A beautiful ride to Matsuyama

JR Clement Hotel in Imabari is our favourite hotel in this chain. They do everything right from welcoming cyclists in a way we have not experienced elsewhere to incredible service and comfort. If we are back in Imabari one day, we will return here. We are excited to head out today as we are returning to Matsuyama, a place with much to offer

Breakfast at the hotel for our final morning here. Great food with an emphasis on organic and local.

Continuing our pursuit of following the Pilgrim route on Shikoku, we are going to visit a few temples as we head out of town. First stop is a temple in the city of Imabari where we are greeted by this statue of a pilgrim.

Our trikes break all barriers with locals and travellers. Most are very curious because they haven’t’ seen one before. The irony is that while they are excited by our trikes, we are excited to visit a temple. It all works as we get to meet locals and have great visits.

The entrance gate at the road is quite impressive.

The two fierce looking characters on each side of the gate are protectors of the temple.

Love the details and emotion in these figures.

We hadn’t realized that we had visited this temple the last time that we had been in Imabari. When we asked the man us hi (servant of god) to do a goshuincho, he turned to the page that had been completed two years ago and added three more red stamps to show today’s date.

We were able to find another temple out of town. It is #54 of 88 temples on the pilgrimage. We always meet interesting people at these temples with interesting stories to tell about their incredible journey throughout Shikoku on foot.

They were selling small towels with these cute images on them. Pilgrims can wipe their brow on their journey.

We had a good visit with this couple from Brazil who are walking the entire route. She is not feeling well, so they will have a shorter day.

This stone pillar offers signage (the top) for the pilgrims to find their way.

The goshuin for temple # 54 that was added to our book. We find them to be quite beautiful.

A note about goshuins that we get at the temples…the red stamp in the middle is the name of the temple, the smaller stamps on the top right represent the shrine or temple’s Deity. The largest calligraphy is the name of the shrine or temple’s Deity in kanji and the calligraphy on the left side shows the date of your visit.

Lunch at a Konbini..pork cutlet and egg salad…delicious. We don’t know how they do it here. The egg salad is the best we’ve had…perhaps it is the Japanese mayonnaise.

We will follow the coastline to Matsuyama. It is starting out well with little traffic and beautiful views.

This roadside mini shrine by the road is quite endearing. It is the first time we have seen a squirrel as the focus.

A mini stop to enjoy the view and where we are. On our last trip, we bought koinobori windsocks to have on our trikes. They are seen at children’s festival. This time we got it right…Barry’s is the colour used for boys.

Mary Ellen’s koinobori (koi translates as carp) is girl appropriate. People we meet immediately laugh and reach out to touch them.

A short tunnel but welcome. In a tunnel you feel an immediate relief from the heat and humidity…plus it means no hill to climb. Tunnels that are longer (2-3 km) can be a bit intimidating though as vehicles tend to go too fast and the sounds are amplified.

Taking a break from the road and riding inland for a bit. The quiet roads and farms make it worthwhile.

Persimmons aplenty. It is harvest season.

Okay, we are stumped. We see these plants with yellow tops frequently, but can’t figure out what it is. Thanks Bill S, he came to my rescue and suggests that it is tall goldenrod.

This goldenrod plant is a survivor and appears to be escaping!

We have a significant climb but a rewarding downhill is coming soon.

Mandarins are protected with these bags covering them. It must be a big job in some of these huge orchards.

Matsuyama awaits! We will be rewarded by an outstanding downhill for 4 km. Yeah! There is nothing like speeding down a hill on a streamlined, low to the ground trike. Not for the faint of heart, but we love it as our trikes are so stable and hug the ground.

We are creatures of habit. When we see an outdoor shop we love to go in. This fellow and his wife own the shop and it was excellent. Our old Helinox ground chairs have broken down, so we treated ourselves to the Ground Zero chairs which are lighter and a bit higher off the ground (better for our wonky knees).

We have checked in to our hotel, the Terminal Hotel Matsuyama. It looked pretty grim on the outside, but the interior was great. We had a massive room. A bonus was these helmets in our room for use in case of earthquake. Gulp! Looking good Barry.🥴

We are located by the train station and this complex which is across the road. We learned that this new building has a hotel, an awesome Onsen, restaurants, entertainment complex etc. A charming detail is that they have created a traditional wooden decor inside.

As is custom in Japan, outside shoes are never worn inside. It is typical to see small lockers to store your outside shoes while at the Onsen.

Dinner at the cafe in the Onsen. A beef donburi with a raw egg in the middle which gets mixed in.

Milk vending machines can usually be found at every onsen

And, of course, a room full of manga books to sit, relax and read.

A booth where you can take a manga book and read.

The three saunas at this sauna were awarded an award for best in Japan. These felt hats are often worn in saunas.

Relaxation and recovery are elements of going to an Onsen. We really enjoy the tradition and the healing we feel in our sore joints by visiting an Onsen.

A good area to relax, watch tv and wait for your friends or family after the Onsen.

Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 435 km (270 miles)

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