Day 5: Shimobe Onsen to Toba, Mie

Got up around 6:30am today and went for a quick walk before breakfast to take a look at Shimobe Onsen in the daylight. This really is a spectacularly beautiful, yet quiet and sleepy mountain village.

Our ryokan "Daikokuya" at Shimobe Onsen.

The river that runs beside and through the village.

The town's emergency warning tower.

Just a glimpse of Simobe Onsen's wider valley.

Before we left, our lovely hostess at the Daikokuya treated us to a japanese style breakfast that set us up for a good many hours in the saddle. Both the salmon and miso soup were particularly good! Outside the day was developing into another clear blue morning with just a hint of mountain chill.

Traditional Japanese breakfast in the Daikokuya.

After breakfast, we got the bikes packed and headed back out to route 52 (Motsu-michi) heading south down the valley and along the river towards the Shin-Tomei freeway. Our plan for the day was to ride all the way to Irago on the south western corner of Ichi prefecture and catch the Ise Wan ferry to Toba in Mie prefecture.

Today's route from Shimobe Onsen to Toba.

First order of business though, was petrol. We found a petrol station a little ways down route 52, and not only did the proprietors pump the petrol for us, they graciously gave us a bag of their Kaki (persimmons) to take with us. We really are meeting the most helpful and generous people every day of this trip.

Petrol and persimmons.

For an hour we wound our way down route 52, through the wooded valley that sometimes opened wide into a vast gravel river bed.  Lower down towards the mouth of the valley, grave companies could be seen in operation. We passed through tunnels, sweeping turns, and covered roadway on our way down towards the sea.

Soon the picturesque route 52 gave way to the Shin-Tomei experessway and we burned our way westward. After 2 hours in the saddle, we stopped for a drink at a 7-eleven, and this also gave me a chance to revive my aching arse.  As we dropped from the mountains down to the coast the temperature increased significantly. Thankfully the venting in our jackets kept us cool enough while we were moving.

Buzzbomb cornered at the 7-Eleven.

After 20 minutes we were back on the bikes, hoping to make good speed to Irago in time to make the ferry.  Along the way we passed down route 42, through lowland farms and small villages, with rural folks going about their business. The rural slowly gave way to coastline, where we glimpsed some amazing coast-line, sleepy fishing villages and quite a few surfing shops.

Pacific coastline close to Irago.

Finally we reached Irago port and the ferry terminal, just in time to catch the next ferry. The temperature had increased so much in our trek around the coast that we were now very hot. We purchased our ferry tickets from a very lovely lady behind the counter, and rode our bikes up and into the ship.

Ticket office at Irago Port.

The Ise Wan Ferry to Toba

Immediately the dudes on the ferry made safe our bikes, strapping them to the deck and chocking the wheels. While they did that, we made our way up to the deck to try and cool down.

Crewmen of the ferry strap down our bikes for the crossing.

While we sit and try to cool down.

By the time we had gotten the bikes on to the ferry we were completely drenched in sweat. So much for packing thermals and balaclavas for this trip! The sunburn is starting to get pretty bad too. Who would have thought?? The harbour in particular seemed to be a pressure cooker, and once aboard it was all we could do to rip our bike jackets off and just pour ourselves into a seat. Thankfully the ferry soon departed and a nice cool sea breeze was just what the doctor ordered.

Many ships shared the lanes crossed by the ferry.

Today the Ise Wan (ie. Ise Bay) was nice and calm, and the crossing was easy on everyones stomach. In fact it was very pleasant sailing indeed. In less than an hour we were joining our bikes again and rolling off the ferry into Mie prefecture. Once on dry land, we parked for a few minutes on the harbour pier to consult google maps and get our bearings. Rain threatened from a dark cloud or two at this stage, but it never eventuated. How long will this streak of amazing weather last I wonder?

Just off the ferry (background) and parked at the harbourside.

With bearings established, we quickly headed to a local landmark with the last rays of the day's sun. The "Meoto-iwa" is a pair of rocks in the sea between Toba and Ise on the Futamigaura coast. Both rocks, the 'husband" and the "wife" are connected with thick ropes, and a shrine has been built around them on the shore.

Meoto-iwa rocks near Toba.

We're finally in Mie Prefecture!

It's one of the quintessential images of Japan, and something we just couldn't miss since we were passing. We snapped the photo for the pool room and called it a day.

With darkness upon us, we finally jumped on to the bikes for the last time today and headed to our hotel for the night. Despite being a "bargain" room, it turned out to be a traditional Japanese room (ie tatami) in a huge hotel overlooking Toba. Score! Now for some sushi and a hot bath in the hotel's open air baths to finish the day.