Japan Summer 2024 - Day 20

June 17, 2024

Kunisaki to Yufu 104 Km

Start 5:53 AM Finish 5:58 PM

Total Duration 12:05

Moving Time 7:30

Stopped Time 4:34

Ascent 1,662 m

Descent 899 m

Tour Total 2125 Km

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/191563650

I slept well underneath the concrete beach pavilion at the Haneda Coast Rinrin Park in Kunisaki. Last night I had had a stress dream about a hole in my dry bag. This morning I woke up forty-five minutes after the sun had risen. Fisherman were already out and about. My devices in the bathroom were fully charged, and my new power pack was ready to go. My iPod was officially dead, and my Anker power pack was now a brick sitting at the bottom of my rear pannier. Heading out of town I enjoyed a nice bike path that ran along the shore. It was still misty and the air was cool. The Kunisaki Roadside station wasn't yet open when I rode by.

The route led back to the highway, which was lined with stone pagodas, figures, and lanterns. I've become captivated by the various types of lanterns, from the refined to the crude, which somewhat resemble mushrooms. Yesterday at the Usa-jingu Shrine I admired the red wooden house-like variety.

I crossed a bridge with bright red railings. I was on an asphalt cycling path adjacent to Highway 213. It was mostly smooth going, although some of the areas had bumps and weeds. The curbs at the intersections were rattling.

It was Monday morning and high school students in uniforms were queued at bus stops. Others were walking to school. I crossed the Kitsuki Bridge over the Yasaka river delta and noticed the Kitsuki Castle on a bluff to the west. I split away from the highway and traveled on route 643, which was closer to the coast.

I rode by a large Sony Corporation complex and then a Canon complex. I then pedaled through a thick bamboo forest. After that I passed greenhouses that were growing tomatoes. I then came to a small roadside Fushimi Inari shrine, where I stopped and walked up to the top. I later spotted another Christian church.

I rode past melon orchards and could see huge set of mountains in the distance through the fog. The route detoured briefly from the highway and merged onto a narrow road with moderate traffic, and I passed the Hiji Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine. I rode into Beppu on four-lane divided Highway 10. The road became lined with palm trees as I neared the center of town. I stopped at a vending machine for a cream soda.

Beppu, population 122,000, was much larger than I had imagined. It was located on the shore and right up against the mountains. This morning, because of the dense fog and mist, the mountains were mostly obscured. It was forecast to rain this afternoon and evening. The humidity was pervasive.

I rode to the old part of town to the Takegawara Onsen, a classic bathhouse dating from the Meiji era. I arrived twenty minutes before the first round of sand baths. After removing my sandals and paying the fee, I received a small piece of paper with the number eleven written on one side. I was handed a booklet in english on the protocols and what to expect. A looped video on onsen etiquette played in the background.

I put my things into a locker, and went into the dressing room and changed into a robe. I was then led into a large room with a tall ceiling. I was directed to a giant sandbox filled with course black sand. A shallow trench had be been excavated, and I was directed to lay in it face-up with my robe fastened. Two men with shovels slowly began to bury me. The weight was intense and reminded me of a lead X-ray apron at a dentist office. They carefully packed sand around my neck and head to make me snug and comfortable. The sand was hot, and I was told that I would be there for 15 minutes. There were others in the sandbox, including women. The heat and pressure was intense, and the expereince reminded me of the forty minute meditation at Koyasan. I focused on the ceiling grid above. When my time was up I was carefully exhumed. I returned to the bathroom, where I showered off the black sand. It was everywhere, including within my ears. I then took a nice soak and then changed back into my jersey and bib-shorts. I met an American in the lobby who was also from New York.

After the onsen I rode through the narrow streets of the red light district and then passed a covered arcade. I spotted another Christian church. I was heading towards the mountains and noticed a bamboo grove in Beppu park. I rode in for a moment to investigate.

I then began climbing up towards the huge mountains. Large modern buildings had been erected in the newer part of town up in the hills. I passed the Global Tower, a tourist attraction with a large diving board-like overlook. On another hilltop I spotted an amusement park.

I was starving, and needed to grab a meal before I left town. I hadn't seen anything in the center, so I mapped out a route to a MOS burger. I was disappointed to find a small counter operation just inside the entrance of a depressing department store. The plan had been to sit next to an outlet, but there weren't any, so I used my charger.

After my meal, I climbed a ridiculously steep hill that switch-backed its way up the mountain. Along the way I passed steam vents, releasing vapor from within the earth. I continued to pass towering modern resorts and noticed one with a giant waterslide. The air smelled like sulfur.

The climb made me hot, and I removed my short-sleeve jersey. I rode with only my bib suspenders covering my core. I continued up the steep switch-backs, and eventually stopped for a sip of water. In time I came to the Beppu ropeway, where I paused at a vending machine for a can of juice.

I entered the Oita Forest and was surrounded by thick trees. I continued climbing into the mountains. Clouds were covering the top of Mount Tsurumi.

By 2 PM the steep part of the climb was behind me. I passed a Torii gate and Shinto shrine situated within a thick grove of cedar. The slow traffic passing lane ended which meant that I now had very little clearance to the side of the narrow curvy two-lane road. At one point I got a hunch there was a motor vehicle behind me that couldn't pass. I looked behind me and noticed a bus with eight cars trailing behind it. I pulled over to let them all pass

I passed the entrance for the Kijima Kogen Park, Hotel, and Golf Club and stopped at a vending machine for a fruit juice. I was now on top of the Kijima Plateau and documented the sign. I was doing the charging shuffle and trying to reduce my power consumptions much as possible. My pocket Wi-Fi was turned off. At one point there were flagman whom had stopped traffic on the highway. Weeds were being trimmed alongside the road. I love how Japanese road crews wave me through with a hand motion and a bow.

At Mt Yufa I stopped at a restroom to see if there were any wall outlets. Unfortunately there were none. A bus full of tourists were getting their pictures taken in front of the grass-covered mountain. The sky had gotten dark and it seemed like rain was imminent, so I re-donned my jersey.

I stopped at an overlook of Yufuin, which was down in the valley. A crazy steep switchback descent began. Yufuin was also a spa town, and steam continued to billow from the ground. Thew town was much smaller than Beppu, and very touristy. I was hungry, but didn't see a place to my liking so I didn't stop.

I rode out of town along the railroad tracks and then cut up a steep hill to the freeway. I stopped at the Roadside station Yufuin, where the plan was to charge devices, grab something to eat, and upload photos. All of the outlets were locked so I asked a custodian. A clerk behind a glass window charged me ¥100 for 30 minutes of charging. I went next-door to the restaurant and sat down at a booth. I was told that the restaurant had just closed. I bought some noodles, an IPA, and a bottle of water from the store. I uploaded the photos for yesterday's report and retrieved my devices, which I don't think charged a single percentage point. It was starting to rain and I donned my poncho. It was 4pm and I considered camping at the road station. There were semi-trucks parked in the lot, and I didn't see any shelters.

I left the road station and started climbing again. I was overheating and stopped to remove my poncho. I kept ascending and passed through the first tunnel of the day. My poncho was strapped to my rear rack when it wasn't being worn. I was doing the rain gear shuffle. This area was known as Yufuincho Kawanishi. I went through a dense forest of cedar trees, and noticed logging operations. There was very little motor traffic on Route 11, aka the Yamanami Highway.

It was 6pm, raining, and I was in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. There were no services for miles. My map showed small lakes and water features off route. I was looking for a shelter and figured there must be something at the water. I turned off the highway and headed down a hill until I reached a fork. Downhill to the right was a muddy lake that didn't seem appealing. I again looked at Google maps, and noticed more features to the left. I continued further downhill and away from the highway to investigate. I found a parking lot and a building associated with the dam. The building was locked and there were no pavilions. I didn't want to sleep outside in the rain, so I continued further away from the highway. I came to a large shuttered building that was formerly the Yufuin Country Club & Yamashita Lake Lodge. It's entrance had a large porch with an overhang. I noticed an electrical outlet and tested it. It worked, and that clinched the deal. There was a motion activated light, but as far as I could tell there were no cameras. Again, I was in the middle of nowhere. I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I uploaded stats and photos for today's report, and then set up my tent and went straight to sleep.