Since we arrived early in Onomichi, we cycled around and were greeted with a pleasant surprise Kawazuzakura full blooms. I chatted with an old lady who was also admiring the blooms and she was so kind to give me a badge with a pair of cute kitties riding bicycles.
Senkoji Ropeway 千光寺ロープウェイロープウェイ
You can go up the ropeway for a bird’s eye view of the area. The ropeway departs every 15 mins at 00, 15, 30, 45. This will be a great Sakura viewing spot during the Sakura season. There is a restaurant with great view selling simple curry rice lunch sets and parfaits.
Neko No Hosomichi 猫の細道
Right beside the ropeway station at the bottom is the Neko No Hosomichi 猫の細道 a narrow cat alley where you can spot free roaming cats and if you have time, visit the Manekineko (招财猫) museum.
 |
| Manekineko Museum |
Sakura Chaya さくら茶や
Finish off your tour with a Neko parfait at Sakura Chaya.
Shotengai 商店街 (The Red Bicycles Onomichi)
Take a nostalgic leisurely stroll or ride along the Shotengai 商店街 and you will find The Red Bicycles Onomichi. Chris had deflated our tires a bit for the flight but when we arrived, he could only inflate mine but not his using the small pump he brought (cos he changed to Kojak tires). We were very troubled by this so we just walked into a bike shop and asked for help. We were thinking worse case scenario Chris has to rent a bike. The shop owner Imanashi San helped Chris to pump the tires and even checked that mine were ok. He advised us to ride around for a while to ensure that the tires have no leakage. When we asked how much it costs, he replied, “Air is free!”. We were really touched by his gesture so when we completed the course and returned to Onomichi, we prepared a thank you speech in Japanese and got him a small imabari towel with mikyan mascot as a souvenir. He was very touched too.
The world is a much better place when people help one another and appreciate the help received. We could not have done this trip on our bikes (at least for Chris) if not for him.
Our speech:
しまなみ海道サイクリングコースがやっとした！
実は自転車を問題があって、心配していたけど、店長に手伝ってもらって、安心して、とても感謝していた。本当にありがとうございました。
We finally did the shimanami kaido!
We were actually very worried about our bike problem but because of your help, we felt relieved and are really thankful. Really thank you very much.
 |
| Chris with Imanashi san |
Comments
Post a Comment