Kenta-san's Travel Bookmarks
| 8:30 | Departure from Hotel |
|---|---|
| 9:30 | Arrive in Ehime, the prefecture of departure |
| 9:45 | Rest at "Roadside Station Misho MIC" |
| 12:30 | Lunch at Tamura |
| 14:00 | Uwajima Station |
| 14:15 | Arrive at the hotel "Uwajima Oriental Hotel" |
| 18:00 | Dinner at Hozumi-Tei |
DAY 10 is over!
are based on
word of mouth.
Check today's route
A good appetite in the morning
Another sunny day! Breakfast at the hotel was not enough, so we went to a convenience store near the hotel to get a refill and check out the route.
Returning to Ehime via Route 56
Toward Uwajima
The journey to Ehime Prefecture, where we started 10 days ago, was a tough one with ups and downs but only about 140km left in the 1,000km journey. Route 56 has many tunnels and heavy traffic, including large trucks. For safety reasons, we turned on our front and rear lights even during the daytime.
Super cheap amberjack and skipjack
Roadside Station Misho MIC
Stop at the first rest stop, Roadside Station Misho MIC. It sells specialty products of Ainan Town. Inside the store, you will find "Ainan Gold" citrus juice, a local specialty, and soft-serve ice cream. Of special note is the casual sale of fish from the local fishing port. A piece of amberjack or skipjack costs 300 yen and 800 yen, respectively. I almost bought some by accident.
Tsucchi's favorite Yuru-chara
Naashi-kun
Also found at the roadside station was Ainan Town's local character "Naashi-kun," a character based on the motif of the Japanese otter (I think I saw a similar character the other day...), and his tail-chomping buddy "Katsuo no Kacchan" (bonito). "Nashi" is a dialect word used at the end of words in this region, but in fact, I have not heard it once yet on this trip.
Leisurely ride without being pressed for time
Shortening the ride uncovers surprising benefits
About 20km from the roadside station MIC. We are moving north, away from the Pacific Ocean, and the sea is becoming calmer. Today's itinerary is short, about 60km, and we plan to arrive at the hotel a little after noon. Usually we arrive around 5pm and spend the time until dinner doing laundry and organizing the videos we have taken, but today we don't have to worry about that. It is nice to have a day like this to relax.
Eel lunch...not
Tamura
I happened to find a "Eel" banner along Route 56. Since I had not eaten eel once on my trip, I decided to have lunch here. When I looked at the menu, I found that the price of "wild caught eel" was 4,200 yen, which was the same price as last night's hotel. Instead, I ended up ordering a lunch set meal for about 1,000 yen, which turned out to be a bonanza. The sardine in the upper right photo is "maruzushi," a local dish of Uwajima where sardines are vinegared and rolled up like sushi with okara (bean curd). The vinegar and a hint of sweetness from the okara go very well together.
The world's slowest bullet train...nowhere to be seen
Uwajima Station
Before going to today's hotel, we stopped by Uwajima Station at Tsucchi's request. There is a sightseeing train, which is modeled after the first generation Shinkansen (Series 0) and is known as "The World's Slowest Shinkansen" with a maximum speed of 85 km/h. When we stopped by, there was no train at the station, leaving Tsucchi very disappointed.
Arrival at the inn!
Uwajima Oriental Hotel
Arrived at today's inn. In the lobby, organic coffee and several kinds of bath salts were self-served. The hotel is also directly connected to a convenience store, has a laundry, and allows cyclists to store their bicycles in their rooms.
Dinner with local cuisine, Uwajima sea bream rice
Hozumi-tei
For dinner, we visit the popular restaurant "Hozumi-tei" for a gourmet meal in Uwajima. Uwajima tai meshi" is a dish of pickled sea bream sashimi served over white rice with an egg. Matsuyama's tai meshi is rice with tai (sea bream/snapper) in it, so you may be surprised at the variety of dishes available in different regions of Ehime. Tachiuo fish no Makiyaki is a unique dish in which long, thin pieces of cutlassfish are wrapped around a bamboo stick and baked with a sweet kabayaki sauce. It is surprisingly light and refreshing compared to its appearance. The "Maruzushi" and "Jako-ten" local dishes followed, and we decided to enjoy them with sake, which goes well with the fish.
Places we stopped this time
Roadside Station Misho MIC
Tamura
Uwajima Station
Hozumi-tei
Where we stayed
Uwajima Oriental Hotel
ROUTE
About the Day 10 route
Starting from Sukumo, the tour will head north from the western tip of Shikoku via National Route 56. Finished at Uwajima, our final day's starting point.
Distance traveled: 62km
Elevation Gain: 490m
Travel time: 5 hours and 30 minutes
Weather: fine
Today's side-trip video
Here's what happened on the other days!
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DAY 1
Matsuyama City - Imabari City Area
Distance travelled: 50km
Day 1 begins with the start of the ride, moving and assembling. After praying for a successful trip at Matsuyama Airport, we set off for Imabari. We enjoyed a nice ride while enjoying local recommendations and B-class gourmet food at a restaurant overlooking the sea, but then we ran into a bike store due to mechanical trouble. Fortunately, it was not a big problem, and we were able to inspect the bike before the long-distance ride started in earnest, so it turned out to be a good first day.
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DAY 2
Imabari City - Kannonji Area
Distance travelled: 103km
Finally, the full day of riding begins in the morning. We'll be touring the manufacturing process of Imabari towels, now a global brand, and taking in the sights of giant old coin sand paintings, while also going on a gastronomic expedition of ramen, melon dessert, and coffee, plus a surprise meeting with a fan, and lots of fun!
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DAY 3
Kannonji - Takamatsu Area
Distance travelled: 83km
Kagawa and Takamatsu are a treasure trove of famous sightseeing spots and gourmet foods, such as Mount Kompira, the Great Seto Bridge, and udon noodles. We changed from cleats to sandals, climbed 1,300 steps to visit the shrine, and rode to get udon for breakfast and lunch. It was a day of riding in Shikoku!
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DAY 4
Takamatsu - Tokushima area
Distance travelled: 96km
Day 4 with the first support rider of this trip, "Carson-kun". Despite the rainy season finally baptizing the day, the riders will head through the Takamatsu-Tokushima area at cruising speed, enjoying exquisite granola, a sumptuous seafood lunch, fashionable sweets, Tokushima ramen, and more.
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DAY 5
Tokushima - Shishikui Area
Distance travelled: 96km
Before we left, I found something wrong with my tires and had to ride the entire day with a time bomb. In addition, rain was forecast, and we thought it was going to be a hard day, but we were lucky to have a great lunch, good road conditions, and the rain held off! We arrived at a guest house with a private beach and toasted our good fortune.
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DAY 6
Shishikui - Kochi Area
Distance travelled: 124km
Finally, the trip is about to turn around. We hit Route 55 and headed for Kochi via the UNESCO-designated Geopark Cape Muroto. The 124-km ride, the longest of the 11-day itinerary, was underway. We rode along the coast in fine weather, but a bulge in the rear tire had been a source of concern since yesterday. We finally made it to the bike store and were relieved!
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DAY 7
Kochi City - Tosa-Kure area
Distance travelled: 74km
We will continue to ride around in the second half of the day with our well-maintained bicycles in great shape. Today's support rider, Saito-san, provided us with a perfect local guide, and we were able to enjoy not only Katsurahama Beach, but also Kochi's largest morning market, a tour of powerful local industries, and a run-through of local delicacies.
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DAY 8
Tosakure - Nakamura Area
Distance travelled: 116km
Today's ride is down the Shimanto River, the longest first-class river in Shikoku. We will ride to a sunken bridge surrounded by mountains and clear water with a break for shiitake mushrooms and a cafe overlooking the Shimanto River! The weather, pleasant route, and spectacular views all combine to make this Shikoku trip the best yet!
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DAY 9
Nakamura - Otsuki City Area
Distance travelled: 112km
We finally have three days left on our trip. Today, we will change our itinerary completely and head for Kashiwa Island, which has received a lot of recommendations. When we get there, the sea is unbelievably beautiful! We were satisfied with the sudden change in our itinerary and marveled at the unfathomable charms of Shikoku, which we might not be able to fully explore in a single trip around the island.
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DAY 10
Otsuki City - Uwajima City Area
Distance travelled: 62km
Kenta-san has finally reached the end of his trip and returned to Ehime, the prefecture of his departure. Today was the second shortest daily itinerary, but he had plenty of time to enjoy Uwajima's specialties for lunch and dinner, and almost bought a piece of bonito at a roadside station he stopped at along the way. It was a day to get in shape for the last leg of the ride.
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DAY 11
Uwajima City - Matsuyama City Area
Distance travelled: 106km
The last leg of our 11-day cycling tour is finally over. After a hill climb at the beginning of the ride, passing a roadside station that boasts the largest selection of ancient creatures and orange juice in Japan, and an emotive unmanned train station, we finally reached the goal! After getting out of the saddle, we will continue to enjoy Matsuyama City without any worries.