On my way to the ferry


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1. CPH 12.08.13

2. Narita - Tone 13.08.13

3. Tone 14.08.13

4. Tone 15.08.13

5. Tone - Oarai 16.08.13

6. Oarai - Tomakomai 17.08.13

7. Tomakomai - Iwamizawa 18.08.13

8. Iwamizawa - Azahikawa 19.08.13

9. Azahikawa - Kamikawa 20.08.13

10.Kamikawa - Nukabira Onsen 21.08.13

11.Nukabira Onsen - Tokachigawa 22.08.13

12.Tokachigawa - Kushiro 23.08.13

13.Kushiro - Shibesha 24.08.13

14.Shibesha - Lake Kussharo 25.08.13

15.Lake Kussharo - Lake Akan 26.08.13

16.Lake Akan - Abashiri 27.08.13

17.Abashiri 28.08.13

18.Abashiri - Sapporo (tog) 29.08.13

19.Sapporo - Otaru 30.08.13

20.Otaru - Kamoenai 31.08.13

21.Kamoenai - Makkari 01.09.13

22.Makkari - Yakumo 02.09.13

23.Yakumo - Hakodate 03.09.13

24.Hakodate - Aomori 04.09.13

25.Aomori - Lake Towada 05.09.13

26.Lake Towada - Lake Tazawa 06.09.13

27.Lake Tazawa - Hanamaki 07.09.13

28.Hanamaki - Tsukidate 08.09.13

29.Tsukidate - Sendai 09.09.13

30.Sendai - Tone 10.09.13

31.Tone 11.09.13

32.Tone 12.09.13

33.Tone - Kurihama 13.09.13

34.Kurihama - Hakone 14.09.13

35.Hakone - Gotemba 15.09.13

36.Gotemba 16.09.13

37.Gotemba - Fujinomiya 17.09.13

38.Fujinomiya - Shizuoka (Kyoto) 18.09.13

39.Kyoto 19.09.13

40.Kyoto 20.09.13

41.Kyoto 21.09.13

42.Kyoto - Nara 22.09.13

43.Nara - Wakayama 23.09.13

44.Wakayama - Higashikagawa 24.09.13

45.Higashikagawa - Takamatsu 25.09.13

46.Takamatsu - Iya Valley 26.09.13

47.Iya Valley 27.09.13

48.Iya Valley - Imabari 28.09.13

49.Imabari - Onomichi 29.09.13

50.Onomichi - Hiroshima 30.09.13

51.Hiroshima 01.10.13

52.Hiroshima - Takayama (tog) 02.10.13

53.Takayama 03.10.13

54.Takayama - Matsumoto 04.10.13

55.Matsumoto - Hakuba 05.10.13

56.Hakuba - Nagano 06.10.13

57.Nagano - Tone 07.10.13

58.Tone 08.10.13

59.Tone - Narita 09.10.13

60. Narita - CPH 10.10.13

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Letter 5

 

Friday 17.08.13      81,15 km

The departure has been set to 9 am. Nori wants to lead me to Road 6 and he's postponed his meeting at the school. He has only to meet with one, namely she whose lessons he'll take over for half a year. I've come to think of one thing that is forgotten: a tin of gas for the burner. When I've said it Nori opens a cupboard and asks if it's this type? And it is, and I also get a lighter to lit it with. And do I have toilet paper? I was going to buy some, but now I get a roll - in a plastic bag. One feels he's long distance biker himself.

I also borrow his old camera. Mine has gone crazy in the heat and in a photo shop in Tokyo they ment it couldn't be repaired in Japan if it was bought in Europe. It'll have to wait for the winter to start functioning again. There's this advantage to his Nikkon Coolpix, that is uses a SD-card. When he said I  could put it directly in the computer, I didn't think it had a card reader, but it HAD. I just never used it and forgot all about it. That's nice and easy just to take out the card and put it in the computer- 8.55 we leave. Yesterday I got a bottle of Sake from his father. Just in case I would need something strong. And his mother came and wished me a nice trip and welcome back to her house. She's the more talkative of those two. My t-shirt that I couldn't find had been washed this morning by the mother and as it hadn't dried completely the father was ironing it. It's touching how the family take care of me.

We say goodbye at the main road. Now I just has to follow it a little more than 50 km. When I cross the expressway there will come a Road 16 to the right which should take me to Oarai. It sounds easy I'm only confused once when a mysterious arrow shows Road 6 to the left. But it's 36 degr. and the sun shines from a hazy sky - and it's humid! I have to check in with my
reservation number between 3 and 5 pm. (Nori again) and I prefer to be there early, so I push it a little. It's hard in this heat. I've estimated it to be 80 km, but is that right?

In the map in the computer we've dissected the spot where Road 16 is. And that was good for at the map it looked like I'd be paasing over the expressway. I do, but it's in a tunnel sp I don't see it. But all the rest fits. After I passed a small river (VERY small indeed) come the Cosmo gas station. And right after the green sign from the other gas station and the 7-eleven. So it's NOW. I also caught a glimpse of the expressway far away to the right. So the change of roads goes fine and for the rest there's no doubt whatsoever. There's even a poster telling about Oarai Marine Tower 10 km, and that should be next to the terminal.

Now I stop to eat. I stopped at a supermarket earlier. They don't come in numbers at the main road. And they didn't have vegetables like bananas. I bought a soda (which is long gone) a bag of salted cakes, a bag of white bread and - a tin of pineapple. Now I eat it. All of it. The juice is wonderful. I'm stading in the shadows and the sweat is pouring. It's actually more convenient to cycle. The wind cools you off a bit.

Now 7 pm. I'm in the ferry and we're at sea. I haven't looked out yet. It must be the Pacific Ocean! It's the first time I'll see it - from this side. Nobody spoke english in the terminal. Neigher in the ship. It's not like in the train to Tokyo where every announcement was repeated in english. But that's like in Denmark. Only around the capital.
 

                          Sailing can make you sleepy


  

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