Cycling Japan – day 15 – Okayama to Ako

Day 15 – Okayama to Ako
Distance: 66.2km
Ascent / descent: 554m / 503m
Weather: heavy rain all day
Accommodation: Ako Park Hotel, ¥6250

I made Senri poached eggs for breakfast (it was her first time to try them, she usually has raw eggs!) and we left her apartment at 8:15am.

Saying goodbye to Senri before she rode to school

It was raining lightly so I started out with just my rain jacket on. I soon regretted not having put my rain trousers on so stopped at the first 7-Eleven, used the wifi and put my trousers on. The rain was getting heavier and the breeze was cold which forced me to keep moving.

An old house that once upon a time would’ve had a thatched roof

Cycling along small roads through rural areas

A jizo statue – taken with the GoPro because it was pouring with rain at this point!

And before long, it was absolutely pouring down. I stopped at a fruit stall to take cover, charge my phone battery out of the rain and bought an apple. It seemed quite dangerous with the volume of water on the roads and the strong winds blowing the rain sideways, as well as the steep descents (I wish I had disc brakes) and busy roads with no shoulder so I decided to call it a day earlier than planned in a town called Ako. It was a great hotel with an Onsen (inside, outside and a sauna) and they let me bring my bike into the foyer overnight. I hand washed some clothes and hung everything up to hopefully dry overnight. There were puddles in my shoes! I then went to a nearby restaurant for a nice hot bowl of soupy ramen.