Day 10: Wakkanai and Cape Soya

Ensconced in our lovely Crowne Plaza room, we enjoyed a fabulous morning sleeping in and dry on day 10 in Hokkaido. We seriously considered staying there all day. Eventually we talked ourselves into going out to get my rack repaired. After that the northernmost point of Japan was within 30km and remained our goal. We steeled ourselves to the weather, donned our gear, headed down to the bikes, and started off.

The ride out was brutal. flat but into a headwind most of the way. No idea what the wind speed was but with drafting it was all we could do to maintain 15km/hr at times. Finally, after many twists and turns, we made it! The northern most point of Japan! We grabbed some photos, had a quick snack, and headed back before the light failed.

The ride back was a full tailwind, and I hit 50+km/hr on the flat. Average speed was closer to 27km/h and we returned in no time.

On the return we went in search of Lonely Planet recommended Russian restaurant. It proved elusive, and finding it required asking directions from some teenagers walking on the street and typing the name (Pechiko) in Japanese into google maps.

Eventually we found it and I'm glad we did! The food was fantastic and the hosts warm. We even met and had photos with the owner! A great end to a wet but satisfying day.

Stats:

63km today

699km total via MapMyRide

841km was final total via odometer

Route is incorrect unfortunately. Not sure what happened. Elevation was also not available.

Cape Soya, the northernmost point in Japan. There were still a bunch of bus yours around when we got there!

Vodka. You could order it by the bottle.

Dish 1: bacon! More like back bacon than conventional bacon

Brendan had a set dinner sampler including potatoes, skewers of meat, and salads.

Our fellow patrons, including local policewomen, and the owner who presented us with buttons.