The cycling today was a bit unremarkable. I left Kakunodate around 11 after an easy morning. The goal for today was to get out of the mountains and back to the sea, where the road was (reasonably) flat. While there were a number of routes I could have followed, I stick with the main 105, a road that led almost directly to Yurihonjo but wasnt particularly scenic.

Eventually it turned from a busier strip mall to a more quiet country path once I passed the turn off for the motorway. After this the cycle was much more pleasant. There was a lot of rising and dipping in the road as it crossed the foothills of the alps, but nothing compared to the climbs I had to make to reach the lakes.

I arrived at Yurihonjo and felt a little disappointed when I couldn’t see the sea immediately. I had to navigate through the city to arrive at the coast. About ten minutes from the campsite I was going to stay at I started to smell the salt in the air and here the gulls. It had only been four days in the mountains, but I was getting so excited to be back by the ocean. I rounded a last corner and there it was, the Sea of Japan.

Set up camp I a nearby campground d then hustled down to the beach for an evening swim.

The campsite at Yurihonjo.