Thursday October 2, 2025

A relaxing start to the day. We had to wait until the Tourism Office opened at 9:00 a.m. We had breakfast, took our bags down to the bikes and left them near the bikes. We had a lovely breakfast and headed through the train station to the Tourist Information office. In the train station there is a temporary Tourist Office manned by half a dozen volunteers, who are giving advice and gift bags to all the athletes coming into Omihachiman. I asked if this was the tourist office and that we wanted information on the Biwachi (cycling Lake Biwa). Two or three people were looking for maps and information for me, one gentleman lead us out of the temporary tourist office to the permanent tourist office outside. A very helpful lady gave us the complete map of the Biwachi. I asked her if there was a ferry we could take to the other side from Hikone or Nagahama. She said there was a cruise to the Island, but no bicycles were allowed. She asked where we were from, she was so excited that we were from Canada. She had studied English at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay Ontario, many years ago, and wanted to come back to Canada to see the Northern Lights again.

Route we wanted to take

No problem we will head south towards Kyoto today, but first we need to find a hotel for tonight. Therein lay the problem, we could not find a hotel (in our price range) in Kyoto for two nights. We looked north of Kyoto, South of Kyoto and they were all ridiculously expensive. We found one in Omihachiman which was reasonable but only got us 33 kms down the road. We booked it as time was getting on. We would worry about Kyoto later.

We left the hotel at 10:30 and found the Lake Biwa Bike path. Finally, a bike path that is off the main road and along the lake for the most part.

As we arrived in Omihachiman early we checked to see if there was anything worth seeing in this small town. Ralf found a ruined castle and a shrine that we checked out.

The shrine and small temple were found in a quiet clearing of the woods. Very peaceful and to commemorate the Nashimura family that owned the castle and later descendants who grew the family business to include banking, fishing and other corporate enterprises.

As we walked up the slightly overgrown path, I was being eaten by mosquitos. I turned around and looked after the bikes, whilst Ralf continued up the the hill. As it turned out the Nishimura family (that the castle belonged to) sold mosquito nets and cotton.

After we visited the ruins we headed into Town to see the Zenjuji Temple. It was a small temple and garden.

We were still early for the hotel mandatory check-in of 3:00 p.m. Across the road from the hotel was a McDonald’s. We decided to wait inside and have a coffee.

There was a very old couple looking at us and giggling. They would say something to each other, look over at us and giggle. I had a good day, so I smiled at them while drinking my coffee. As they were leaving they came over to chat. Neither of us spoke the others language, but we laughed. Ralf used google translate on the phone to talk to the old couple. They would read the text and then talk. Ralf would change the phone to translate Japanese to English and indicate for the old fella to talk into the phone, he stared at the phone. Then Ralf told him he could speak Japanese into the phone, and it would translate for him. He was away, spoke way to fast, but what they wanted to ask is; where we were from, how old we were and if the bikes had motors. The old fella was really interested in the bikes, the gears and what we were carrying. This is what I have missed on this trip, interacting with people even if you don’t understand a word the other person is saying.

We told them I was 67 and Ralf was 66 and the only motors the bikes had were our leg muscles. The old lady patted my thighs, and the old man was shocked and told her not to do that. The two of us laughed. The old fella was 88 and the lady was 85. We gave them a deep bow; they gave us a half bow and were giggling as they left us walking down the street hand in hand. I wish I had asked how long they had been together.

We checked into the AB Hotel and Ralf asked where we could keep the bikes, in our room, just wheel them in. I went up to the room first opened the door and thought to myself she must be joking. Ralf arrived and wondered why I hadn’t gone into the room already. He looked into the room this had to be the smallest hotel room we have stayed in. We can manage says Ralf and we did, two bikes in the tiniest hotel room.

Route we took.