Kamagawa to the surfing capital Ichinomiya

May 15, 2025

Breakfast in Japan is an extravaganza with so many choices, mostly Japanese, but some Western too. The breakfast plate is sectioned off into small square sections which helps to organize your meal and not overeat. Of course, you can count on a massive pot of rice, miso soup, perhaps a curry, Natto, seafood, vegetable dishes and a variety of condiments.

The green salad station is always excellent with fresh leaf lettuce, grated carrot, baby tomatoes, steamed broccoli, sliced daikon, etc along with potato salad and pasta salad. Our favourite dressing is the creamy sesame dressing.

Marinated tofu, bamboo shoots, stir fried veg and meat

Croquettes with potato and meat….love the sauce.

Children are welcome visitors and most hotels have an area for kids to play. This playroom was top notch with activities for all ages.

Our room was spacious and comfy with a seating area to stretch out.

Across the street from the hotel was a sea world

This is an ad for a spa, Golden Bath….we found it kind of strange but it did its job as we it caught our attention.

Most towns have a unique design around the street lights…this is what Kamogawa came up with.

The roads are busy today…nice to see that we will have a sidewalk to ease our way through the tunnel.

What a wonderful area to ride through. Before I travelled in Japan, in my ignorance, I imagined crowded spaces and didn’t appreciate the vastness of lush countryside, incredible forests, and wide open spaces. We have found that most Japanese people take every opportunity they can to be in nature. After all, the phenomenon of “forest bathing” originated here and is a valued practice in Japan.

This road sign warns you of the possibility of raccoon dogs running across the road.

Barry will not be forgotten by the staff at this Konbini. He was trying to pay with change and the worker said, give me what you have and I will put it all in the coin sorter…the till will figure it out. Well, it jammed the machine which led to a shutdown. The staff worked on it, they called head office, they spoke to a repair guy. The clerk found some change in the back for Barry so that he could leave. Sadly when he left the till was still not operational and they were still on the phone. A lot of bowing and sumimasens (sorry) followed as Barry made his way out of the store. Yikes.

The Pacific Coast in Japan is a haven for surfers.

These tunnels quickly become a part of nature with such lush growth.

A different way to make this town’s street lights special. Can’t explain the connection with camels.

This place is a lot of things..a Tiki Bar, surf shop, coffee shop….

A nice touch…Ministop Konbini serves their soft serve cone with an edible spoon.

Ministop is not our favourite Konbini for meals, but it is our favourite for ice cream.

Pacific Cycling Road has been with us since Osaka. We have been through so many different types of terrain, hills and mountains, yet the Ocean has been our constant.

The route is close to the ocean here. The winds are pretty strong which keeps the path covered with debris. Not too bad tho, it is rideable.

Uh oh, the winds are making this challenging. A break in the trees have let the sand pile up.

Clear sailing in this section. We so love riding along the beach. The wind is invigorating and the views are outstanding.

We were fascinated by the colour of the water along this stretch. It seemed to be a dark green and the colour of the surf was unusual.

Living along the inlet. Can you see the fish jumping?

It is entertaining for us to cross bridges as they are often decorated like this to befit the location.

We have been on the prowl for an outdoor store where we can find back pack rain covers to replace our three MEC rain covers that we left at the Drake Hotel a few days ago. We were really excited when we came across a Patagonia store. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any but they were able to recommend a Home Depot type store, called Gainz, that sells everything imaginable including bicycle covers. They located a location for us that we’ll being riding through in a few days.

Wow, we have been passing so many surf shops and cafes when suddenly we came upon this lovely Patagonia store. Certainly, they cater to surfers but they have incredible stock for everybody.

What a great store.This display is about the sea turtles hatching on the beach across from the store.

Nice touches ….loved the photo and this stained glass window.

The family who run this store made our visit special. Arigato!

Love it…great images and like the play on words…”Chibafornia”.

It has been an incredible day of riding. The ocean has been a big feature of our day riding alongside it, watching surfers, battling winds and sand….and just enjoying where we are. It has been super hot and we are ready to stop. Tonight’s stay will be in an R9 which is a collection of containers.

We will be on the end and our trikes can be undercover.👍

R9 provide free meals from the freezer with your stay. We have a microwave in our room, so it will be an early night…dinner and then to bed. We are tired.

This R9 hotel is quite elaborate compared to others that we have stayed in. They even offer suites built out of two stacked containers. On the top floor there is a hot tub that you watch the stars from.

Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 1,205 km (748 miles)

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