After three trains from Yokohama (two packed commuters, one express on which we were relieved to get seats), we bee-lined for our favourite bike shop in a grain store to be reunited with our bikes. Very pleased to finally have replacement, faster rolling, tyres – my Mezcals were lightly used before Mongolia, with the plan to replace them in Japan – but finding 29″ tyres is very difficult as the few mountain bikes are mostly 27.5″. Also a new chain and the mechanic dealt to the click from my eccentric bottom bracket that had been persistently slightly irritating.
Bonus – these tyres were unwanted by the purchaser of a new bike, so only forty dollars equivalent each. So much faster – don’t tell Rachel.
A little life left in the rear one, more on the front – they may have survived the final month, but I was keen to have slicker tyres too. Rachel had her Mezcals swapped between wheels.
After continuing to enjoy the bike shop’s stock and chatting with the mechanic (he even looked up other bike shops on our route that might have a replacement SRAM chain for Rachel – again, don’t tour Japan with fancy SRAM bits), we eventually pulled ourselves away to repack our bikes at the hostel we’d left most of our luggage, have lunch and resupply.
Found some of my favourite Japanese candy.
Two o’clock by the time we were leaving the city, heading for the hills again. Wahoo!
Bodes well.
Various bike routes and quiet roads across the plains, climbing gently for twenty kilometres.
Bit late to forage for salad ingredients.
Into a much narrower valley, we joined the historic Nakasendo route – an old route connecting Kyoto (former capital) with Edo (now Tokyo, current capital), dotted with beautiful old postal towns. The route is now with popular long-distance walkers, which we’d occasionally see over the next few days.
A rare sighting of an old kei truck.
Not often we saw roofs held down with rocks, only a few in our three months.
Another plus of being back in the hills.
The sleepy main streets of these small towns were delightful to potter up.
Kiso-Hirosawa is famous for its lacquerware. Late in the afternoon we found but one shop still open. The size of it was impressive enough, let alone the beautiful items displaying the craftsmanship – seven generations of expertise over two hundred years showing through. Travelling by bike helped save my money, some nice chopsticks the limit of what extra I could carry.
A locally-owned store gave different, and fewer, options for dinner ingredients – but enough to concoct something when we got to our park for the night. This one had a large covered wooden floor, as well as nearby playground and toilet block. After dinner, I slept on one of trampolines for the night – surprisingly comfortable.
First standard trains, well after the morning rush.
Watching point-and-call in action, as well as the rails.
Three stations between the termini give somewhere for trains to pass.
Flashbacks to 
Goodbye and thanks to Thomas, Keiko and Leila for the stay in their home, and the many outings.
I was unreasonably pleased to get a tea bag coaster.
Quiet in the suburbs mid Sunday morning.
Into Shinjuku Park after the busyness outside.
Restorative ramen and broth for lunch, watched it made in front of us.
Into Akihabara – famous for electronics and manga.
Streets closed to traffic on a Sunday, very pleasant.
Huge lotus pond in Ueno Park, nice to walk beside.
Seems I still had a thing for finding old pillar boxes.
Trying to sneak down the back of a long alley of stalls.
Bemused by these guys hanging around on roofs. Not quite the strange women lying in ponds handing out swords that we’d not seen earlier.
Loved this patterning and the texture.
Just as well it was Sunday, I was hardly dressed appropriately.
Going to the black ring of the observation deck, on an elevator thankfully.
With the sky dark, an animated Halloween (still a month away) film played all around the deck’s windows. Dancing pumpkins anyone? More impressive, and entertaining, than expected.
Not fitting in, in many ways (Rachel’s photo).
Surprised to hear, and then see, a convoy of go-karts. All a bit Mario Bros, unsure how they are legal or if we’d slipped into another world.
Trees and rocks, with a bonus river.
Down to the roadhouse, with attached campground, the only facilities for many miles. 
Said roadhouse, without all the vehicles belching diesel. Saw a bunch of big motorsport team trucks rolling through, a change from the preponderance of mining and cattle road trains. Found later the Supercar roadshow was moving from Perth to Darwin.
This may be recognised from some films, but not by me.
The creek approaching the cliff.
Spot the tour group.
Further up the gorge, past where boats can reach – there are a lot of rocks around these parts.
On the return, the longer walk (not long) between boats and impassable rocks.
First crocodile in the wild for the trip.
But first, different rocks! Curious conglomerations.
Better than your average water tower.
Spot the fictional characters – Homer, E.T., Robocop…
