June 9

Hiraizumi - Rest Day


I think I'll just stay here another week and take the bus to Sapporo..........  What a great place to have a true "rest" day.  It's at the top of a hill and I'm certainly not riding my bike back up here if I don't have to.  I think there's a temple nearby that some folks took a taxi to.  But - I'm quite content to spend the day in my yukata hanging around the property.  

Here are some highlights..........

Our room.  A bit messy, but very comfy and roomy.  Three beds to chose from.




 A lovely selection of yukatas to choose from.



Free laundry and massage chairs.  I was up early to try to snag a washer.  Even at 6:15 there was a line-up.  Slow machines, but I'm not arguing with free.  It got done eventually, and I settled in for a massage while I waited.  Then, before breakfast I visited the "public bath" area - a series of both inside and outside pools of varying temperatures.  I think I prefer the one in the room, though.  I'll crawl in there again today for a little while.  Oh - and also in our room, the toilet lid lifts up (and lights up) when you open the door.  I took a video for future laughs.  The control panel has a kazillion other buttons and functions as well.  




The breakfast was really good and we had lots of time to linger vs shoving food in for fuel on riding days.  Then out to attend to my bike.  It's still working well, but I've dropped the chain a few times in the last few days so had Max tweak something there.  The chain is a bit rusty, which is a bit surprising.  Maybe all this moisture (even if it's not raining) has done that to it.  But - cleaned it up a bit and put some lube on it; should be good to go.

There are lots of relaxation spots in the hotel - the lobby & the coffee room (with soft jazz music playing) are two.



No shoes allowed anywhere in the hotel.  Everyone walks around in  bare feet or socks or slippers at most.  

I went to the theatre production this afternoon.  Didn't understand a word, but it was entertaining.



There are/were also two dance productions which I didn't attend, but were apparently quite entertaining.  

Three restaurants plus a little concession booth outside the theatre.  And a couple of gift shops with a small selection of snacks.  No convenience store though!

Some other sights and artifacts around the hotel............




















Got some reading done, added some pictures to the blog, Sylvie ran a yoga session outside at 4, and now it's time to eat again.  A perfect rest day!

Another big day on the bikes tomorrow.  Let's hope the rest has done me some good!


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