Cycling Japan – day 35 – Ryotsu (Sado Island) to Niigata

Day 35 – Ryotsu (Sado Island) to Niigata
Distance: 6.1km cycling (71.9km including the ferry)
Ascent / descent: 35m / 57m
Weather: Rainy afternoon
Accommodation: Guesthouse Angoso, Niigata, ¥2600

My name on the door

I had ordered breakfast for the earliest sitting at 7am and was treated to a wonderful Japanese affair of salmon, rice, soup, pickles, seaweed and even scrambled eggs.

Breakfast at Hotel New Katsura, Ryotsu

The breakfast room at Hotel New Katsura, Ryotsu

I then cycled the few kilometres back to Ryotsu and to the ferry terminal for the 9:15am car ferry to Niigata. The ticket was ¥3,870 including the bike which I could just wheel on. (I never want to have to take it apart and carry it onto a ferry / train!) The ferry ride was smooth and I was able to use wifi the whole way which I was thoroughly impressed by – this trip as well as being a physical/mental challenge, is also a ‘find wifi’ challenge on a daily basis 😉

Car ferry ticket from Ryotsu to Niigata

It had started to rain by the time the ferry docked in Niigata and the forecast was looking stormy for the afternoon so I made a very easy decision to stay put in Niigata and find a guesthouse nearby. Booking.com showed Guesthouse Angoso was just a couple of kilometres away so I booked it and rode straight there, and luckily was able to check-in on arrival.

I thought I was the only one there, but that evening the guesthouse was full with people and I had a lovely night chatting with Taka from Osaka, Wolf from Germany and another young Japanese guy who is currently on a year-long trip cycling around Japan. Wolf had an interesting story about visiting the Niigata tourist information centre today and asking them for directions to the beach – they told him not to go there in the evening for fear of being kidnapped by North Koreans! I know this has happened in the past but I had no idea it was still considered a threat. I slept on the beach myself just a few nights ago before visiting Sado!