Hiwasa to Mugi, 26.2 km
Actually we are about 4 km past Mugi, as the town is lacking in accommodation options, and our host at the Panda House recommended Miyamaso, which seemingly also goes by the name of Kaizan-so. It has both lodgings and a restaurant, so maybe the names refer to the different operations.
As Max is still feeling very flu-like, he opted for the train, while Sam and I opted for the highly touted scenic route. While scenic, it did not measure up to the hype, and we expended considerable energy climbing up and down the stairways along the bluff. In the photo above I’ve added a little round spec to show you the look out. The view was great, but the lookouts have become overgrown, and one lookout had actually tumbled into the abyss!
After the scenic route we followed the old highway, which even though devoid of cars, was still a very tiring day. There are no flat roads here and our elevation tally for the day was 952m over 26 km. However, we did appreciate our first, entirely rain-free day (not to be confused with humidity free. It was a soaker!) Thank goodness for the Japanese infatuation with drink vending machines – I’m not sure we’d survive without them, as the 1.2l of water we each carry doesn’t go far in this heat (a modest high of 32⁰ today).
Lots of wildlife today – a deer (even smaller than the goat-sized deer we get in Gibsons), eagles, hawks ( probably not an accurate description) and a mystery beast that skulked away from the side of the road. A similar vanishing beastie was almost observed on the outskirts of Mugi, but I realized that its offspring was staring at me from the side of the road. To my amazement, it had the face of a primate. Further research online ( I haven’t “googled” anything for years, but use one of the less intrusive search engines) tells me it is/was a Japanese macaque. Who knew? Too bad they are photo shy! More info at this link:
https://www.theanimalmap.com/en/animals/japanese-macaque
Our accommodation tonight is a blast from the past. We are the only guests, although there are many rooms. And the restaurant was empty apart from us. The two old ladies who run the place are wonderful hosts, and prepared a fantastic meal of various types of fresh fish. If you have dietary restrictions or don’t do the raw fish thing, it would not be a good overnight stop. We are at least 5 km from the nearest convenience store!
2saunter 