Waking up on the beach. I was so scared to as a child. I had a fear of the ocean tide rising up fast during my unconscious sleep and swallowing me up whole and into a cold darkness. The fear is not as bad as that these days, but there is a serious discomfort I feel from being unintentionally wet. Swing, showering, bathing, even Songkran is ok if I know it's coming. But damn it all if I happen to get stuck in a downpour with no shelter. That's somewhere in my top three most grumpy scenarios. In any case, we had survived the rain as of yesterday, and today promised a little sunshine.
Ah the beach, perhaps no other feeling brings me closer to home than a beach view with no clock in sight.
Because we had cycled a little the night before, we found our way into Matsuyama really early. Not just in Matsuyama, rather in all of Shikoku, is this arguably the most famous attraction. Yes, an onsen, a really really old onsen, in a beautifully designed building said to pose as the inspiration for the great Miyazaki film, Spirited Away (English title). However, because of the early morning and eager legs, we didn't bath in the onsen.
We did manage to stop off and enjoy the Sakura trees, which you can see are now in full bloom. The mats you see on the ground are reservations for lunch and dinner parties in the park. These flower viewing picnics, "hanami" in Japanese, are ultra popular and everyone attends from babies to grandparents. Better show up early if you want a spot!
Technically, the hanami picnics are not a festival. They do bring a festival vibe, and that's where food vendors and retailers cash in. The curved park sidewalks interweaving trees and small lakes are lined with all kinds of grilled and fried foods, not to mention sweets and ice cream.
Could not, just couldn't, pass up on some octopus balls fried in batter. These "takoyaki" are an Osaka/Kansai tradition, but you can find them almost anywhere in Japan. Varieties come in dozens of toppings from dried fish, to "karashi" (hot spicy mustard), to one that I have never tried before and photoed here: cheesy takoyaki. A little pricy because of the festival. Yet, so delicious. No regrets about this one, none at all.
Now, I'm not one to have an advertisement for a new sportswear or cologne really impact me. That's what remembering who Edward Bernaise will do to you. Still, I found myself clutching my brakes to snap a quick photo of this billboard. The message is generic but true, and the imagery of a man resting his hand on a friends back as they cycle up a hill inspires sympathy and motivation inside me. I have no idea what the board is trying to sell me, but I like the image.
Being on the road now for more than three years, I can always tell when a good cycling day occurs because of the lack of photos for the day. This, is one of those days. We cycled along the Weatern coast, which is now my favorite part to cycle in all of Japan, not stopping for much or anything. It was a day less of capturing what we saw and more of experiencing the richness of quality.
Today is my favorite cycling day is of this trip, and makes a strong case for best route of my years in Asia.
I did manage to stop briefly to fix my bike's rear haul. My camping gear had almost shifted all the way loose. Kyle almost didn't see me off to the side of the road and when I called out to him as he pulled past me, we took a 5 minute breather when we saw this, a large white replica of the Statue of Liberty in the most random, middle of the back road, unattended field you'll ever find. Japan, you still surprise me.
Cycling, and cycling, and cycling all day around the jigsaw cost line between oceans and mountains. Much in a meditative state of mind, it is easy to forget that 2 hours on the bike can happen to feel like 2 min. Before we knew it, we were starving and almost at our goal. By the time we pulled into the rest area and secured our camp, Kyle and I were a little ticked of due to extreme hunger. We knew what we needed, we needed a meal. Not an onigiri and yogurt. Not peanuts and raisins. We needed a meal.
And that's just what we did. Supermarket shopping gets the job done every time. Pick out whatever you want! And see mom, I even eat my fruits and veggies.
Well, that would be it for the day. We found a really cool camp my the water and hills, no overhead lights keeping us awake, no rapping teenagers practicing at the park into the night. Though, this night I could have slept inside a car with the alarm blearing all night; I was that tired. And so, a on an average day, sleeping from 7 to 7 seems lazy. Tonight, it's necessary.
Love,
-A
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