Today I cycled from my park in Asagiri to a campsite in Mifune, just south of Kumamoto city. And let me say, this was maybe the most beautiful route so far, at least top 3. The vast majority I was cycling next to streams in the valleys. The route brought me to my highest altitude at 796m above sea level, but most of the ride was not on top of the mountains. I took bridges (and some tunnels) about half way up the valley and got stunning views of the streams below and the forests along the mountain faces. At my first Michi no Eki stop I got another sticker for my helmet, this time Route 443. There was a curious family who chatted to me, the little 4 year old boy thought I was cool and absolutely loved my bike. I spent a lot of the day listening to music, I listened to David Bowie for the first time and got through 3 of his albums. By the time I was halfway through Black Star this hill was absolutely kicking my ass and I had to change it to something more familiar. I walked up probably the last 100m of elevation for my big summit. Charli XCX got me through my final little mountain before I coasted down to the town below. I picked up some Hotto Motto and a Smirnoff Ice on the way to the campsite, which was full of families starting their Golden Week holidays. It's funny, in Japan camping is really nothing like Australia... This campsite is next to a stream, which is next to a busy highway right outside a big city. I think a lot of Japanese people just like setting up big elaborate tents as an excuse to hang out, cook and have a fire, rather than to actually see nature. But maybe that's just an assumption 🤷