Day 65 — Matsubakawa Camping Ground to Irinomatsubara Camping Ground - Tom and Marilee Retire to the Road

November 6, 2025

Day 65 — Matsubakawa Camping Ground to Irinomatsubara Camping Ground

It was a very peaceful night at our private campground in the woods. Some light rain fell during the night, just enough to make sure the tent was damp when it came time to pack up.

Our late day companion Will was packed and away earlier than us. He was going further than us and in a slightly different direction — battling the calendar a bit to accomplish his itinerary. We really enjoyed talking about biking in Japan together, and really appreciated that we had shared a lot of similar experiences. Best of luck Will!

Saying goodbye to fellow bike tourer and fellow Canadian, Will.

Once we got going and out of our shady little campground, we found that the day was absolutely glorious. Sunny, still, temps in the high teens. And the scenery was just beautiful, as we climbed up out of the forested valley and then along a river through small farming villages to a wider plain full of rice paddies and mandarin and persimmon groves. It really was one of the nicest mornings of riding we’ve had on the trip, and that is saying something.

Farming village. Inevitably there will be a very old woman tending a garden as we pass

Once again, a road that is maybe 8 feet wide, but perfectly paved and devoid of traffic

Before long we were in Shimanto town (not Shimanto city, which was our intended destination for the day), and took the opportunity to suss out one of the 88 temples that was in town. We also encountered the American tourists on a supported tour who were staying at the onsen hotel we went to the night before.

The road from Shimanto town wound its way downhill to the coast, with a mix of Komoot routes along a river valley and highway riding.

I think he’s shouting about working outside, not sure why.

Oh, Komoot, of course we’ll take that bridge!

Good thing too! Lovely bit along the river

At one point there was a deviation from the highway that hugged the coast along the perimeter of a peninsula, which was an amazing bit of coastal riding along a wild rocky headland.

We reached a nice little Michi no Eki by early afternoon, with maybe a dozen km left to Shimanto city (not Shimanto town), where we had designs on a free campground on the river in town. We decided to take the opportunity to have a full sit down lunch. We both had the seared bonito set lunch, which was amazing, and only ¥1300.

After lunch, while sitting with our ice creams (it really was a good break), we realized we were less than a km from a campsite that looked to be on the enormous beach along this part of the coast. We decided to check it out, and lo and behold it was a great find — just set back from the beach amidst the trees, basically empty other than a group of surfers. We called it a day, and set up, and took beers snacks and the little chairs to the beach to watch the sun go down.

Roadside food a touch above your average Husky station

Wild surf at this beach. Surfing was not for beginners

Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 3,277 km (2,035 miles)

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