[2019-10-14]
I woke up just before it started raining.
I hoped to get a last photo of Mt. Fuji and enjoy a moment in Tenninmori Park, but luck was not in my favor.
Minutes later, I was having breakfast at a Konbini at Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka, while waiting for the rain to stop and continue my journey.
I didn’t want to get wet from the start, but I was worried; I had to hurry and ride all I could: Days before, I had discovered that I had miscalculated my routes and was missing a day of riding. So, I had to reschedule my days with longer rides and improvised places to sleep. At least, I knew now that the Michi no Eki were great options.
Thankfully when I decided to leave, the rain was stopping. Although minutes later, it started again, and I entered another konbini.
But I wouldn’t be able to advance enough if I had to find cover every five minutes. While debating with myself to wait for the rain to completely stop, I saw some aged people riding their bikes. Seeing them left me thinking: if they weren’t so worried about the possible rain, maybe I was too paranoid.
I took, then, the straightest route beside the sea. There were a lot of orchards and greenhouses, and I saw many signs for strawberries – I happened to be riding across the Strawberry Beachline. I didn’t stop and ignored other spots I had planned to visit; I just wanted to advance as much as possible.
In Shizuoka, I didn’t find any custom manhole cover; maybe because I was more focused on not getting wet. But I noticed two different covers for fire hydrants.
After crossing the urban area of Shizuoka, I entered again into the captivating mountains and arrived at the first Michi no Eki on my way: ‘Utsunoyatoge’.
Resting there for some minutes, I saw a couple from Check Republic that I met on the first camping site before leaving Tokyo –they also were traveling by bike and camping, but they were taking a different route.
It had been drizzling all morning, and it was supposed to rain much more in the afternoon. I was thinking of stopping for the day, but it was too early, just about 10:15 a.m. I felt awful to be stopping that soon; and also, I would be too far from the following day’s destination.
I decided to advance to the next spot – another Michi no Eki at 33km away. I followed the route down from the beautiful mountains, and back to the bit monotonous streets in the middle of cities. I was focused on advancing; it was midday, and I was still so far.
I saw the cover for Fujieda City. It also featured Mt. Fuji, although I didn’t see it from there.
An hour later, I arrived at Shimada City, just to be surprised by a matsuri I found on the way.
「祭り」(A Japanese matsuri is a traditional festival that involves lively parades, traditional clothing, music, and dance)
Although it was the last part of the procession, I was delighted because it was my first time seeing one. Also, totally unexpected.
Minutes later, I found this manhole cover; it features an Obi Matsuri.
「帯」(Obi is a sash worn with traditional Japanese clothing, usually with embroidery and patterns.)
And I just found out that I was witnessing the last section of the Shimada Obi Matsuri.
(This matsuri is held every three years in the first weeks of October. So, I feel now really lucky to have witnessed at least a bit of it.)
I continued advancing into the countryside. Everything was so beautiful, although it looked like it would be raining at any moment.
Looking at the map, I noticed a difficult climb ahead, but it was the shortest path. I did what I could, then I walked, pushing the bike.
It really wasn’t much distance, but when I was at the end, it was satisfying to look back and see what I had accomplished.
The climb led me to a wider road. After checking which direction to take, I realized I was not at the top yet. I had to continue through a horribly steep slope I hadn’t noticed.
If I took the other road, I would have to ride some kilometers around the mountains.
Not having any other option, I pushed the bike up that hill. Little did I know that everything was getting worse. That inclined street ended up in a mossy narrow old cobblestone path in the middle of a forest.
I was already tired after riding all day and the previous climbing, but I had to continue. I must reach the Michi no Eki before dark.
This path was also part of the old Tokaido Route – I think this was the most arduous segment of all my journey through Japan.
I kept pushing and pushing the heavy bike without seeing the end. The surroundings looked stunning, but it was too much – I was exhausted and worried about slipping; I had to make a lot of effort to maintain the bike balanced.
(You can see how steep it was)
I thought of giving up and taking the long road, but that path, downhill, would have been even more dangerous. I was sweating so much that my hands became very slippery; I had to put on my wool gloves to grab the bike handle.
That was a very unfrequented route, and if I fell, nobody would help me. But I was not going to finish if I was scared; I kept, cautiously, going up.
Then, I saw the end of the path. I hadn’t felt that relief before; I pushed with all my strength. At that moment, I felt no exhaustion. I was so happy and satisfied.
It was about 500m of ascent and took me only 20 minutes – but I felt it so much longer. Maybe without a bicycle and the heavy load would have been a completely different experience.
(I came out full of those little plants that stick to the clothes.)
I was delighted even more, finding out that I ended up in the middle of tea plantations. All those aligned rows down the mountain were fascinating.
I descended the mountain through a long-sloped road between the plantations. I even had to get down from the bike because the brakes couldn’t hold all the weight.
But I was pleased again, going through old towns in the middle of beautiful mountains. I never got tired of those landscapes.
I had to ascend some roads again, but now I felt I could achieve anything.
Following the map recommendations, I ended up in a closed road. Just beside a closed store but with a lot of vending machines outside – I bought a ‘Pocari Sweat’ (popular sports drink).
While checking for a different route on the map, a man (who I had seen previously smoking beside a car) approached me and asked where I was going. I told him I was going to the nearest Michi no Eki: Kakegawa. At that moment, his daughter got out of the car and talked to me in English. She translated what her father told me (although I understood a bit). I was very close to my destination; they gave me all the indications needed. I told them about my journey and my goal, and, as expected, they were shocked.
I thanked them and left by the right road. Minutes later, it started raining, so I hurried up. Suddenly I heard a car honking – father and daughter were passing by, encouraging me.
Their instructions were to keep going up that road until the first traffic light, then I had to turn left. Just as I spotted the traffic light, it started to pour heavily. I accelerated and reached a footbridge some meters before the detour.
I was waiting under the bridge when the same girl came out of nowhere. She gave me an amulet so I would have a safe journey. I was so surprised and embarrassed; I didn’t know what to say. Of course, I thanked her; and she asked me for a photo with her (it didn’t occur to me to take one too). I was now overjoyed about this surprising day.
「お守り」The amulet was an Omamori – which roughly translates ‘protection’. Those Omamori are sold in shrines and temples across Japan; they have multiple purposes like happiness, good luck, health… (You can read more about them, here)
I reached the Michi no Eki, soaked.
I hadn’t suffered that much before and, at the same time, had so much satisfaction.
Don‘t hesitate to ask any questions in the comments below.
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