Business hotel buffet breakfast another unusual one, but plenty of fuel for cycling. Started off cooler as it took a while to clear the suburbs of the city, just small rice fields between the houses before eventually climbing on quiet forest roads.

Japanese bagpipes?

Through many municipalities today – so many different covers…

Was quite taken with this cutting’s mossy retaining wall – green and tessellations, two favourites.

Tiny deserted roads for a bit.

A roundabout!! The only one I remember for the trip. Welcome on this day as we stopped at far too many traffic lights trying to get through the sprawl towards the south coast.

Just the one completely charming, well-preserved village today.

A stone building, not quite as rare as a roundabout – but almost.

First generation Jimny, also a rare sight.

After the lumpy hills, we finally got a nice long downhill towards Toyota city – which we skirted.

Mildly alarming, long time since we’d thought about pulling the bear spray out.

Yet more tunnel building.

Followed a river for a fair while, pleasingly there was a quiet road on one side of the river for us to follow.

Due to power line work we had to follow a detour five kilometres further into the boonies.

Stopping for first lunch on a grassy bank of the river, we were entertained watching anglers wade across from the opposite bank.

Ninety minutes later on the edge of the city, time for second lunch at a cafe, once again run by an elderly couple.

Again, Rachel orders doorstop toast; or perhaps it’s jaw-dislocating toast.

Pleasant setting, although soon time for us to leave the river.

It got a bit lumpy as we did so, having to climb to the level of that bridge – or so it felt as the afternoon was by now in the thirties again. That took us as close as we got to the city centre – I’d have quite liked to pop in and see Toyota headquarters or a museum, but oh well.

In Okazaki we could no longer stay on the border between urban and rural, having to go through the city – getting a bit tiresome with all the stops at lights, but only an hour to go.

They did have vibrant covers to distract us though.

Hadn’t seen much bamboo at all, I had thought we’d see more.

Having got dinner supplies at a konbini on the edge of town, a hundred and fifty metre climb beside a reservoir took us to another deserted campground. Surrounded by trees and with hand pumps for the water, it was a bit different. Cooking and eating on big concrete steps above a field was reminiscent of camping on the shore way back in Hokkaido, but at least this time there was ample grass to pitch our tents. Quite a big day for this trip, both in distance and climbing – unsure how Rachel kept soldiering on suffering with the cold I’d kindly passed on.