Riding to Oita

How do three days go by so quickly? It feel like we just got here. We have loved our time here and will definitely return one day. Nonetheless, such is travel….it is time to move on. We are excited by our plan to ride the east coast of Kyushu as this will complete the last section of completely circumnavigating Kyushu.

Our hotel is a grand Japanese Inn situated in Kannawa, the heart of Hell. Its location allowed us to walk out the door and be in the heart of Hell. Every day we have walked or ridden our trikes around this area and loved it. A highlight of this hotel (as well as lovely spacious rooms) is the superb hot spring Onsen with pools inside and outside.

This fellow was working when we arrived at the hotel and throughout our stay. He really looked out for us and organized to have the conference room be home for our trikes during our stay.

We have difficulty passing by dogs and cats without having a visit.

The wonderful face of this retriever reminds us of our buddy Mochi, a golden retriever at home.

Such a beautiful view of this water feature of 4 waterfalls. The bright green hill in the background was part of our view from our hotel room.

We read about the Oita Bamboo Museum and decided to stop for a visit. We highly recommend it. This piece is called Cloud and Dragon. The centre represents a dragon going to heaven and the outer area represents clouds.

Bamboo used as a stylus (needle) for this record player.

What a lovely bamboo Palanquin with intricate details.

In looking at this poster, we are reminded of special places we have visited in Japan: Okinawa…Sanshin instrument, ryuku, etc…and Arita on Kyushu…pottery, to name a few.

The upper floor has a workshop where groups can try their hand at working with bamboo. This would be a wonderful opportunity to participate in learning about this art form.

There are several rooms with exquisite bamboo pieces on display. Several artists are represented and it shows how this craft has been elevated to an art form.

We visited the cafe for a beverage and a treat. This ice dessert with mango and various cut up fruits was delicious.

The best part though was adding bamboo charcoal as a topping. Hard to describe but tasty. It made the dish taste special.

Barry had coffee and was given a choice of a pottery cup and saucer from various pottery areas in Japan. He chose one from Arita.

Bamboo charcoal is a popular ingredient in Japan. The cookies look somewhat unappetizing due to the colour, but appearance can be deceptive. The cookies were tasty.

Black charcoal powder is new to us. It is fascinating how useful it is for health reasons etc.

At the entrance of the museum is this oversized rugby ball made of bamboo.

Even the parking cones are made of bamboo.

The Rugby World Cup was held here in 2019 which explains why a bamboo version of a rugby ball is at the entrance of the museum.

A TV Tower in Beppu. We are making our way through Beppu to reach Oita.

This dog is really checking us out and as usual the dog is transported around the city in a baby stroller.

Admired this stained glass piece in a park.

We really like the coffee chain called Tully’s. It is one of the few places where decaf coffee is available. Since I can’t drink caffeine, I appreciate that I can get a really good cup of coffee here.

I’m thinking that Barry may have been a bit too enthusiastic diving into his Cafe Latte with whipped cream. Leftovers, perhaps?

MOS Burgers is another Japanese. Chain that we really like. Their burgers are made from scratch with a large selection of different burgers. Unlike the pre-made burgers at their biggest competitor, McDonalds, MOS takes pride in their fresh approach. MOS stands for mountain, ocean and sea. We’re not sure what mountains, oceans and the sea have to do with burgers but that’s ok.

Two burgers (a new entry with Hokkaido cheese), a salad and fries to share. We are not fans of McDonalds and wonder how anyone could choose it over this incredible food.

Barry chose Green Melon Soda and I was more conservative with my choice of ginger ale.

Thumbs up for MOS Burgers. House made food which is delicious and table service.

We really enjoy the ride to Oita from Beppu as we ride along the ocean on a route separate from cars.

Loved this art piece by the Aquarium…a fantastical sea creature with flair.

I swear, this frisky crow was talking to us. Too bad about the Japanese/English language barrier!

The infrastructure along this route to Oita is outstanding. This pirate ship has become a children’s play area complete with a slide.

The man made island off shore from the Pirate Ship has a paved path around its perimeter and this building which is very popular for wedding photos.

You could look at this and see it in different ways…either it is encouraging people to scoop their dog’s bathroom moment or this fellow is playing poop croquet.

You get the idea…walkers on the left and bikes on the right…very civilized.

We are staying at the Daiwa Roynet Hotel in the middle of Oita. We are staying for 2 nights as tomorrow is forecast to rain all day. We had a bit of a bumpy ride checking in as the manager had a very rigid outlook on bikes. We were refused the right to park in front of the hotel, in the lobby or in the area by the Konbini at the ground level. We refused the pay parking she offered as you must retrieve your bike at 8 am each day and the search for another car park for the day. To make it worse the parking garage was a 15 minute walk away. Her tone was not pleasant when she said we must do the car park…it is your final option. We said fine…we won’t pay and we will go elsewhere. She finally allowed us to park in the enormous lobby in a corner. This is the first negative interaction like this on our trip.

We went for a walk to find some food and explore a bit. Luckily we found this covered shopping area that continued for blocks and was full of cafes and restaurants. We watched these guys set up Christmas lights, meticulously attaching the lights with precision.

Shohei Otani, the baseball legend, is beloved in Japan.

Before going to the Bamboo Museum we had never heard of Charcoal powder. Now we are seeing it everywhere.

We really like these covered shopping areas. It brings the community together.

Gyoza is popular here and it is a specialty in many of the restaurants. Barry’s choice was a set meal: wonton dumplings in soup, vermicelli noodle salad, softly cooked egg mixed in rice.

A freshly pulled ice cold Japanese beer for each of us.

We liked this restaurant and the creative artwork.

According to Barry raw egg mixed into hot rice with a bit of soy sauce is so tasty

We made a good choice of a place to eat.

Halloween is in a few days and decorations are everywhere.

Today's ride: 28 km (17 miles)
Total: 589 km (366 miles)

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