Japan Day 21 - Bento And A Sento

Damn, waking up on a beach feels good. Must be, I figure, because I slept so soundly last night. The couple of bucks we spent to use the grounds was a great investment. You can't put a price on peace of mind - but that doesn't mean it can't be bought. Ours was sold to us for an even six dollars in total.

I felt extra refreshed that morning. No rustling boars spurring apprehensions in your mind, no late night park wonderers using the clean public toilets we tend to pitch our tents near, no loud sirens of ambulances cruising down the lonely lit highways of any large city. Just rest. And silence; interrupted every now and again only by the sound of a small wave crashing onto itself and the following fizzle made as it ebbed back into the sea.

The only major protuberance from the fresh morning air and the chirping of bird songs (still excitingly unfamiliar) the next morninig was the foghorn of an incoming cruise ship set to dock only a few hundred meters away. Even that wasn't so bad. The morning held it's beauty and it's pose. 

After correcting a quick mix up from the night before involving a coin laundry machine, we set down to have the best breakfast of the times. And it translated well into the day, as we both cycled faster and a smoother than at any time previous.

The few hotels we've had the pleasure of sleeping in have given us much more than shelter, warm showers, or the occational free breakfast. The hotels have also given us much time and space to practice unpacking, sometimes unnecessarily, every piece of our belongings. Pictured here, you can see our technique transcending the closed walls of any hotel room.

Breakfast of champions. Rice puffs, corn cereal flakes, bananas, apple slices, and Japanese soy milk. That'll get your pedals moving!!

Everyone finds their favorite special treat while traveling, that psychologically comforting snack that puts any hard day to rest and lays an unconscious smile back on to the face. 

More man hole covers. Building a large collection now....

You know, it's hard not to love Sentos, aka public bath houses. Sure you have to get naked in a room full of strangers, washing yourself in what has been predominantly a solo act for the majority of your life. But where all made up of the same parts, yes? You get over the shyness of it all without much effort - and really begin to enjoy the bath pools when you do. You can see here, after not showering for a few days, how relaxed I feel =)

Dinner that evening was brought and bought by the the local grocery store. See all the yellow stickers on my bento box and other treats? Half off! All you have to do is wait untill 7pm, and that's not difficult for us. We usually are looking for a place to camp, setting up tent, or showering before we realize it's time to go shopping for food. 

Last night we slept by the sea, today a well lit forest. Yes, paid camping again ($2). The major differnece being not the scenery but the sound. Up until the last tennis player left the park, geese flew, crowed, and scattered about our tent. All the noise of flapping wings, scavenging, and calling intensified the night's 

The whole park was lit up nicely in fact. Here's one just outside out tent. Reminds me of a book I once read...

Tonight we live in another "legal" campsight, though tonight I am not as ill. The geese make their presence know loudly, yet I am so tired that it should not make a difference today. Kudos to sister for finding this campsight. I'm off to bed now with the understanding that tomorrow will be another day of cycling towards Takamatsu. 

Love,

-A