Heavy rain, a crash…we’ll retreat back to the Minshuku
Is it good luck or good karma? The Minshuku Isonoya, our home for the night is the essence of what we dream of finding in a place to stay. First of all, just finding it and trusting our instincts and secondly the people…it is run by a powerhouse of three women and a daughter. There is a soccer tournament nearby and and one team of boys under 10 and a few parents and coaches are staying there. Barry is in his element.
The view from our rooms.They had only 2 single rooms left and we were happy to get them.
Saved the best for last: the Onsen (Japanese Bath). An onsen is such a civilized way to bathe and relieve an aching tired body. After sitting on a stool, cleansing yourself and rinsing off, you submerge in the large bath and relax away the day.
I mentionned that these women who run the Minshuku have a wicked sense of humour. When Tomo was showing us the Onsen, she explained that there is no lock on the door, but there is a baseball bat. If you want to lock the door you wedge the bat into the sliding door and if someone gets in …(she mimed with a swinging motion)…just use the bat, and she laughed.
When we checked in, Tomo greeted us and instantly made us feel at home. She was excited to meet a fellow cyclist. She works with the Ciel Bleu pro cycling team and was proud to share her photos and cycling kits (cycling clothing). We are exchanging business cards before we leave.
Tomo was very intrigued by our trikes. Having never seen one before, she was full of questions. When she sat on the comfy seat her eyes widened and she laughed. With each feature we showed her, she oohed and ahhed with much enthusiasm.
Saying farewell to Tomo. We had such a great time. Thanks to the map she gave us, our thoughts are focussing on a possible solution to dealing with Barry’s motor problem. The map shows a number of cycling routes and features info about elevation gains over the length of each route.
Tomo shared a video with us of Ciel Bleu cycling team visiting Marutake Armory Centre. It was really entertaining as they arrive in Lycra clothing on their bikes and emerge with much fanfare from the entrance gates in Samurai clothing. When we wild camped the previous night, we met Matsu, a cyclist. We had exchanged emails and photos. He wrote as well that we should visit Marutake, a place that he feels captures the spirit of Japan. Since it was located only a few Km back, we headed to Marutake.
It is an interesting place with 2 buildings featuring artisans creating ancient Japanese Samurai Armour and also Samurai robes and clothes. The work is done with ancient methods and the sewing is done by hand. Today is the 4th National Holiday of Golden Week…Children’s Day. People of all ages were in attendance today as well as many families. Fun activities were set up.
There is much to see here including a tea house, so this won’t be a quick stop. The rain has begun early so it will be an interesting day..
It is Children’s Day in Japan. Children can get dressed up in Samurai clothing and armour, plus be photographed on a horse.
A news crew were filming a feature on the Marutake exhibit. The woman asked Barry for a comment and asked if he had knowledge of the Edo era. His response that he is from Canada and we had met a man who encouraged us to visit this special place.
There was an extensive and extraordinary collection of armour costumes that are for sale, roughly 10 to 30,000 dollars. The workmanship is authentic and created by hand.
Another current film is The Legend and Butterfly which features the work of Marutake. This film is presently featured on Amazon Prime so we will check it out.
This is where you order food in the Tea Room. We know the price of the item we want, but we can’t understand what we are ordering. A Japanese man saw our confusion and he also struggled. Barry ended up with this soba dish…pictured below..not what he expected but very good.
We have spent a lot longer than we had planned, but it was worth it. We realize that we will need to modify our plan and ride as far as we can.
The narrow highway out of town is atrocious as the traffic is very busy with holiday traffic, huge freight trucks going in both directions due to Sendai Port. This is compounded by the heavy rain, no shoulder and the edge of the road rippling up due to wear and tear. At one point I could hear Barry through the intercom in our helmet say a pithy word and then silence. I couldn’t get a response and turned around. I saw a van full of people who had stopped in their lane and were collectively helping to extricate Barry from his overturned trike. In fact, people were so concerned that traffic in both directions stopped as they wanted to help and ensure he is ok. Mud at the edge of the road combined with the uneven pavement of the road caused his trike to rollover sideways which trapped him under his trike. A very scary moment. He was in shock I think, as he insisted on carrying on.
We know what the doctor orders when one has a crash and is in shock. One needs sugary “happy” food and this fit the bill.
A quick stop at a Lawson Convenience store to get dry, have a coffee and this treat of 2 pancakes with a coffee cream filling. Plus it gave us a chance to reconsider the wisdom of carrying on. We turned around with the hope that there would be room at the Minshuku.
When we arrived, the women sprang in to action. One secured the onsen for us, another said they would include us with the dinner they were preparing and they looked at a muddy bedraggled Barry with dismay. The best news is that the rooms we vacated this morning are available.
We will be sharing the dining room with the soccer team. They got us set up early.
Today's ride: 22 km (14 miles) Total: 332 km (206 miles)
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Steve Miller/GrampiesVery lucky it was not more serious. Dirt washes off and shock wears off. We are glad Barry is not damaged and your usual spirits are intact! Reply to this comment 11 months ago
Mike AylingGood that Barry was not seriously hurt.
Must have been quite a drop off the edge of the road to roll his trike.
Difficult to know the exact circumstances and traffic loads but "owning the lane" in future might be a suggestion. Reply to this comment 11 months ago
Barry BartlettTo Steve Miller/GrampiesThanks Steve. I am relieved as well. It looked bad at a distance but a few bruises and a dented pride can be overcome. Reply to this comment 11 months ago
Barry BartlettTo Mike AylingIndeed.
We certainly agree with the philosophy of owning the lane, especially where we live. However this road was a different beast with freight trucks too big for the road going full tilt and the rain complicating things. Anyway he is ok and on we go. Thanks for your comment and thoughts. Reply to this comment 11 months ago
