Day 15 | Tour on the bike around Gobo, Shirahama and dinner at the restaurant

Day 15 was another long and exciting day for me. Since there are two big things that happened on that day I decided to split it into two posts. So I will dedicate this one to my first big tour around Gobo by bicycle. I am also going to share with you links to the videos I recorded during the ride so you can at least try to see what my eyes (of the camera) had seen. What all happened in this pretty long and interesting day you are going to find out soon.

So let us begin!

First successful morning

I finally slept a bit longer this time as I made it sure to use all the possible curtains and blankets to cover the window as I am very sensitive to the sunlight and after so many chaotic mornings did not wish to wake up again with the sunrise. But wait. That makes sense. In the country of a rising sun!

The annoying nose & the Typhoon approaching

So, around 9 a. m. I went downstairs for the breakfast in our lovely kitchen and this time ate something more similar to us in the West. I just did not want to drink the green tea but the milk. Oh, it was in this family that suddenly everyone in the town and the area got "cold". Within few hours the whole house had the problem with Niagara falls from our noses. I really hate it, it is so annoying and destroyed a little bit my following 5-6 days. I had to use tons of handkerchief packs for almost a week. It was just really hot and humid outside, sometimes difficult to breathe. The main problem was that it had rained for the first time during the night and later during the day but the streets were quickly dry. I might also consider using the air conditioners sometimes at the very low temperatures at home and then it is a bit shocking when you turn it off. Every time I planned to go outside I would slowly start decreasing the temperature of the air conditioner in the room until turning it off and then be ready to go outside almost without feeling any difference.

In the following 10 days we had lots of rain indeed. And there was even something worrying approaching. The so called Super Typhoon Nangka (the speed of more than 200 km/h) was said to land on the island Shikoku on the 16th July (which was in this case the next day! ) and the reports suggested to stay at home and that the roads, railways etc. were going to be closed... and most likely under the water. Gobo town is situated in the south-eastern part of the Wakayama prefecture and the island Shikoku is about 40 kilometres away from our coast. When following the weather forecast on TV I noticed we were on the edge of the circle representing the typhoon's movement and the radius of potential damage and destruction. Great! New stories for the grandchildren. In the end, we did not have to worry that much... but I can tell you that everyone felt the wind blowing the next night (16th>17th) and when I went to sleep I just waited for the roof to fall down on me. But more of the typhoon and its consequences both for the region and my postponed trip to Osaka in another post.

Taking the bike and off to... somewhere new

After having breakfast mom Sachiyo went to the office and I was preparing my backpack with important things to take some photographs and a bottle of water to survive. But since we had a piano in the living room I could not help myself but to spend 15-20 minutes playing my favourites themes. That was kind of a powering up for the ride. Fully satisfied I took my classical white shirt with the troll face, picked up the yellow Samurai Jack straw hat and went out. But first to ask mom Sachiyo-san for the keys. I met the other colleagues upstairs I met yesterday and I told them about my plans for today. We were speaking Japanglish more or less and hoped to understand each other... which here actually worked. And since we are the architects and designers there was also a need to illustrate the problem when the language barrier was too much.

I was given the keys and went to our garage to unlock the bike. This is also where I noticed a bit different way of locking the bikes when compared to the system in Croatia and probably most of the European countries. In order to keep the bike unlocked you have to leave the key inside the locker on the last tire when you are riding it! It took me a bit to get used to it as I feared the keys could easily drop on the road while I was riding the bike and lose them. However, that did not happen.

Alright, enough talking, off we go! I had no concrete plan what to do but rather enjoy the spontaneous ride and discoveries. What actually made me curious is the bridge over Hidaka river and what is hidden on the other side of it in direction of south. I have only once been close to it 3-4 days ago but now wanted to see it. I am so glad I had the opportunity to use the bike in Gobo and Japan, I find it to be the best way to discover new places. And bicycle is for me pretty much the same as the Black Pearl for Jack Sparrow – not just a vehicle but symbol of freedom. Since I tracked down my route with Google Maps here is an image of it below.

Source

I headed to the western bank of the river and observed the houses and the area. As soon as I came to one bigger road and turned to the south after a minute I started noticing a change in the landscape. The area here is not that much dense with the greenery i. e. the green fields or plantations of something growing but rather more family houses and apartments. There was of course sort of a triangle between this road and the river where people had their fields used for some cultures as much as the space and conditions allowed it to. I had not seen much of it because of the bushes but did from far away later and on the satellite images.

It took about 2 kilometres to reach the bridge I wanted to see. I had known earlier from the Google Earth that it existed. To my left soon disappeared the fields and some houses and we started getting closer to the river. Now I could also see it better. At its widest part before the bridge it was about 350 meters broad.

Since I was riding now on the pedestrian path along the big road that was few meters above the sea level I had the opportunity to take a look a bit above the houses or to be at the same height as the roofs. One could mostly see greyish facades of metal tiles, black, some lighter and with mixture of traditional houses... those who had gardens put their clothes to dry outside but all in all it seemed a bit abandoned, without life. There were few exceptions where some locals painted their houses and apartments in crazy colours but I do not remember seeing anyone out on the window (as it is case in Croatia 0-24 h). Except for the cars, a very few other cyclists or pedestrians I got a feeling that I was alone in the area and everyone else had left. Naturally, I was one of the "smart guys" who went before the noon and around the noon around on the bike when it was about +30℃. But you know I head the towel around my neck and drank the still cold water every here and there. And the straw hat was of a huge help as it protected me both front and behind.

On the other side of Hidaka river

As I was approaching the bridge the road started uprising a little bit. There was nothing interesting during this part to be told actually and I was mostly focused on reaching the bridge and the other side. However, when I came back to the western river bank I took the other road that went through the neighbourhoods and was much more interesting to see. I will post some pictures and more comments there.

As I got finally to the bridge I noticed the column dedicated to one Lions Club. Now that was new for me and did not expect to see actually a little monument in honor of the Lions Club. And now over the bridge to the other side. The bridge had two pedestrian and cyclist pathways on each side. And looked cold with the blue-like metal. I stopped at the centre to take a few landscape photographs and as you can see the river here is pretty wide and not that far behind the town is surrounded with the hills and mountains. When I turned right in the direction of south-west I saw that few hundred meters more the river delta entered the Pacific Ocean. And there was nothing else except for the horizon. If there were no other hills I would probably be able to see a hundred kilometre far away Shikoku island and it's last southernmost point.

After I got to the other side I had three options. To go left (the north) and followed the coastline with many boats and a few little river islands. This would lead me back to the bridge in the middle and back home. There was another road to the right which had no cars but lead through the uninhabited part between the river/sea and some bay with factories and boats inside. Being back there I was not sure where the path could lead and that it might be a dead end road. I took the car road that went straight and decided to push the pedals further.

I spent the following 10 minutes following the car and pedestrian road and switching the sides at zebras in some little neighbourhood under the hill. I just wanted to reach the edge to have a better look over the coastline. It was not as I had it visualised as I could not actually reached the sea, the road was still behind it. In front of me there was another little bay and one of a few canals that were going along the road eventually merging into the Hidaka river's delta and the ocean. When looking towards the western river bank you could notice a few breakwaters and kind of a swampy area they created. There were a few birds but mostly (I assume) shallow water. I could not see the bottom though because of the sand and mud. But I had seen one boat being there in the water, an abandoned one, so it should not be more than 2 meters.

Being there at the edge I noticed one short bridge linking the "swampy area" with the main road. The bridge was meant only for the pedestrians and cyclists. And then I got it – the road that went after the bridge to the right through the "suspicious" area was ultimately finishing here and one could go over the bridge to this side. I decided to take a ride on it on my way back.

And that did not have to wait much. After I continued following the road I came across one traffic light and zebra as the road stopped there. I waited few minutes there just to get to the other side, do a few meters more and turn back. And wait again few more minutes for the green light. I will tell you more of the road that goes forth in another article regarding my last day in Japan when I went the same way 6-7 more kilometres in order to visit a friend and her family I met in Osaka.

Stopping by Lawson store for the second breakfast and...

I went now over that little bridge and enjoyed a few minutes of a ride on the road between the river and the other bay to my right. I saw almost nobody there. The road was surrounded with trees and bushes. The left side though looked much more deserted, probably because of the tides and if the sand there was dug out for something. To my right I passed by the factory which was built upon the small bay with several speedboats and old wooden boats in it. Since no one attacked me (hey, come one, we are in Japan in the peaceful area! ) I reached the bridge without problems. Did I forgot to mention I had been listening to the music all the way since I left the house? One of the best combinations when there is a minimal or no danger on your road at all – headphones and a bike.

After crossing the bridge I chose another way to come home. Or was I really going to go home? I still had plenty of time before lunch and the afternoon excursion to Shirahama. I hoped that the street I took will lead me to the crossing where the Lawson store was located and right next to my home. And it indeed was.

There had been not many people on the road except for cars. I passed again by some fields and lots of old houses. Yes, that is what I really liked there. Everything seemed a bit retro or should I say vintage as it has not changed? The modest and after years or decades a bit ruined facades with grainy textures on many buildings. Especially the factories and Honda stores.

Honda stores

Speaking of Honda, whose shops you can see in almost every second street, we are used to think of the cars and modern luxurious stores selling them. However, in Japan you can see it everywhere but not just for the cars but as a place where you can buy a bike or have your own repaired. I saw several Honda stores or services every day and most of them looked pretty old and the owners probably did not have money to renovate the facade. Or they just did not care much about the exterior. This is what I really liked about Japan and especially smaller town such as Gobo. It was just honest and real, without faking the exterior to hid the real situation. When my friends saw the first photographs of Gobo they might have expected me to be surrounded by some Transformers in Japan but that was not the case here. The pace of life was different here and according to the locals' needs.

I should also note (and you can see it in the short video) that the pedestrians roads were not always perfect. Some streets in Gobo were in a very good condition and renovated but there were again many where the grass was growing or taking over the concrete. There were sometimes holes and and a bit unfinished beginnings of the ends of the paths. One would think that this is impossible to happen in Japan but only in Croatia. But not even Japan is supreme and perfect everywhere.

There were also some funny buildings on the road worth taking a picture and thinking about them, like the one below.

After less then 2 kilometers I reached the parking lot of the Lawson shop. Lawson looks and sounds probably American. It used the "cowboy" letters (the serif typography) and its colours is blue. I was now again hungry but did not want to go home not to waste time. I also enjoyed going around the area alone and trying to survive by using Japanese only. I left my bike next to the doors along with the straw hat and the headphones outside. I had to take the key out of the locker from the tire and it got locked automatically. I greeted the cashier and he did the same (with a small bowing) and I started looking for an affordable meal. I found some yogurt and a huge croissant filled with chocolate. That should be enough.

I ate them in front of the store and put the trash into a plastic bag I kept in my backpack. If you have not read my first articles on Erasmus blog about interesting facts about Japan then I will repeat one interesting indeed regarding the trash and the trash cans. There are not many of them outside and you will mostly likely take your trash with you home where it is going to be sorted in the boxes. I was totally fine with this and always put the garbage into a plastic bag and then sorted into proper boxes at home.

Surprise visit at the House of Yanase-san and Anchin

Still having time and being now filled with energy before lunch I decided to go towards the Anchin restaurant and also pay a short visit to my former host family Yanase. It took me about a kilometre and a half to get to the store of Yanase-san and I was using again the very same route whereas my orientating point was the crossing with the traditional Japanese house. I went then to the east and passed by one more big store with a huge parking lot. It took me in total about 5-7 minutes and I was there.

On my way there I saw one interesting building that with its old facade and in a bit bad condition looked totally awesome (love the texture). I got my analog camera ready. And even better - I saw then a man riding a bike slowly and he was going to be in front of this building in about a minute. I quickly prepared the manual settings what I believed (and prayed) to be good and wait in the centre. When the man approached I hoped for the best and pressed the button. It is one of my favourite photographs from Japan, catching the realistic shot during the day, a documentary photo. Japan and roaming around helped me to realise which things I actually do enjoy doing.

I left the bike behind the building in the shadow (and huh, it was really hot already) and went upstairs to the office hoping to meet the grandparents Yanase. And they were both there and were very happy and surprised when they saw me. I tried to explain them in my broken Japanese and by using the hands and legs what was I doing this morning and my plans. I think they understood me. I also told them I really like the straw hat and thanked again for being so generous. I even got one more Pocari to my own surprise! I told them "Mata ne! " and headed forward in direction of Anchin.

On my way there I passed by one house with a small concrete yard where two boys were playing football. I was thinking whether I should stop and ask them for a photo or not. I did not but hoped to see them on my way back. I regretted a bit my hesitation and that just taught me that some things happen only once, we just have a once chance to act as there is no guarantee later.

When reaching the other street I turned on my camera and started recording my trip. I am going to post here a few screenshots to see the streets.

What I would like to note is that there are really many small canals throughout Gobo (and Hidaka) and small bridges over them. Sometimes I did not even notice it but it always made me stop for a few seconds when I saw them between the houses and fields. Yes, all of them came from the mountains and probably ended up in Hidaka river and they were likely being used for the watering of the plantations. There is really a nice proportion of those fields in the town and they are not just surrounding the town and being on the edge but rather integrated into the town. Agriculture is one of the most important parts of the daily lives of many citizens.

Another thing you are going to notice in the video and I forgot to mention it earlier are the hundreds of the cables and columns for the electricity that cover the streets. Among the black and white cars, outfits of the high school students (I met a few of them returning home early?! ) this was the next thing that one cannot avoid not noting. Unlike us they are all above the grand. Sometimes it looks pretty chaotic. But again one of the realistic images of Japanese modest places. Actually, even in the bigger cities such as Wakayama or Osaka one can notice hundreds of cables above your heads. The reason might be because of the potential threat of the earthquakes or even tsunami waves which would make the underground pretty messy.

I stopped in front of the eastern entrance to the restaurant and again surprised my colleagues working there and found Mr Ishikura there who immediately gave me a pack of cookies to put into the boxes. I spent a few minutes there and then entered the family house but mom Mieko was not at home. They told me she will come soon. I went back to the restaurant and "knew everything around. " Soon came mom Mieko and was happy to see me. I was about to leave when she ran to the restaurant's store and took a can of Pocari from the fridge. I refused it and thanked since I already got one.

It took me about 10-15 minutes to come back, I was riding slowly as now a bit tired (I did in total ca. 12 kilometres) and wanted to lie down on the bed and even sleep. Yes, perfect time for a nap. I was thinking of the Book Market store but in the end decided to visit it the other morning.

Meeting dad Tetsuya-san and lunch before the excursion

I left the bike in the garage and returned the keys upstairs. I think everyone was at the office and asked me where I went. Since my brain was tired I just had to show them the map and point with the finger nodding with my head and repeating "so so, hai hai, eee".

It might have been around noon or 1 p. m. I was in my room on the bed staring at the ceiling. Then I heard someone downstairs. Apparently dad Tetsuya-san returned from his trip. I came down to meet him and he was happy and curious about me. My host sister Sumire was still at school until the afternoon so we were not going to see her until later when we planned to go for a dinner to some restaurant.

After having a lunch together and a super delicious ice cream with some flavour I had not seen here in Croatia we started packing for the excursion. Speaking of ice cream there is even one with the taste of the green tea! I think I did not want to try it but rather stick to my beloved strawberries and fruits.

Reinforcement during the trip and a bit about Shirahama

I heard the day before that a friend of my parents-architects was going to join us on the trip to Shirahama Park. She spoke English and would remove the language barrier between us. The thing was that my host father Tetsuya-san spoke very little English as he never uses it in daily life and thus does not need it. Or he spoke once but then just left it behind since he told us a story in the restaurant of his trip to the Las Vegas many years ago and... you will hear the story later.

I am not going to write much of the place we visited because I promised a special article. We went to Shirahama Cliffs or in Japanese Sandanbeki (Three Step Cliffs) and spent a nice time there. The place and the area round it are absolutely amazing and breathtaking. Later on during the camp trips we visited the white beach of the same name, Shirahama Beach, which is located not far away from these cliffs and rock formations. Shirahama is actually located in the south of Gobo which confused me a bit (thought it was more to the north and Osaka) and about an hour or even less. The next biggest town to Shirahama is Tanabe. When approaching the entrance to the park I felt like entering Jurassic Park with all the forests and weather conditions around me. Luckily no released T-Rex. We visited there a center and museum in the caves within the cliffs and I had seen the... well, you are going to find out about it soon. After being done with the beautiful nature of Shirahama Cliffs we headed to one nearby hill to a hotel and a bar on the top and sat outside drinking coffee and talking for an hour. But more of all that soon!

Back home and the dinner & stories at one restaurant

Once we were again home in Gobo I was still under impressions and spent the rest of the evening in my room resting a bit and then hanging out with my host sister at the table and showing her my presentation-in-the-making of Croatia that I had to prepare for the camp. I totally forgot on that. Every time when I really had nothing else to do or was unable to do I would sit at the table and make a layout of my country's presentation. I also did it together with Sumire a bit...before we switched to computer games and I introduced her to the world of Medal of Honor Online. Do not worry, she had passed all the exams in school.

We planned to go out to one restaurant later in the evening along with the friend who came with us to Shirahama. So it was a company of 5 of us in the end. Pretty merry!

We took two cars to get there and I do not remember the location nor the name of the place, it was somewhere in the centre of Gobo I believe and I left the paper and the business card of the restaurant back home in Zagreb (I am lying down in my bed in Graz in Austria right now).

The restaurant looked relatively big and as much as I remember belong to one of my three categories of the restaurants and the worst variant for me – those where you have to sit with your feet crossed. This was a huge problem for me. We could have might even looked for another room there if they could offered at least the floors with a hole when you sit but we rather stayed here. And it was much more fun.

I just know I had to have one of my legs fully stretched beneath the table as otherwise it was impossible for me to sit calm and without hitting the table every here and there. It was very funny for my host family and the friend. I also had to be careful not to take down one of the waiters going by our table all the evening.

We ordered lots of diverse food. I believe I ate again "okonomiyaki" (the barbecue) along with some other salads and soups. Lots of chopsticks and oshiboris – the white wet handkerchiefs. We spent there 2-3 hours maybe talking about the experience with Shirahama, about the past days in Japan. I would then tell them stories from my home and earlier Lions trips, about my family and friends. A friend of the family would then translate them what was needed and did the same when they wanted to say something which was too complicated in English so I waited for the translation. All that experience with translating also reminded me of the diplomats. I also told my host sister I accidentally found her sketchbook next to the piano and could not help myself but have a look inside. She was pretty shy and did not want anyone to read it (too late! ) but I think she really does it very good and should not give up. Maybe everyone sometimes just needs a little push forward to get motivated. When we talked about piano (and also when we were there) she has been playing for some years but said she does not know much or thinks she is bad. Which turned out of course not to be truth. I played her several of my favourite compositions and also gave all the piano sheet and albums I had on my laptop via USB. I did the same for my former host families who had a piano. Because why not?

It was difficult to leave the restaurant and we all had tons of fun and the food was really delicious. When leaving the restaurant we would have to jump back in socks on the floor between the "wooden platforms" to reach our shoes. At the exit I told the cooks and the waiters that it was "very oishii". After classic "mata ne! " we left home.

Plans for the other day

Tomorrow was supposed to be my last day with the host families and then go to Osaka to join the youth camp. However, that did not happen because of the problems the typhoon had caused. In the morning it was still kind of a normal weather with some sun and I went to a book store alone to buy some material to help me learn Japanese. Later we went to one shopping centre where also enjoyed lunch and had fun with the "purikura" machines. It started raining afterwards and was introduction to the pretty turbulent night. More about out it soon.

Thanks for reading!

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