On the Olympic Stadium


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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 55

 

Saturday 05.10.13     75,17 km

 

When I arrived yesterday the owner was there and received the money. He left just after and left the responsibility to Shioli, a girl, that doesn't speak much english. Later in the evening yet another staff member arrived. He was a bit better.

They were waiting for 3 more guests, who were supposed to arrive around 8pm. When I went to bed at 10pm they had still not arrived...

But this morning they were there. When I saw the first one, I thought, is was another member of the staff, and asked if they had a toaster, they usually have in these hostels. He didn't know much about that.

Now they've gone and left me in an empty and cold house. It's really becoming autumn. If I'd been home, I would have turn up the heating. I lock up and leave.


The Castle in Matsumoto - the oldest in Japan

When I've gone out of town to the north and turn left, they're there. The Alps. As a fortress they rise 3 km up. Nothing small in between, just right up. The sun is shining on those a little behind. Breathtaking.

It's a long straight road that goes along the high mountains. At last there's a distance on a sign. It's only 63 km to Hakuba.

The road starts to incline and once we go through a tunnel to get to the other side of a lake.


                                    A lonely fisherman

After the high mountains have been pushed backwards by some lower green ones, the road goes through a number of tunnels, and then quite surprising (to me at least) comes a descent to Hakuba. Not bad on a day where I haven't been worth much.

A Road Sta. comes up and there I use the opportunity to study the road to K's House. Fortunately, because it's not from Hakuba Sta. like I thought, but two stations before, that the route is shown. I find it without problems, so now at 2.30pm I'm already inside.

It's to late to take a lift up to hike a bit in the mountains, thinks the host, and I wouldn't have been able to it. Now I take the bike and to take a look at the area, before I go for the supermarket on my way home.

From far away you see the ski jump towers. Nagano hosted the winter olympics in 1998 and ski jump apparently took place here. I must check this olympic stadium out.


                                The two ski jumps

As it isn't winter it's just some artificial surface on the lanes. And there are actually someone jumping. I never saw it before in real life. From where I stand there's half a second where you see them flying against the sky. I try to get it with the camera, but I don't think I succeed.


                           Who finds the ski jumper?

Hakuba isn't a town in the usual sense. It's just starting point for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. It's covering a vast area but there are only shops at Route 148.

But there's no big buisiness now. Not in this hostel at least. I book'ed via the net yesterday, when I had arrived. But I had to wait for an answer. That came later in the evening. No wonder I now see because there aren't any other guests but me and there can be at least 100.

The hosts have a 1½ years old daughter. She's so cute.


 

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