Afterthoughts.

Hrmm.... its over.Still cant believe my bike is broken.
Camped on Mount Sakurajima for a week (pictured above, I took this from a lookout spot above Kagoshima city), and passed the time fishing and hanging out with some musicians from Okinawa. For dinner I was going to visit the moon garamasala guesthouse. The owners are excellent cooks, just about 500 Yen for a delicious Okinawa style feast. They took me to a gig, and introduced me to the excellent music of Okinawa. Shoukichi Kina is a folk style artist, discovered by Ry Cooder and pretty much the only Okinawan folk singer to be heard outside Japan. 

After that I went hiking on Yakushima island for a week before I headed home. Cheapest option is the four hour ferry from Kagoshima. Take a tent and you can avoid the expense of youth hostels. Take a good one, and decent sleeping bag as the interior is very cold. Rains alomst non stop but, it's beautiful, one of the best hikes ive done. This sixteen frame panoramic photo was my favourite of the trip. This is where the Japanese animator Miyazaki was inspired to write Princess Mononoke. Yakushuma also harbours a real volcanic rotemburo set in rocks on the beach.

As a final word, if you are building a touring bike, I would urge you to get the strongest stuff available.This would equate to a steel framed mountain bike with fat tyres, 26" wheels, and possibly even lockable front suspension. The bike should be able to handle the worst conditions imaginable. I wouldnt change anything about the kit, it was pretty much perfect. Front panniers instead of the frame bag possibly. A solar charger would enable you to avoid ever staying in hostels, and this could bring the cost down even more. I'll be seeking one out for the next tour. Lots of light layers of clothing beats one really warm jacket too, as you can regulate your temperature much more easily. Thermals are a must for riding in cold wet weather.The EPIRB was probably a bit overkill, but it makes doing stuff solo a bit safer, and I was glad to have it with me.If you plan on camping alot consider a riding companion as it gets awfully boring if theres nobody else around.

Hitoyoshi to Ebino - ?? computer broken

Spent all morning climbing up some mountains, and then on the descent into Ebino disaster finally struck me down, in a callous blow of bad civil engineering.. What Ive been later told is referred to as a gai-jin trap. As you can see from photo at left, I had the choice of riding on a dangerous elevated road with no shoulder, or a leaf strewn disused service road that hairpinned down the mountain. I thought I had taken the safer option, but oblivious to the impending danger, I  plowed down the service road straight into a ditch that was concealed beneath piles of fallen leaves. I made it out relatively unscathed, the bike was however not so resilient to the impact. There was obvious damage to the handlebars, and after remvoing the frame bag I found kinks in the frame tubing that made the front wheel hit the down tube. It was basically un-ridable and I had to walk for around an hour to Ebino train station where I forced my way onto the train despite lack of regulation bicycle bag. Repair efforts in Kagoshima failed, and a new frame was sourced in Fukuoka, well outside my dwindling budget  at around $1500. Insurance policy on bike covered only damage whilst in transit,  ie on a transport service such as plane or rail so I had to finish the ride in Ebino, but will definately return to Japan in the near future, with a stronger bike. 

GAI-JIN PIT TRAP REVEALED!

Amakusa to Hitoyoshi - 76km

Spotted a ferry terminal early in the ride, and decided to head back to the mainland. Turned out to be a good choice, the road to Hitoyoshi ran alongside a river, and cherry trees were blooming. The route was 219, its very nice road for cycling but there are a couple of tunnels without shoulder, so be extremely careful not to get hit. Luckily they are short, so you have to make a quick dash as soon as the traffic stops, lights would be handy. 

Camped behind the croquet lawn in Hitoyoshi 'craft park' where I met a japanese motor bike traveller. Was introduced to the pleasures of hot shochu (distilled japanese spirit, usually from rice or sweet potatoe) and gave me details of numerous cheap places to stay en-route to Kagoshima. Nice camping ground too, cherrys all over the place.

Kumamoto to Amakusa Unzen - 96km

Cold windy ride along the coast. Road shoulder periodically disappeared leaving me exposed to the perils of heavy traffic. There were some scenic patches, and blossoms were opening in some areas. There was a particularly nice harbour town that I forget the name of where I stopped for a bento box.. I sat and watched some birds of prey fishing, swooping back and forth over the harbour.. I was aiming for a camping ground adjacent to Amakusa Onsen, which turned out to be a sento (artificial onsen). I should have known from the articial palm tree out the front. Kind of disappointing as it was my first onsen experience, and I had been expecting what I now know is actually a rotemburo (open air bath), nonetheless it was a relaxing soak for just a few dollars. The nearby campsite was freezing cold, and for once I was glad to have a 4 season tent with -7 sleeping bag.

Yame County to Kumamoto City - 74km

Apologies for being offline so long, internet access, like many things doesn't come cheap in Japan. The average internet cafe charges a minimum fee of $15, so I've been forced to neglect the blog until an opportune time of free internet.

Casting my mind all the way back, Yame county was great. Dense forests on the way through to Kumamoto, and I was invited into someones house for lunch as I took shelter from the rain. They prepared a delicious feast of local fare, including imumanji, green tea soba, croquettes, sushi and then they made a snack pack of chocolates and fruit to keep me going. Such amazing hospitality, I was truly humbled by their generosity..The man of the house was an artist, so a tour of their small art studio ensued, and they told me to come back to visit anytime.

It was cold, and absolutely poured rain all day. My thermals kept me warm but I was soaked to the bone and decided to fork out $50.00 for a youth hostel in Kumamoto and then resolved not to do so again, at least for a few weeks. The rules are pretty tight in Japanese hostels compared to elsewhere in Asia. This one had a 10pm curfew and 8am checkout. I was also made to wipe the marks from my luggage before entering the rooms.