Yesterday, we may have been a bit exhausted, but it all worked out well in the end, as we spent the night at a quiet little spot by a rather lovely beach. And we did managed to get to 7.30, before we went to bed, but not much later than that, sleeping soundly until morning.
Overnight, the wind had dropped considerably, and we woke to blue skies and a much calmer sea, with the early surfers just finishing their morning fun, as we wandered down to the beach to do our morning stretching. It was probably the most picturesque spot, so far.
We had a slow hour, just enjoying coffee, overlooking the bay and deciding where we would head to, today. We really do plan as we go along, and decided to keep heading west, along the north coast, to get past the more touristy areas and see what we could find.
We really do love the quieter parts that we have travelled through, along the way, and just being in a built-up area came as a bit of a shock to the system, we felt we’d had our share of it, and needed to find somewhere calmer again.
We spent our time, over breakfast plotting some possible park-ups for the night, and finding onsens that we could use too, and decided to head for a little seaside town called Takenocho Takeno, where there seemed to be lots of parking options and onsens too. We would also pass through an ‘Onsen town’ en route, where the hot springs serve a number of public baths, so could possibly stop there too.
But, on the way, we would do a last ‘tourist spot’ for the day and park in Amanohashidate, which also seems to be known as ‘Kyoto by the Sea, where we wanted to visit the Chionji Temple, and take a stroll along the 2.5km long, pine covered sand bar that stretches across the bay.
It was one of the first places we’d seen, when we started watching YouTube videos about Japan (I think it was when ‘Tread The Globe’ visited, but I may be wrong. And it had looked rather lovely, so even though we knew it may be busy, we decided we’d stop.
So, after sorting everything out, and getting rid of some rubbish in bins, where we’d stayed, we headed off. This may seem a strange thing to mention, but bins in Japan are few and very far between, so any chance to get rid of rubbish puts a smile on our faces.
Arriving in Amanohashidate, we managed to find a car park close to the town, which allowed vans over 2m tall, so we paid the 800 Yen (£4) and wandered into town.
The temple was stunning, and although there were visitors there, it was still quiet and we were able to enjoy its beauty and tranquility. It is believed to date back to the 9th century, and is dedicated to Monjo, who was summoned to the area by a Shinto deity to deal with a mischievous dragon.
It has a spectacular, detailed entrance gate
And the wooden pagoda is exquisitely carved, with amazingly detailed roof supports that seem todefy gravity.
The temple is set in beautifully maintained gardens too, with a sacred tree, ‘Bunju’, which is a type of ash that has a spiritual sap, used to make high-quality incense.
Despite it being busier than other temples we’ve visited, it was still worth stopping off to see it.
From there we crossed the 2 bridges onto the sand-bar and took a gentle 2.5km stroll through the pines, to the other end, and back again. We were tempted to hire bikes for the return trip, but decided to walk, and just chatted about the last 2 weeks and our experiences so far. You can watch a video of our thoughts here
It was a nice walk, and the scent of the sea blending with the pine was rather relaxing, but that was enough for us, although there are lots of other activities you can do here (including taking the cable-car to the sky-walk, high above the town for great views across the bay). But we’d done the walk we wanted to do and it was time to head on again.
Very soon, we left the towns behind and found ourselves driving through open countryside again, with views of mountains to one side and occasional glimpses of the coast on the other. We started to feel much more at home again, as we pottered along at the regulation 50 kmh along the quiet roads.
We stopped for lunch at a little spot overlooking the bay
And then started to drive across the headlands on a snaking, mountain road, although these roads are made a lot easier to drive, thanks to the mirrors on every sharp bend, which allows you to see the road ahead. A simple thing that makes it so much safer.
Arriving in the ‘Onsen Town’, we decided not to stop, as the streets were narrow and we are always keenly aware of taking roads that are suitable for the van, as the last thing we want is to get stuck.
So we carried on, running alongside the Maruyama River, which seemed to be a huge crab fishing area, with fish and crab restaurants, lining the road.
We also spotted our first Japanese Crane flying overhead, which rather made our day.
By mid-afternoon, we arrived in our chosen spot for the night, and parked up on the town’s quay, overlooking the breakwater, and givig us plenty to watch, whilst we’re here.
The public onsen is closed (due to legionnaire’s disease being detected), but the hotel a few metres away showed that we could visit there as day guests, for just 1000 yen each (£5), so we did tht instead and enjoyed a shower & a soak, with the sound of the waves below.
This evening, we have just ambled wound the town, which has a lovely ‘out of season’ peace, as we’re certain it is much busier in summer.
It has a lovely seafront,
And pretty streets to explore too
But this evening, we’re just enjoying sitting by the water, whilst i write the blog (possibly the most beautiful blog-writing spot so far..
listening to the waves, and planning what we’ll do tomorrow.
If the red sunset is right, and it’s nice again, I think I may have found us a bike ride along the coast, so keep everything crossed for sunshine.
Postcards from Provence and beyond 