(The following entry is from my paper diary, hence the quotation marks. Comments may follow at the end. These are written after the completion of the trip.)
Day 9: Saturday, July 24, 2010. Toyako YH to Yamakoshi Station, 4 km south of Yakumo
"Woke up in the middle of the night with cramps in both upper legs. Thankfully they didn't last long. Got up at 4 am, ate 4 bags of oatmeal with raisins in the 'relaxing' room in the hostel, then took my things out to the bike and left. I had left most of the bags on the bike as it was in a sheltered spot under the hostel's restaurant.
Took one picture along the lake shore - me and 3 statues. I was lucky to find a Seicomart preparing to open at 6am just as I was passing through. Bought natto, bananas, bread and coffee milk.
Using the tunnel to leave Toyako was great. However, I had to climb and descend a number of hills. More and more I'm just opting to walk the bicycle uphill.
I arrived at a michi-no-eki about 7 and began a second breakfast - took a picture. Just 5 minutes later, however, it started to rain so hard that I decided to move everything - including the borrowed chair - to the ante room leading to the washrooms. Smelled okay and had a vending machine. People were passing me to use the toilets and a few remarked sympathetically about the heavy rain. I even heard thunder.
The rain eased off a little by 9 so I packed and continued. Uphill - push, tunnel - keep right, stop when traffic comes and pray. There were only 2 tunnels and 2 bridges that were designed for the safe passage of pedestrians or cyclists (see pic).
I finally arrived at Oshamanbe at 1:45 to be disappointed. Very small but had a station and a 7-11. Stocked up with 'lunch' and ate outside. Pushed on to Yakumo and arrived about 4:45. Quite a lot bigger than Oshamanbe. It even had a few 'love hotels' on the way in. However, the 5,000 yen overnight rate didn't take effect until 10 pm. I went into town as my iphone map showed a Mosburger! Found it and carried out the usual. I decided I'd stop at the first bus shelter that looked decent, but 'there's always another one over the hill'. That took me 4 km toward Hakodate to a local station, unmanned, called Yamakoshi Station. It also had the benefit of being clean, with a toilet out-building and a bus shelter across the street.
The only problem is the woman across the street who seems curious. I asked her if there was anywhere around to dump my garbage, but she said the nearest place might be back in Yakumo as this was 'the country'. She seemed friendly enough after we started talking so I hope she'll leave me alone tonight! Oh, yes. A schoolgirl was waiting for her ride from the station so I asked her to take an iphone picture of me in front of the station which I then emailed to our home address - which I hope Akemi sometimes checks while in Chicago with Selena!
Total distance: 97 km"
A more detailed time line:
5:25 am., left Lake Toya YH
7:00, arrived at michi-no-eki on Rte. 37 in Toyoura (left at c. 9:00)
1:00 pm. ,on bridge over JR line near Shizukari Station on Uchiura Bay on Rte. 37
1:45, arrived in Oshamanbe (left at 2:40)
4:30, arrived in Yakumo (left c. 4:50)
c. 5:10, arrived at Yamakoshi Station
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