Saturday, 16th May - Water

I took the R142/ 254 which went uphill from outside Saku for the next 30 miles. There were again many tunnels and the longest one at 2500m. At some point it started raining and I decided to hang out in a small onsen off the main road.

This onsen was more like a small public bath with the receptionist sleeping comfortable at the entrance and people leaving their YEN 200 just in a wooden box. There were people in this bath and for the first time I could observe the intricate bathing rituals in an onsen. From the washing to how you hold your modesty towel and how you place it elegantly on your head when getting into the bath. I had a little chat with one of the locals who informed me that there would be two days rain ahead. My plan of getting out of the onsen and continuing further into the mountains in sunshine did not work out. I started to put on my rain gear (thank you Jorrin for these very, very useful feet protectors) and went further uphill.

Within a few minutes all the relaxation from the onsen was forgotten and I started sweating pretty good as the rain gear was not very breathable. Finally, the top of the mountain was reached and I started my descent. On the other side of the mountain were very strong and cold winds and I started to freeze going down at 30 mph. Near Matsumoto (with some 220,000 people) I spotted a 7/11 to get something to drink. At the crossing from the road into the 7/11 my rear wheel decided to slip on the metal gutter and the little lorry (me and the bike) would crash to the ground. Not a pretty sight but I got up quickly and unharmed. Pretty shaken I would stumble into the kombini to get some drink and then continue my journey looking out for a hot bath - onsen time. Matsumoto is very famous for its castle and its natural baths. I found the onsen area (near Asama Onsen) and chose one recommended by a local. I paid YEN 800 (ca. £5.30 and in retrospect was the best onsen I've been to so far. There were many people (well, men...) and this onsen featured a large indoors pool, a semi-outdoors wooden pool, a complete outdoor natural bath and a sauna. I stayed there for at least an hour to get warm and comfortable again. By that time it was already getting dark and I had to hurry to find a camp spot in the city. Knowing to look out for trees among the houses (an indication of a shrine/ temple) I found one not far from the city centre. I put up my tent at the furthest visible spot in the corner of the place, made some food (picture right) and went to bed. It was still raining but not as bad as on the road. I planned to get up at 6.30 to pack up my things and go somewhere else as I didn’t feel comfortable there.