Rishiri 2

I got the usual Japanese breakfast of rice with condiments and an easy-over egg. Femke had bread and cheese from the convenience store.  White bread seems to be about all you can buy; grain breads don't seem to be popular. There's an idea: if I get sick of Japanese breakfasts, I might resort to provisions from convenience stores instead.


I had originally wanted to do a circuit of the island on bicycle which is about 60 km but Femke said that she had found it tiring which meant that it would be impossible for me.  Fortunately there is a scenic cycle track that spans the northwest quadrant of the island. It weaves in and out of the main road.

I was obviously out of practice; it was quite hard. I made some adjustments, first the saddle height, then the day pack went in the grocery basket. I also paced myself, to be not so impatient on the uphill stretches, and to milk the downhill stretches for all they were worth. After that I enjoyed the ride more. The track is well-signposted. There are progress markers every 200m, warnings of road crossings and other information signboards which I'm certain I have decoded correctly.

Pink rabbits do sommersaults here. Strange that no performance times were mentioned.

Beware of kamikaze crows.

Just outside Kutsugata I saw a sign in Kanji reading Foot Soup. However I had been in Japan long enough to know that the Chinese character for soup means bath or spa in Japanese, i.e. a mineral bath. I gave my tired feet a good soak.

A

Almost there.

Do you come here often?

The south branch ended abruptly in an exercise park so I turned back and cycled back to my starting point.  Where the south branch had provided views of seashores, cliffs and Rebun island in the distance, the north branch went through forest. This was a pleasant cool change. Unfortunately it was also slightly uphill so on some stretches I pushed the bike to use different leg muscles. The track went across bridges spanning chasms.

About 4.2 km out from the middle a sign read Summit. I surmised that this was the highest point of the track. I enjoyed rolling downhill from there. But I knew that I would eventually have to regain the height I was losing.

Fortunately the track didn't go all the way down to sea level but ended at about 6 km at a view point with a plaque commemorating Ranald MacDonald, a sailor who came to Japan while it was still isolated, pretending to be shipwrecked.  He became the first English teacher in Japan and by the time Admiral Perry forced Japan to open up trade with the west, there were already English speakers. I had hoped for a food joint or something but nothing, just some kind of tourist residence.

I trudged uphill again and regained the 4.2 km summit. From then on it was whee! downhill. Since I had done the 24.8 km track twice, once in each direction, I had done 50 km that day. So in theory I might have been able to do a circuit of the island, but I think not, I saw some hairpin curves on the main road. I think I deserve a medal but I will settle for a long cool drink.


I looked for a place in town to have a very late lunch, but found nothing again. So it was back to the covenience store for a pack of sushi and a cold drink.

In the evening I walked up to the promontory next to the hostel. On a good day you can watch the sun set over Rebun, but there were clouds on the horizon so the performance was cancelled. A couple of Japanese photographers there were also disappointed. Then a futile search in town for dinner, so it was back the convenience store for a pack of soba noodles.


I'm the only hosteller tonight. In fact I'm the last hosteller for the season; the hostel would close the next day.