @ me, I know). Robin had a short nap as well and I had a look around on top of the ferry until the wind became too cold and I headed back inside.
When we arrived in Yawatahama, we were excited to see what Shikoku would be like. Would it be different from Kyushu or very similar? After grabbing a quick bite to eat (a LOADED egg sandwich and an omuraisu (omelette on fried rice)) we headed off, following the coast towards Matsuyama. We only stopped to take some pictures, fly the drone or to take a toilet break. When we arrived in Iyo, a relatively large city close to Matsuyama, we decided to camp in a small park. We could’ve cycled the last 20 kilometers to Matsuyama, but camping in the outskirts is often easier (see last blog for an explanation). In a large Family Mart x Coop (convenience store merged with grocery store type thing) we were eating our dinner in an interior space provided for that sort of thing, when a Japanese woman approached us. She asked us what we were doing in Japan and when we told her we were planning on cycling to the far north of Japan, she enthusiastically told us she’d often cycled in Shikoku and would recommend heartily to explore Japan by bike. She did warn us to be aware of traffic, especially at large intersections like those in front of the supermarket we were in. She’d apparently been hit by a driven who wasn’t paying attention whilst crossing the road and although she’d gotten off with just some bruises, it reminded her (and us) accidents can happen. She also asked us to stay put for a little while, whilst she ran home to grab something she wanted to gift us. We were waiting until it was dark and late enough to put up our tent anyway, so we obliged. She returned with a plastic bag full of snacks and treats and we continued talking for another 20 minutes. Robin exchanged LINE data (which is a Japanese WhatsApp equivalent)and she asked us if we could tell her how our journey was going every now and then. Later we also thanked her again for the conversation and the food. When she left, we also headed to the park we’d chosen and set up for the night.
The next morning we got our stuff together and headed back to the Family mart where we had spent last night having dinner to grab some breakfast. It was only about 6 in the morning and most everything in and around Matsuyama would be closed anyway, so there was no hurry. The last kilometers heading into a larger city always go quite slow, as you’re cycling on the sidewalk, dodging other cyclists, pedestrians and waiting (endlessly sometimes) at red lights. Cyclists are encouraged in the cities to cycle on the sidewalk, but the pavement is often in such a dire state, it feels like your bike might shake apart completely. So sometimes we cycle on the road, sometimes the sidewalk, depending on how busy the traffic is, the state of the road and the sidewalk and how high the curbs are (going on and off sidewalks will probably be the reason one of us breaks our wheel). We luckily haven’t had any major equipment failures, the worst that happened was that Robin’s chain flew off during a particularly large bump in the asphalt, but that was fixed in no time (yay derailleurs, makes putting a chain on easy). The only somewhat pressing issue was that Robin’s disc brake seemed to be about as straight as Gerard Joling. It must have happened during transportation to Japan or to Kagoshima, but it had been an issue for some time, so we would have to do something about it in Matsuyama we decided. When we arrived in Matsuyama, we dropped off our stuff at the typical business hotel we’d booked. I say typical, as there was a women’s floor and there were almost exclusively Japanese salarymen there. That’s not to say the staff weren’t nice, they were very helpful and friendly (as has been the case every time so far).
After dropping our luggage off, we headed to find a bicycle repair shop. We noticed how easy it was to cycle without any of the luggage on the bikes, which was a bit painful as that wasn’t going to happen again the next 5 months. We arrived at a small bicycle shop that was full of what I can only describe as ‘junk’, but we couldn’t find anyone there. We knew we were in the right place, as there were bicycle parts scattered on the ground in front and a few bikes parked there as well and all of a sudden a man emerged from a shop with a similar name around the corner that seemed to sell cigarettes (maybe he ran both, maybe he’d gotten some ciggies?) and asked what he could do for us. We asked if he could check out where the noise on the back of our bikes was coming from (it had been there almost the entire trip and we’d been slightly worried) and he said it was most likely just the bags that were quite heavy weighing on the structure of the bike, which put us at ease. Then we asked him if it was possible to fix the front disc brake on Robin’s bike and he checked it out. He set out to straighten it, which took about 20 minutes of delicately pushing and pulling on it with a special tool, checking the alignment and doing that over and over. In the end, the thing was as straight as humanly possible, so kudos to that. During the time he was working on the bike another Japanese gentleman came by who had some business with the bicycle shop owner, but he told him to wait until he was done. Since it ended up taking 20 minutes, he started smoking a cigarette and had a full on telephone conversation with another person before our repairman was done with the bike. We had wondered, what would it cost to repair something like this? 20, 30, 40 euro? Not that it mattered, we needed the bikes in working order anyway. But, when we asked him how much we owed him, he counted on his fingers.. this much time, a little bit of elbow grease: 800 yen. That’s about 5 euro for 20 minutes of repairing the bike, back home they wouldn’t even look at your bike for 5 euro. All that to say: we paid the man and went to park our bikes somewhere.
Matsuyama is known for oranges and hot springs; just about every major street has orange-related shops or themed restaurants. Since we were in Japan’s orange capital, we obviously should sample some. We passed a shop where you could taste different types of orange juice from little taps in the wall. It was super interesting how different the varieties of oranges tasted, some very sweet, some quite bitter and the one in between was actually the best tasting one (according to me, you’ll have to take my word for it). It was a cool experience to have.
The next morning, which was our only full day in Matsuyama, we headed to Matsuyama Castle. The weather was going to be horrendous that day, so we decided it would be a good idea to get anything that is ‘outside’ done before it got too bad. We took the ropeway to the top of Matsuyama Park, opting for the chair lift instead of the large cable car. The weather was still great at that point, very little wind and some sun shining through the clouds, so why not enjoy it? It was about 3 euro for the ride and we gladly took it, as the way up seemed quite steep and also it’s just fun to do these chair lifts, it’s like a small carnival ride or amusement park attraction, but it’s actually useful.
Matsuyama Castle was completely different from Kumamoto Castle on both the inside and the outside: the whole wooden interior was visible and could be traversed once inside. Of course you take off your shoes and get some slippers on, but after that they say: good luck, see you later. Whilst we were checking out the interior, the weather changed rapidly: all of a sudden clouds covered the sun, the rain started and wind gusts howled through the wooden castle. The staff at the castle hurried to close shutters to prevent the wind breaking them. The sound of a storm in a wooden castle is a bit disconcerting, as everything creaks and slams, making it sound as if the whole thing could come crashing down if the storm intensifies just a bit more. We headed outside through the rain and saw that the chair lift had been closed (you would not have a fun time in that weather on a small plastic chair without safety equipment). We took the cable car back down and headed to a cafe (again, to work on the blog, DON’T @ me). Whilst sitting there, we were very glad to not be cycling that day. Especially since our next destination would be the Shimanami Kaido, a famous cycling route where you cycle over enormous bridges and several smaller islands from Shikoku to the main island of Honshu. We had a mandarin flavored soft ice (it was good but not great) and checked out Dogo Onsen, the most famous onsen in Matsuyama and probably all of Japan. It was the onsen that Hayao Miyazaki based the onsen in the animated film Spirited Away on. Sadly, the building was being renovated so a large part was covered by scaffolding, taking away most of the ambiance of the place. But that’s how it is, you can’t plan everything perfectly and old buildings need to be maintained. The rest of the day we spent washing, cleaning, typing and eating at an izakaya (Japanese bar/restaurant combo) in the evening. That way we were ready to start the Shimanami Kaido the next day with fresh clothes and recharged energy.
