NY2023 D5 Kameoka - Miyama- Wachi

Route: Kameoka - Miyama - Wachi 
Bicycle: 65 km
Train: 90 km
Average Speed: 19.4 km/h
Total Ascent: 303 m
Riding Time: 3:21 h
Weather: started with sun and clouds, ended in icy rain, 1C 

While I write this, I am sitting in a warm train on the heating, and am still quite cold as my cycling pants, shoes and socks are pretty wet. This was me in the - nicely warm - waiting room or Wachi station, trying to bring life again into my wet and freezing feet (with a warm drink between them). Hail to Japanese vending machines! 

The plan for today in principle was good, cycling from Kameoka to Miyama and the catch a train back to Kyoto from Wachi, only that it started raining about midway through and that in winter in the mountains. Not too much higher that rain came down as snow.

But the valley of Miyama with its traditional farm houses is definitely nice and merits a new visit, with better and slightly warmer and dryer weather. 

I had this page of the Japan Guide open on my mobile phone for maybe 3+ years as a reminder that I want to visit. Maybe not the best way to make a list of places to visit and other reminders, but it does work. I also have some more pages open:

• A page about Tamba Sasayama (actually not too far away from where I was today) 
• Kabuki program in Tokyo
• A list of travel highlights 2019 from a Japan guide author
• A page about Awaji
• …

You get the idea. 

Miyama would for sure have been nice. It’s a remote valley but good to cycle (no steep gradients, good road with not much traffic, and several villages along the road with probably some places to eat as well, at least when it isn’t New Year period when many things are closed. Everything should be back to normal tomorrow, 5/Jan.)

Now some hours later, back in my accommodation in Kyoto, I have had a nice warm (but not too hot) bath in the local sento, just around the corner... 

... and Uber dinner... and am ready for bed. No real plans yet for tomorrow... but not into the mountains. Probably up to Biwako. Weather should be fine. Just cold. Hope that the shoes will be dry by then. I even bought a Japanese sports newspaper (seemed to be the thickest of them all) and have stuffed my shoes with it. Luckily I brought a second pair of shoes, just not totally apt for cycling. So "worst case" tomorrow just some Kyoto city sightseeing.