Tosashimizu to Mihara village, 30 km
The boys and I headed off in different directions today. Not wanting to backtrack for 3 hours on the same highway as two days ago, I took the path less travelled through the mountains and forests, while the boys backtracked the highway bit by bus, then walked the last 15 km up a different road to arrive at the farm guest house Kuro-usagi. The area is very rural, so finding accommodation requires some pre-planning. There is another highly rated guest house nearby, but they don’t offer meals, and there’s no way we’re going to carry provisions for 3 hours. It was also a great call as the meal we were just served was outstanding. And the hostess had lots of fun translating things with her app, including being envious of our long noses!
Both routes involved lightly used paved roads – so lightly used that the road surface is very slippery in places. My route, a two lane paved mountain road, wound it’s way from the coast up a steep valley to about 780m asl, then descended virtually the same amount to get me to my destination. I saw only two vehicles all day, which was helpful as the least slippery part of the road was the middle. And apart from the Shinto Shrine, there was nothing to see but forest – which begs the question as to why a two lane paved road was required. The old single lane road was probably perfectly adequate!
Getting to the Shrine was interesting. There’s not really a trail, but fixed ropes down the ravine through the forest not only guided you but were essentially for your well being!
