8 October - heading for the hills

Today was the kinda day I came back to Japan for....  sigh, this place is really beautiful, so I am skipping the last two days (that were beautiful but not equal to.. I will add them later) and doing today's blog as soon as I get these pictures download.

briefly - started off immediately climbing up out of Myoshi - knew there'd be hills but already??

first 10km was a tad scary ducking around traffic including trucks (but they all have some sorta protection between their wheels to prevent cyclists getting sucked in under the wheels - phew!) and then I arrived at the blue bridge - this was my signpost to turn left off the main drag and head for proper hills.

am onto plan B because today there were just far too many wonderful things to stop and look in awe at, to photograph and pedal on.  Yes, uphill semi grind, nothing too steep but just constantly going up at probably only 2%.  so lets check the photos!  (43 from 300+ is not too bad!!)

Covered shopping mall in Myoshi - ryokan where I stayed is on the right

Actually, this is the ryokan I was looking for, but the other one found me!

the Bathroom - steaming hot tubs to soak in after showering

 just out of Myoshi - on route 32

beautiful in one word

etc etc etc

Blue bridge I've been hoping for - its where I get off this main route and onto the little road!!

a nice place to stop for morning tea

Hinoji Valley - part of the Iya valley

Little roadside shrine, tucked under an overhanging rock

peering thru the luscious foliage

Another little Buddhist shrine - their aprons would have been red once - time for new ones I think

Buddha - waiting to pass on the knowledge

The little temple inclusive

This one is for my grandson Carl, who is on the verge of some toilet training!
Apparently its the most dangerous spot in the Iya Valley - males used to have to prove
themselves by pissing into the Valley - 200 metres below.
Thankfully there's a statue there now and the custom is no longer in vogue! 

a little gushing waterfall

found a PO here - to post a small present and card to a special friend in Darwin - hope it gets there in time :)

The Vine Bridge...  top of my list of things to do today - didn't realise it would be such a popular spot and a tad commercialised now.... but for $6 you can walk across it - so why not?
except I have been known to be a total wuss!  but not this time!!
The cross bars were spaced so I could have my heel on one and my toe on the other.. and I walked across
where the twinings were!  no photos taken going across, because my hands were otherwise occupied!!

The bridge did sway and bounce a little, but it generally felt pretty strong...  Not sure how old this is!

50m down the road was this pretty waterfall - Biwa Waterfall - its also 50m high

just to get some idea of scale!!  high above the water ie!!

The little township just nearby

 I was at about this time that I made a decision to change my plans again - well, there had been so many things to stop and look at today - I kept saying "no more stopping" but!!!  anyways, it was now 3:30 and I had only gone halfway - and I wasn't sure what accomm was up ahead, so I went back down the road 1km and checked into the Swanky Hotel!!!  (my name!!)  well, a bit of luxury once on a trip cant be too bad.  Its real name is Shiniya Onsen Hotel, Kazurabashi.  For one night its $205 - but includes an evening meal and breakfast - plus the Open-Air Onsen (bath) - proper Japanese room - ie futon, tatami floors.  this room also includes a toilet and vanity basin, plus little "kitchenette" with fridge and urn!  so - yep - this is my night of luxury - besides there was thunder rumbling and tut tut, it looks like rain - :)

Obviously, cameras are not allowed in the onsen, but this was the women's and the men's is behind the blue curtain.
there was also a mixed bathing area....
Inside was a change area and a shower area with little plastic stools to sit and wash yourself
then into the hot spring - a rock lined pool with steaming hot water being replenished continuously from a spout.
when you get too hot, you can cool off by sitting on one of the rocky ledges - then dip down in again.
I know someone in Sweden that would really love this - hey Anders!!  the thing with this onsen is that water never goes cold!! 

Japanese humour - the little blue-green thing is a frog and he's fishing for those carp, which are very much alive!

I love these bamboo water features...  gotta make one!

and the beginnings of autumn colours!  I was hoping for some!

this little Maple tree has been trained to look abso beautiful at this time of the year!

Think this is a type of birch just starting to turn yellow!

here is the cable car that will take me back down to the hotel - its a 2 min rumbling journey up to the onsen... rather cute
and a maple tree into the bargain - sigh....

leaving the onsen area

so I keep banging on about being a vegetarian, but sometimes on holidays there's not always the choice.  We made a compromise with the pork hot pot - and changed that to a tofu hot pot! but I agreed to eat the fish....  so what did I get - well abso heaps of food in tiny amounts - but solid munching for an hour left me almost unable to get up from the table!!

This was on my table to start with - yes, that is sashimi - I am gunna struggle there -

 my waitress (who could speak some English) served me various dishes - the first being a satay stick with a buckwheat dumpling, a square of fried tofu and konnyaku chunk....  google it - its true what they say, but it is vegetable!

on the little dishes there were a variety of local produce - mountain vegetable, fern fronds, potato, Nameko mushroom,  plus pumpkin, yam, eggplant and some fishy things - I left a smoked dried up piece...   

the poor little fish 
has had his sides ripped off and his body is arched in pain - no no no - that is not the right attitude.

next she brought me a small Ayu trout on a chopstick - it had been cooking over coals near my table, sprinkled with salt - a squeeze of lime and don't worry about the bones apparently...  well it was quite tasty and I did eat most of it, but I did worry about the bones like my mother taught me!!

then a small dish of tempura - yep can do that easy!! 
next she came and lit the hot pot - and brewed up the tofu with leek, enochi mushrooms, a green thing and another sort of mushroom.  Yep all good there!  plus a small bowl of rice of course!  the sauce in the bowl was quite tasty too - but quite different than the Chinese hot pot Caty made for us :)then a miso soup arrived - in between these dishes I was trying to eat the vegies as well.
but here comes a bowl of soba noodles - this area is famous for their soba noodles and they are very proud of that!
there was also a bowl of pickled vegies, but I believe that is cruel to vegies and I couldn't eat them all....
I had ordered a small draught beer to help wash all this down, it was quite nice....

During the evening this charming lady came and sat and spoke to everyone, including me - there was a table of
men who were sounding a tad cheeky but she handled them well
then she sang a rather lovely song and everyone clapped
she went around the tables checking with everyone - apparently she is the Manager and wanted to
make sure we were all happy with our lot!  why yes and Arigato, many times !!

the last dish was a slice of kiwi fruit, a piece of pineapple, a purple and a green grape  - and a cup of green tea (somehow it always taste OK in Japan)
 now that is a nice way to end a meal

Here is the lobby of this rather flash place...

and when I got back to my room, my futon was all prepared for me....

So Goodnight!!