Kochi to Nakatosa

Good Samaritans

We met downstairs at 8:30 in slightly overcast weather - which we hope might mean a cooler day.  We soon picked up the river as we cycled out of Kochi. The river route was busy with school kids and others cycling into the city and we soon reached the city outskirts.

Simon had identified a detour to keep us off the main road but it turned out to be incredibly steep with lots of trucks travelling in both directions.  A Japanese man stopped and asked us where we were going.  He insisted that we return to the main road and follow the adjacent bike path.  We were in two minds as we were already half way up the hill.  However, multiple passing trucks convinced us to follow his advice and we turned around.  Our good samaritan was waiting at the bottom of the hill to ensure we had returned safely.  He waved as we passed and drove off - only for us to see him again a few minutes later, waving madly from the other side of the road. He would have had a long wait had we not heeded his advice. 

It was pleasant cycling on fairly flat roads and we crossed the Niyodo River before having to detour onto back roads as entry onto our planned route was forbidden according to a sign.  Simon skilfully navigated our detour and we passed a flood barrier before finding our way back onto the levee banks for a beautiful flat ride to the coast where we stopped for morning tea.  There was a little shop nearby so we bought some fresh biscuits to supplement Julie’s  vast array of snacks  she had purchased the day before. 

We continued on past a whale sculpture and around some tranquil bays.  There was a lot of activity at one beach, where it looked like they were setting up for a swimming race, with tents and a course mapped out with buoys in the water.  We reached Susaki around lunch time and it was starting to drizzle a little.  We tried to find a Yakatori restaurant from Google Maps without success, then Julie found another little restaurant which was closed, but it seemed they were willing to feed us. 

As we parked our bikes, the couple came out of the restaurant and we discovered that we were meant to follow the man as he drove his car to an alternate lunch venue.  It was run by two lovely ladies and had a reasonable lunch menu.  Simon had fried chicken and I had a delicious Oyakodon, a rice bowl made from chicken and egg. 

The drizzle had stopped as we headed out of town and as we climbed past a cemetery with views out across the bay. Despite what appeared to be some steep climbs, we avoided the worst of the hills due to the judicious placement of tunnels.  The road continued around the bay and the views became more spectacular, with partial tunnels built into the side of the cliffs.  It was a stunning 12kms or so of cycling as we rounded the many bends to ever more spectacular views.  We spotted our hotel, Kuroshio Honjin on the hillside across the bay and detoured into town to stock up on some beers and snacks.

It was an effort to make the final climb to the hotel, but the views were worth it and we were soon checked in to our little cottage.  Interestingly, there was no furniture, except for one large low table with surrounded by cushions.  The bedrooms were bare - with our futons waiting to be set up.  There was one small bench seat (perhaps for luggage) that we moved out to the deck and made ourselves as comfortable as possible to enjoy a well-earned beer.  Simon and I then headed down to the main building to try the hot springs.  The outdoor bath looked over the bay and was a beautiful place to relax as I had it all to myself.  I spent a few minutes in the hotter indoor bath before trying the sauna and was feeling most relaxed by the time I returned to the cottage.

Back at the main building we had our own special room for dinner - with my name emblazoned at the entry.  The meal laid out on the table included an aperitif of Butsutemura sake, and an appetiser of wagu beef with taro, fried Ginkgo and green beans and a mix of sashimi. 

The next course to be served was straw-grilled salt tataki bonito (even better than the one from Hirome market), a little pot of boiled red sea bream and tofu (that was actually delicious) followed by some of the best tempura I had ever eaten including pumpkin, eggplant and zucchini. We were particularly interested to try the next dish, known as Chawamushi which translated as shrimp, sumaki, three views and 5 colours of hail.  The final dish was Takikomi rice with miso soup and green tea.   

Dessert was a Yuzu jelly and an interesting soy milk jelly  - both were delicious.  It was a sensational meal and a perfect way to end a great day’s cycling.