The day started early. By 6am I was awake and by 6.30 I got up, which was 30min before breakfast was coming to my room (that’s how it’s done in the Japanese Ryokan), where all meals are brought to the room. I started writing yesterday’s blog but couldn’t finish. Breakfast was here. It was rice, miso soup, a bit of fish (salmon piece), a few vegetables and some pickles. Enough to get me started I thought. I had green tea with it to wake me up proper

I looked outside the window and it wasn’t looking pretty. It had either just rained or the streets were still wet. There was a heavy cloud cover and my weather forecast said the same: Rain. Pretty much all day. I can deal with cold, mountains, heat, full frontal wind but I am always annoyed with rain as you can’t cycle properly. It’s also more dangerous as cars dot see me as well and the road may be slippery. The worst thing though is once you’re wet, you’re wet. Unless I’ve got a spare set of clothes ready, I’ll be staying wet. With being wet, comes being cold and with being cold for too long comes getting sick. That has to be avoided at all cost. I’ve got 2 sets of clothes, the first can deal with rain for a bit, like an hour or so, the other one too, but will get soggy from sweat underneath the rain cape. In fact, both sets will eventually get soggy from both sides...

Before I left I made the decision to lighten my load. I left my big towel, a wooden ladle, salt and pepper dispensers (made of glass and heavy). This was probably 500-700g. Enough to make a difference. As I was about to leave the hotel the cleaning lady ran after me to ask about the Stuff. I apologised saying I don’t need it/ don’t want it. She got it. 

The local kinbini had everything I needed. Bread (I still had half a piece of butter that needed finishing), Pocary sweat 1.5L and some rice balls, just in case. I also had a quick coffee. Feeling thoroughly motivated and my first set of rain gear on I started peddling. Pretty fast the rolling hill became a steady road upwards, the rain wouldn’t let go and every meter was a drag. I stopped a couple of times for water and could already feel that I was soaked, halfway up Mount Meakan, a still active stratovolcano with a total height of 1400m. The journey up was relentless. I was desperate for lower gears but there were none. The wet clothes added extra weight and the. Rain was demotivating to say the least. I was still happy to have music in my ears. This made things a little bit easier. What must have been 15km up came to grinding halt under a concrete road cover. I needed a serious break. I was on the road now for 3h, soaked and hungry. I pushed my bike behind the barriers took of my wet top and put on something dry. I should have done the same for my shorts, but I didn’t want to waste the only other dry pant I had. So I kept the wet cycle pants on. I took the bread out and put some butter on 2 slices, that tasted so good. I needed it. I repacked my stuff, put the wet jacket and cycle top in my backpack and changed it for a long cycle shirt and my rain poncho. 

The road continued, thankfully only for another 30-45min upwards. I was so glad. I found a way to wrap the rain ponsho around myself with an elastic band so I wouldn’t turn into batman (flying cape and stuff). The front of the ponsho extended over my arms and I could still grip the handle bar. My feet were as they are. Covered in the overshoes so at least not wet and cold from the outside. Then came a loooong descend down the other side of Mount Meakan. That felt good. The mountain was also a weather barrier and behind it were only clouds and no rain. I was happy. Eventually I got to a Ainu Theatre where I stopped to dry my stuff and to h e much around 1.30. 3 slices of bread with butter and honey. I had to get changed like 2 times in the theatre toilet. From wet stuff into warm stuff, from warm stuff back into slightly wet cycle trousers but a warm top. 

From there the cycle turned out to be much better. The sun came out and it was a lot of downhill slapping hillside, past so many farms, mainly veg but also grass farms and animals, mainly cows. I do wonder about their conditions, how well are they kept? Most of them were is large houses with cages. Hardly ever did I seem some cows in fields. It also made me think of the ice cream I eat, almost daily and the milk it’s made of. Is the milk from happy cows?

Eventually I got to Ashoro, my final destination some 93km away from Teshikaga, where I had started at 8.30 and it was now 430pm. With an hour for lunch and getting changed that was a long 7h ride over one of the steepest hills so far, in some of the worst weather conditions I’ve had on the whole trip. I had a quick stop - ice cream - I know, I know. The cows. But hey. Then to the campsite... and a Hot Bath. Little did I know that the campsite was still 4km away and that the local hot bath closed. That sucked. As I got there I contemplated whether it’s worth cycling another 18km to the next hot bath. Nope, it want going to happen as it also would have meant 18km back. So, a quick wash under cold water, some dry clothes. Tent built and back into town for food. I found a great and friendly sushi place where I had 2 salads, hot tea, a soup and 8 pieces of sushi. I needed the food. After that, supermarket for some soy milk and bananas for breakfast and some mixed nuts for the night. 

As I got back to the campsite, my neighbor was also eating. We started chatting and I found out he was an English teacher. That was amazing. We talked for another 2h or so and spoke about so many things. Working conditions in Japan, especially work life balance and the effects of people having to “fit it” or go with company culture —> more work, better reputation. But the costs to the individual are high, from getting sick from being overworked to having little time for family and other things. As a teacher, Yoshinori said, work is hard too. It’s not just the regular school stuff but also looking after after school activities. He’s looking after mountaineering so he goes up mountains with kids. But it’s when someone is sick, they rather come to work than get better at home. That would risk infecting others but also not getting well quickly and being able to recover. We talked about a “teachers work-life-balance revolution” that needs to be started. Apparently the government is recognising that the current system is not good and not working for the country. Already birthdates have hit rock bottom and the stress on young adults is increasing...

We also talked about so many other things, one of my best evenings so far on a campsite. After that it was time to say “oyasumi nasai” - good night. Tomorrow will be a good day of cycling, hopefully no rain. 

We are now at 1047km since start, 14 days ago