Vaucluse Dreamer

We woke this morning, realising that 2 weeks ago, we were at Heathrow and boarding a plane to fly out for this adventure.

We were nervous, excited, a little bit worried and really not sure how we would get on. Now, 2 weeks have flown by, and Japan is already under our skin, with all the worries we had, now just distant memories.

We had an idea of what we wanted to do, but with the campervan there are no rules and we don’t need to stick to any plans, as we have our accommodation and restaurant with us at all times. It’s really very lovely.

We arrived in Wakasa Bay on Sunday, thinking that we may spend one or two nights here, but we’re now on our fourth and will be sad to move on tomorrow. It’s been the perfect place for us, we have stayed in a small, and incredibly peaceful car park by Kugushi Lake, and have woken with the ducks, each morning. And the icing on the cake has been that the area is perfect of cycling around, with a well-marked cycle route and other glorious roads to follow too.

We have been in our element, and for the last 3 days have been out on the bikes, exploring this beautiful part of the north coast. Today, we decided to head back out to the headland that we had cycled across yesterday, but this time we would take a different route back, following the road around the top and (now we have bike lights) go through the 4km tunnel under the steep hills too.

After having our coffee by the lake and watching the early-morning rowers and the truly fascinating crabs that seem to live in every gully, nook and crannie by the lake, we popped on our cycle kit and headed off, following a route, I’d plotted on Komoot.

It was a spectacular morning, with bright blue skies and warm sunshine, with just a gentle breeze too. Perfect cycling weather.

We followed the same route out as yesterday, cycling through the rice terraces and a short tunnel, before making our way along the coast to the headland.

Perhaps it was because it was a now familiar route, or perhaps, I was slightly more relaxed today, but it seemed even better than before.

The sea sparkled bright blue and turquoise in the morning sun, with the hills of the peninsula and the ‘Rainbow Line’ dominating the view.

The beach, where the surfers had been yesterday, was empty today apart from two young people in very bizarre outfits (possibly creatures from the deep, although I can’t be sure), seemed to be being videoed for something. It was all a bit bizarre, but had a stunning back-drop.

We headed across the headland, through the tunnel that we had cycled through, like demons yesterday, now pedalling normally, comfortable with our new lights.

On the far side, instead of turning towards Tsuruga, we turned left and started to follow the coast road towards the headland. It was a beautiful ride, and we soon lost the traffic.

We were almost immediately stopped in our tracks by the entrance to a Shrine, at the side of the road. The elegant Tori Gate was decorated with huge golden silk tassels & rope, so we had to pull in to take a closer look.

We are so pleased that we did, as it was the most beautiful and tranquil Shrine that we have visited so far.

It is the Jogu Shrine, and with its location, surrounded by trees, with some particularly ancient ones too, and overlooking the bay, it is easy to understand why it was built in this spot, and why it has such a sense of being so calm too.

It is wonderfully maintained and the gardens surrounding the exquisite Shrine are perfectly kept, and we enjoyed spending time, sitting on a little bamboo bench, admiring everything about it. From the incredible Shrine building

To the trees just starting to take their autumn colours, which looked spectacular against the blue sky

And the prayer lanterns, which (when we translated the cards beneath each one), all seemed to be asking, or thanking for a safe birth.

When we looked into the history of the Shrine, it appears to have been founded in 730, and enshrines Empress Jingu and Emperor Chuai. It is understood that Empress Jingu gave birth to Emperor Ojin at the permanent Shrine, hence the conection with birth and family.

It seems that in July, each year there is a Festival, where the spirit of Emperor Chuai travels by boat to visit Empress Jingu, who resides at Jogu Shrine. She is said to have declared ‘How delightful it is to always reside in the Shrine and enjoy the calm seas and winds’

Having experienced it today, she had a point!

I know that everyone talks about the Shrines and temples in Kyoto and Osaka, but this one is truly stunning and peaceful too, allowing is to really have a sense of the spirituality associated with it.

But, we couldn’t stay there all day, so dragged ourselves away and continued on towards the top of the headland. The road took us past stunning bays that looked as if they were in the Caribbean

And we just stopped to enjoy the sight.

Then the next tunnel of the day, and this one was 4km long. It cuts under the hills, linking the 2 sides of the headland, and was great fun to ride through.

We were only passed by a couple of cars, which was a relief, as the sound they made entering the tunnel was quite overwhelming. The sound spirals in front of them, and builds, even though they may still be hundreds of metres behind us. It sounded as if we were being chased down by a huge lorry, only to be surprised when we were passed by a little Kei-car.

But, without the cars, we chatted, laughed and sang our way through, listening to the echoes as our voices bounced off the walls, and dashed away, in front of us. It was child-like fun and it was another new experience to add to a growing list.

Once we came out of the tunnel, it seemed that we’d cycled into a different country, as the sky was slab grey and the sea  had lost its sparkle too. It’s amazing how quickly the weather can change.

We cycled back to the van, just enjoying the ride , very happy that we had stayed the extra night, to be able to do it.

So, after lunch and our daily trip to the Onsen, we moved to a different park-up tonight, having spotted it, as we returned from the ride.

You can watch a little video from today here

Tonight, we’re at a quiet car park, overlooking the sea, with the sound of the waves rolling onto the beach to lull us to sleep. And it won’t be too long, before we’re in bed either.

We’ll head on somewhere new tomorrow, but will be rather sad to leave this little part of the north coast behind. It’s been exceptionally lovely.