Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - Honshu, Japan tour

Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/)

- Ride Tales (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/)

- - Honshu, Japan tour - October to November 2024 (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/honshu-japan-tour-october-november-105649)

28th October

Tanabe to Nabari
ATD 0830 ATA 1500
Ride time: 6.5 hours

Long ride today & slight drizzle along the route.
Temperature was at 14C at one point and the ADV150 windshield which is very low and no handguards it was cold.

Was wearing my summer Astar leather gloves but switched over to the Astars mid-season WP glove and immediately felt warmer. Though if I took off the WP gloves when I stopped for a break, it was a challenge to put the gloves on if my hands were wet.
The Clover jacket I had put on the inside thermal layer and closed all vents which made it bearable.
The Clover Ventouring pants is a summer pants so I was feeling cold. Stopped to put on the rain jacket and pants and felt toastier!

Scenery was beautiful but because of the fog and light drizzle I concentrated on the road. Traffic was light.

One thing I noticed was that as you pass the smaller villages, there are hardly anyone walking along the streets. It's eerily quiet.

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I went to Yoshinoya again for lunch. They are all over Japan and the food is tasty and price is reasonable.

For dinner I had some beef tongue but found out the restaurant I went was expensive. Settled the bill and went to the ubiquitous convenience store to get some more food.

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29th October

Nabari to Nagahama
ATD 0815 ATA 1415
Ride time: 6 hours

Rain ALL the way. Started with a drizzle and then medium intensity rain.
It was cold at 12C. Wasn't a fun ride.

Did not go out to eat dinner as it was raining and there were no nearby convenience stores. I just has instant noodles.

The next morning the host made me 2 huge rice balls for breakfast. I told her I don't take breakfast so she wrapped it up for me for lunch.

I would have liked to stay another night at Nagahama to explore but I have a rather rigid schedule due to the accommodation booking.

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30th October

Nagahama to Fukuchiyama

ATD 0840 ATA 1240
Ride time: 4 hours

Sunny day even though at times it looked like it would rain in the distance with dark clouds.
The weather was so good I did not bother to stop for pictures unless i wanted a short break.
Enjoying the nice weather!

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Yummy lunch at Kura sushi.

The sushi is not outstanding but it is value for money.
I ate a lot!

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Nice noodles but if it was a little less salty it would have been better.
Every overnight stop I will google for restaurants and look for top rated reviews.

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31st October

Fukuchiyama to Tsuyama
ATD 0815 ATA 1220
Ride time: 4hr 5min

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Nice ride with excellent weather.

It was chilly but I layered up. Would be nice to have heated grips as my hands felt cold without any handguards even though I was wearing WP gloves.

Rode slowly and enjoyed the ride. If speed limit was 50kph I kept around 65 to 70 kph or followed the pace of traffic if any.

Wanted to visit Takeda Castle but it was closed. pity..... I did go to the Tsuyama castle which is smaller.

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1st November

Tsuyama to Mihara

ATD 0815 ATA 1300
Ride time: 4hour 45min

Rain all the way!
Supposed to go to Bitchu Matsuyama viewpoint but because of the rain I decided to skip and head direct to Mihara.

Weather forecast was heavy rain and strong winds for today and tomorrow. I decided to cancel the next destination Gotsu and stay another day at Mihara for better weather.
Fourtunately the hotel at Gotsu had free cancellation.

When I reached the hotel at 1300 the man at the counter said 1500hrs for check in. I had no choice but to wait and I was quite miserable as my pants were wet due to the rain.
And due to the heavy rain, I could not go anywhere for food either.
So, I went to the toilet to dry up as much as possible and waited.

At 1500 hrs the man was no where to be seen and he finally appeared at 1520 hrs. I was actually quite pissed as I wanted to change to something dry and more comfortable.
The hotel was supposed to provide free breakfast but there as none. Not even coffee or bread.