Away from our secluded campground to the outskirts of Kuwagai and some buildings that caught our eye before quiet lanes approaching and then skirting Toyokawa.

Not quite matching.

Colour! Always pleased to see some, especially missing the colourful buildings of Mongolia.

Poor, sweating telephone.

Seemed a proliferation of different covers to snap around Toyokawa – much pausing, more enjoyable than all the traffic lights.

Unsure how this creature fight fires…

Curious firefighting method.

Unfortunately we had to head into Toyohashi – still looking for a cursed SRAM chain for Rachel’s bike, this time at a bike shop recommended back in Matsumoto. But we were early, so had a chance to look around another restored castle – this one had an interesting historical display (that we could understand).

With still more time up our sleeves, we happened across a cafe with better tea service than we were used to! Any feelings of disgust at two smelly bikepackers were well disguised – as expected in Japan.

As interesting as the bike shop was, when it finally opened, it was another failure in replacing the pesky chain. We did however give our bear spray to the owner, nice to not need or carry that after two months.

Suburbia for a while until we finally broke through the chain of urbanisation and industrialisation and headed towards the Pacific.

Tens of kilometres of market gardens and glasshouses was a welcome change – mostly very quiet lanes amongst them.

At Akabane we joined the Pacific Cycling Road, after a michi no eki stop for some delicious local figs.

The cycle trail along the coast was mostly good, helped by a friendly easterly, spots were popular with surfers.

Some interesting clouds backed up the rain forecast for late in our day.

Sometimes the route would narrow and become overgrown, used to this by now.

Other times, it would inexplicably turn into steep staircases.

But still a cycling road, apparently.

Across the mouth of Ise Bay, as we approached the end of the spit and Irago – where we would board a ferry to Ise, avoiding Nagoya.

Approaching Irago, successfully avoiding the town – the port just behind the closest building.

Made it in plenty of time for the ferry, although we can’t claim to have ridden much of this PCR – interesting to see such a sign indicating a recognised route…

Quite a ferry for six cars and two bikes!

Needless to say, we had plenty of space to ourselves for the short (one hour) sailing.

Tumbleweeds – although I was more taken with the clouds than the parking lot.

Disembarking at dusk, there was light drizzle for the start of the short ride to the outskirts of Ise. In light of the forecast we’d booked an apartment. Our decision was vindicated as the rain got heavier and the night roads dicier, before long we were drenched in an absolute downpour and dealing with surface flooding. Thankfully it was still warm as only once did I get covered in excessive splashing from a passing truck. Very pleased to get dinner from a konbini and take it to our accommodation to dry off and eat. An entertaining end to an otherwise flat and easy day.

Business hotel buffet breakfast another unusual one, but plenty of fuel for cycling. Started off cooler as it took a while to clear the suburbs of the city, just small rice fields between the houses before eventually climbing on quiet forest roads.

Japanese bagpipes?

Through many municipalities today – so many different covers…

Was quite taken with this cutting’s mossy retaining wall – green and tessellations, two favourites.

Tiny deserted roads for a bit.

A roundabout!! The only one I remember for the trip. Welcome on this day as we stopped at far too many traffic lights trying to get through the sprawl towards the south coast.

Just the one completely charming, well-preserved village today.

A stone building, not quite as rare as a roundabout – but almost.

First generation Jimny, also a rare sight.

After the lumpy hills, we finally got a nice long downhill towards Toyota city – which we skirted.

Mildly alarming, long time since we’d thought about pulling the bear spray out.

Yet more tunnel building.

Followed a river for a fair while, pleasingly there was a quiet road on one side of the river for us to follow.

Due to power line work we had to follow a detour five kilometres further into the boonies.

Stopping for first lunch on a grassy bank of the river, we were entertained watching anglers wade across from the opposite bank.

Ninety minutes later on the edge of the city, time for second lunch at a cafe, once again run by an elderly couple.

Again, Rachel orders doorstop toast; or perhaps it’s jaw-dislocating toast.

Pleasant setting, although soon time for us to leave the river.

It got a bit lumpy as we did so, having to climb to the level of that bridge – or so it felt as the afternoon was by now in the thirties again. That took us as close as we got to the city centre – I’d have quite liked to pop in and see Toyota headquarters or a museum, but oh well.

In Okazaki we could no longer stay on the border between urban and rural, having to go through the city – getting a bit tiresome with all the stops at lights, but only an hour to go.

They did have vibrant covers to distract us though.

Hadn’t seen much bamboo at all, I had thought we’d see more.

Having got dinner supplies at a konbini on the edge of town, a hundred and fifty metre climb beside a reservoir took us to another deserted campground. Surrounded by trees and with hand pumps for the water, it was a bit different. Cooking and eating on big concrete steps above a field was reminiscent of camping on the shore way back in Hokkaido, but at least this time there was ample grass to pitch our tents. Quite a big day for this trip, both in distance and climbing – unsure how Rachel kept soldiering on suffering with the cold I’d kindly passed on.

Great sleep on the sheltered trampoline and off to an early start on a cloudy day.

Goodbye to another park camping spot.

A slight climb to the first of a few beautifully preserved villages on the Nakasendo trail. In the name of heritage, they’d made the effort to rid these villages of the otherwise ubiquitous utility cables. So nice not to have wires in every photo – of which I took far too many. Being so early we had plenty of space to have a good potter around the main streets and some temples.

Onions hanging to dry

Footpath getting a bit tight for bikes, but great deserted tunnel for echoes.

Not minding the early signs of autumn yet, with the cloud a lot of the day was under 20°C – drizzle was a small price to pay.

Lunch in Agematsu was a good way to get out of the rain for a bit. We happened across a restaurant run by the cutest elderly couple, assisted by their son. They were very interested in our trip, we explained as best we could.

From this restaurant, we started to include “elderly couple” in our searches online for restaurants – such places always seem to serve food made with utmost care.

I’m unsure what I’m trying to explain, with my very limited Japanese, but Rachel has captured the moment well.

Down the valley for thirty kilometres we continued, the towns spacing out a bit more for slightly faster progress.

Hydro plant.

Mischievous macaques on an abandoned building – the first we’d seen.

A brick building!

Along with the waterwheels we’d seen earlier, we happened upon a man making more in his garage. Interesting to stop and look for a bit – no structural nails and his working model was intricate.

Rain cleared by now and brightening up.

After this town, Tsumago, the Nakasendo climbed 400 m over a hill away from the river. Bit too steep for us, so we took the road to the same point.

Just as well we did, as the where the trail emerged back to the road, at the top, it was rather busy with walkers.

Down into Gifu, as we attempted to get through the metropolitan line, the following day, that’s almost continuous from Nagoya along the south coast.

One more lovely town on the Nakasendo for the day. Would have been nice to stay up here, but we couldn’t find anywhere suitable to do so.

So we lost five hundred metres rapidly and had a short ride to a business hotel onsen in Nakatsugawa to end an unusually climby day (for this trip). Excellent day of sights it was too; unfortunately Rachel was starting to show signs of having caught the illness that had plagued me in Tokyo.