Komagene to Fujimi
May 30, 2023
After yesterday’s wet slog through the mountains it was a pleasure to wake up to the promise of sunshine. By the time we were riding out of Komagene the sun was out and the rice fields a brilliant green and flush with nutrients from yesterday’s rain. The big climbs started right away but no one cared as the sunshine was so lifting to our spirits that the meters melted away.
Once clear of the traffic we were free to look at the scenery as we tackled the five big climbs that would take us to the mountainside hotel in Fujimi. Along the way we passed a castle that I decided to pass by, spectacular flowers everywhere and an ancient Shinto shrine.
There also appears to be some influence to the local culture from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Without outright violating the copyright or other intellectual property infringement, they hint at the story with Anne(ish) looking roadside advertisements and non-sequesters such as Canadian Farms. As I understand it, the settings for the Anne stories on Prince Edwards Island are very popular with Japanese tourists.
Just to put today into perspective for my cycling friends, we covered a 70 kilometer route with 1800 meters of climbing broken up over 5 big climbs. That is a lot of uphill in any rider’s inventory but for us it was just another day in Japan. Our hotel this evening does not have in room showers so I must go native and go onsen.
