Kenta-san stayed the night before at Hotel Kyocera, a resort hotel in Kirishima City. The hotel clerk kindly agreed to let us keep our bike bags and other large luggage for three days until we came back to this hotel on the last day! We had originally planned to use the coin lockers at Kagoshima Airport or the lockers at the train station in Kirishima City, but we were very grateful for the kind offer. The morning was a chilly 5 degrees Celsius, but the weather was fine! *Luggage storage at "Hotel Kyocera" is not a service they usually offer. Please be careful to check in advance how to use the coin lockers at the airport and how to store your luggage at the hotel where you will be staying.

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First, we rode about 2km to "Oliver," a bakery introduced to us by the hotel. The bakery opens at 7:00am, and the array of freshly baked breads is pleasing to the eye. Kenta-san was expecting to choose the limited-time-only "Strawberry Danish (360 yen)," which is suitable for the Spring pre-ride, but instead, he picked up the "Cheese Toast" without even looking at the strawberries. Free hot coffee is included when eating or drinking in the restaurant.

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After bread, we went on to Japanese "sweet foods" and rode to "Kajiki Manju," a specialty of Kajiki Town, Aira City. After joining Route 10 riding along Kinko Bay and riding 8km counterclockwise along Kinko Bay from Kirishima City, we arrived at "Shinmichiya," which was recommended by a viewer and always has a long line of customers. Today, we decided to have freshly steamed fluffy manju on the spot. The hot, fluffy, thin crust is filled with sweet Koshi-an (sweet red bean paste). Apparantly, locals were buying 10 or 20 in bulk. They are also popular as souvenirs.

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After enjoying the sweet red bean paste at Shindoya, the next stop was for a local specialty, "Jyanbo Mochi" (rice cake with red bean paste). We followed Route 10 for about 20km along the edge of the bay, arriving at Hirataya just as Sakurajima on the other side of the bay was getting closer. Route 10 from Kirishima City to Kagoshima City has a lot of traffic, including trucks so be careful of the ruts. The origin of the word "Dyanbo" is not English "jumbo" or "Konnichiwa" (=hello), but the Chinese reading of "両" which in dialect became 'Ryan' (there are various theories). The Chinese characters '両棒 read as 'both' and 'stick', there are six jyanbo-mochi on the plate that I ordered, and they have two (both) sticks stuck into the mochi rice cake. The soft mochi has a toasted flavor and perfect with the sweet soy sauce seasoning.

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After leaving Hirataya, ride about 4km to visit the bronze statue of Takamori Saigo in Kagoshima City. The statue is tall, so we took a commemorative photo at the photo spot across the road. Compared to Saigo in a kimono in Ueno Park, he is wearing a military uniform and his expression is more dignified. There was a colored statue of his beloved dog 'Kaya' also sitting in this photo spot.

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Further on in Kagoshima City, we stopped at Takohachi Shokudo, a local diner run by a proprietress in her 80s. The cheerful, funny, and cute proprietress has been featured in the media. The 280 yen okonomiyaki, which has been popular among families and high school students for over 50 years and boasts of its great value for money, is the standard taste prepared in Osaka by the proprietress. What surprised us was the speed. It took less than five minutes to cook the okonomiyaki after placing an order.

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From Kagoshima City, we entered Route 226 and rode about 20km toward Ibusuki. As we headed south from the center of Kagoshima City, the road became wider and the traffic gradually decreased, making it easier to ride. As we rode along the Kinko Bay, a clean white building appeared soon after we saw the word "Cafe" on the road. When I saw the word "Cafe," I decided to have my after-dinner coffee here. As we entered the spacious store with a resort-like atmosphere and a large glass window overlooking Kinko Bay and Sakurajima, we had a hot coffee "Long Black (500 yen)" and reconfirmed our course for the rest of the day.

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We stopped by Lake Ikeda, a lake where the mysterious creature "Issy" is said to have lived since the early 1960s. We heard that there is a spiritual place called "Golden Torii," and decided to stop by to capture the "Issy" on camera, if possible. The road to Lake Ikeda, off Route 226 along Kinko Bay, climbs uphill. Kenta-san's knee started to hurt around this point. It seems that the saddle height was not right, and his knees were straining. By the time they reached Lake Ikeda, the pain had become so severe that they unfortunately gave up their search for Issy and the golden torii gate. We took a rest while gazing at the picturesque cone-shaped Kaoimondake (Mt. Kaimon) towering in the background.

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We drove from the west bay side of Lake Ikeda to the foot of Mount Kaimondake, and then to Ibusuki City. We stopped at JR Nishi-Oyama Station on the way to Ibusuki City. This is the southernmost unmanned JR station in Japan and a bit of a tourist spot. Tsucchi was very excited to see the sight of the railroad tracks without overhead wires with Mount Kaimon in the background. Even Kenta-san, who is not so interested in trains, liked the spacious and nostalgic atmosphere of the station. A commemorative photo was taken from the edge of the unmanned station platform with the information monument.

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As soon as I checked in, I went straight to the "Suna Mushi Hot Springs" that I really wanted to try in Ibusuki. This unique bathing method in Ibusuki, in which the entire body is covered from the neck down with sand heated by the hot springs along the coastline, is perfect for relieving the fatigue of the day as the weight of the sand rests on your entire body and warms you to the core. Afterwards, we moved on to the main bath and enjoyed the hot spring.

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