Day 18: Tsuruga to Kyoto, 65.1 miles.

Shrine in Wakasa-wan

Set off really early this morning to Kyoto. said arigato & sayōnara to the old couple that run the guest house and headed along route 8 up through the hills away South from Tsuruga. Six miles later and the other side of the mountains the snow had completely disappeared. Now officially away from The Sea of Japan. Scorchio.

Outskirts of Tsuruga. Snow fell over night again.

Brrr

The snow was starting to clear as I reached the top.

Abandoned ski resort near the top of the mountain. Japanese looks a bit like Russian to me when it's abstracted typefaces like this.



Coming down the mountain


The weather had completely changed by this point. You can see the lake Wakasa-wan in the distance. My route to Kyoto would take me 40 miles around the lake.

Little village on the shore of Wakasa-wan. This area may look old fashioned and quaint but I bet these houses are worth a fortune. When you get a peek inside you see that they are all super modern.


Shores of Wakasa-wan

Wakasa-wan. It's very atmospheric here. I cycled on a pathway round the lake through little villages with the smell of wood smoke in my nostrils. It's harvest time everyone is out burning stubble. There were also lots of crows cawing in the trees and ducks swimming in the lake. Beautiful.


Little graveyard on the shore


These fruit were growing on the trees in peoples gardens around the lake. I'd love to know what they are.



The packed lunch the guest house lady gave me. The main course was two rice cakes wrapped in seaweed with a fruit filling. The fruit was salty and sour but it had a stone like a peach. The drink was unsweetened green tea. She also gave me boiled sweets and oranges.



More comedy from my favourite retail outlet.


Tricky switchbacks. I had to climb 1100ft from sea level over about 3 miles to get to Kyoto from the lake. The road came down off the mountain and straight into East Kyoto.



Kyoto tower