Suspense ! I was having a lazy breakfast in my room checking the days itinery when I spotted a big problem. Most of my hotels are booked through booking.com, but I had booked a campsite lodge in the mountains today as there wasnt anything nearby to book. After several e-mails in Japanese I had confirmation and was good to go. So when I checked this morning I was horrified to see it was booked for yesterday ! and today had no vacancies. Everywhere I looked seemed sold out so eventually I found a yard with converted shipping containers in Uki City, 15 miles short of the campsite. It would mean a longer ride tomorrow and more climbing as Uki is near the coast. So I set off a bit late near 10am - I had 30 odd miles cycling along the Kuma river before reaching the coastal plain towns around Kumamoto. There are two roads on either side if the river Natio al Route 219 and a smaller, quieter road which I planned to use. They even swapped sides occassionally. I had to do the first part on the National route and was pleased to reach a bridge after 8miles which I crossed to reach the quieter road.... However ! There were dozens of signs in Japanese and workmen along the river, I just had to hope the road went through as I didnt fancy any about turns to a pre ious bridge. I passed multiple works each with workmen with flags officiously directing the ever so quiet traffic flow ! Tge river tightened into a gorge, I reached a fantastic bend where a suspension bridge crossed the river near a waterfall but the riad was blocked off and I was forced through a tunnel - fortunately it came out at the suspension bridge so I got to walk across it. As tge riad was quiet I deployed my drone for tge first time to track me for half a mile and it seemed to work ! I should have flown it over the bridge thinking abkut it ! Anyway a few miles further and I was forced across the river back onto the National Road as the little road wass now shut.Traffic was light but there were multiple roadworks and traffic lights with 10 minute holds.There was nothing, no cafes, no stores, nothing - so I had no option for snacks until 32miles. Eventually the steep hills tge river was following just stopped and the coastal plain appeared. I did a right turn and was cycling parallel to a main road tgrough quiet neighbourhoods and at a crossriads I spotted a shrine - It bad a huve Torri gate and multiplecshrines inside, there was also a Torri gate at the end of the street with about 100 steps going up to a shrine. More importantly across the road was Myoken Manju .... A freat little cafe/Ice cream shop. I went in and had coffee and a vanilla and nut Ice cream which was really refeshing. As I sat in a window seat I saw a small grey car pull up, a woman in a hurry ran and bowed to the Torri Gate and then proceded to run to the hand wash, thr temple, the paper line and various other buildings. She was obviously observing the ceremonial Shinto rites and tgen she bowed to tge gate and ran tovtge car and drive off. I finished a liesurely coffee and gad a wander around the Shrine complex, I did not go to the one up the 100 steps though. Back on the bike and I had a nice surprise, I routed to the Container Yard in Uki and it was only 9.9 miles away - And so finished a very liesurely day - I was checked in by 4pm.