Rest and Prep

Feeling a bit worn out physically from the bike ride, I was glad my next two days were planned for travel and hiking prep only. After a Shinkansen ride from Omonochi to Osaka, I boarded a Panda themed train (total happenchance) towards Minabe. I stayed at an Onsen hotel with a lovely ocean view. It is slightly off season, but it's still odd going to large hotels and seeing them mostly empty. I did enjoy the buffet there, as it was the most extensive one I've seen yet. Automatic rice dispenser, boil-it-yourself ramen station, and lots of international foods. I enjoyed a pallete break with Swedish meatballs, a wagyu burger, Tikka Masala, and the saddest Nacho bar I've ever seen. The Onsen did help my soreness from the bikeride as well.
The next day I went to the starting location of the hike, Tanabe. I had some tasty Sapporo Ramen (corn?!) and stayed at a small attachment to a Cafe. The cafe owner was a sweet Japanese woman who was excited at my busted language attempts. I've noticed that even rough attempts at speaking Japanese goes a long way with people, especially in the smaller towns. In the morning, I had two Chiffon cake slices to go, and they were so good I didn't even take a picture. During these two days, I did notice I was starting to feel a bit sick (despite my best efforts to reject that reality). The days of rest and cold medicine from a pharmacy really helped and I felt ready for my 4 days of hiking.Okumaya devam et