Japan - Yoshi; Slowly But Surely

I know now why Japan is called the land of the rising sun. Yes, here we see the "first light", we are at the vanguard of confronting the sun under agreeable international time zones. That, and for the sheer intensity of incommodious brightness the day begins to push though windows and micro fabric tent materials at about 4:30 am. By 5:00, the sky is as fully illuminated as it will be for the rest of the day.

That....really doesn't stop me from rolling over in my sleeping bag in an delusive attempt at another half hour's rest. Handkerchiefs made over as blindfolds are a must.

When I did manage to crack the tent zipper to meet the day, I heard Yoshi still sleeping. Oh well, might as well begin.

Where my bike spent the night. 

As per usual, we camp in playground parks because we have access to late night bathrooms and water. That, and, as I've absolutely come to enjoy, we get to play on structures before the children awake. 

Right before Yoshi and I gathered our personals, a baseball team began their warm ups. Militaristic in their morning drills, you can see how serious the sport is taken and loved by the people.

Lunch was had in Fukuyama where sister and I had only passed by the first time through. Today, being Sunday, an ally street festival called to anyone and everyone within earshot. Duh, we went to go have a look around.

Most unique to this gathering crowd of mothers, children, and couples are the select cos-play characters...that just walked around. They weren't hired or commissioned by the event staff, they weren't asking for money. 

This one here simply walked around as if he was on a fantasy quest; every step was cautious, his stares invited you to question his presence/motive, yet dared you walk away. At times, a fictional leather map would uncoil from his rear pocket and he would scratch his head, holding it in new positions as if he were figuring out whether he was lost or not. What's more, maybe just to invoke a reaction further than simply curiously from the people, he would creep up behind an unsuspecting couple, reach for his fun gun, and blow projected bubbles at them until they creeped out and walked away at a faster pace. 

What a character.

Street performers planted themselves at strategic corners and blocked off intersections, dazzling spectators with tricks, gimmicks, and performances. 

This young lady worked the life size wined-up mannequin routine. Girls would run up, drop some coins in the bucket and trigger a mechanical wave or an automated hug from the pink and very well made up artist.

What's an alley filled with performers without the sidewalk chalk muralist? It's been a while since last I saw Merry Poppins though that's what came to mind. 

After a good lunch and sidewalk entertainment, we moved on.

About to cross a bridge that technically doesn't have a bike lane is not a great place to stop for a photo - but we're touring cyclists, we don't do things the easy way.

On a normal unloaded bike, there is a nice incline of about 3% for over a kilometer ramping up to each bridge. On a loaded bike, it's a small hassle. For Yoshi and his traveling box of over-preparedness it's a...well, he was counting down the bridges until the end.

Never complained though, not once. I know he knows what he was getting himself into when he made the decision to bring the trailer. Like my sister with a busted knee, troopers.

So we didn't make it across the entirety of the Shimanami Kaidō in one day. Didn't make it the first time in one day either. It's not a hard cycling feat to accomplish, a mere 70km from beginning to end. All the same, the feat has eluded me for now.

Hey, I'm not complaining - I get to camp out on a beautiful summer night on a small Japanese island! 

That night we camped in the only rest area around, a small park spotted with three picnic tables. Thing was, it's right under the bridge. Its a little nerve raking falling asleep to the sound of passing cars above you, wondering what you would do in the event of a late night earthquake. Somehow, I fell asleep that night but it wasn't easy.

Children at play. Baseball, it's not just America's pastime.

I swear Yoshi has secret compartments and pockets for everything. He surprised me that night with something he seemingly pulled out of nowhere, almond cheese. 

The small block tasted mildly of almonds. I on the other, incorrect hand, assumed there would be a hearty almond waiting for me to bite into it in the middle. There was not. 

Some men walked their dogs at the park we occupied and I of course had to make the owners wait a little longer so I could play with their energetic canines.

Here's our television for the night; what we watched slowly in the background as the day melted away around us.

Eventually the sun did set and that means lights out for me. Even though we didn't have an extraneous day of cycling, my body falls into a rhythm with the day and night skies. 

Yoshi on the other hand is wide awake. When the sun went down around 7:30, he started pulling out pots, pans, vegetables, eggs, spices, a stove, cutting boards, knives, a potato peeler! What the hell man, that's not a trailer haul, that's a bottomless wagon of trinkets. 

Talking through the night, swapping stories and crass jokes you only pick up along the road, eventually chef Yoshi put a hot plate of deliciousness in front of me. This is soymilk creme sauced pasta with stir fried onions, potatoes, broccoli, and ham spiced and salted to perfection. I didn't even realize how hungry I was! 

Eventually I did fall asleep under the thundering engines of eighteen wheelers traveling along the Shimanami super expressway. That is a different, seperate route than the quieter bike friendly way made for tourists. 

Tomorrow we will hopefully get an early morning start and finish the longest series of suspension bridges in the World.

Rest well, love.

-A