Yokai refers to supernatural entities in Japanese folklore. The museum was surprisingly big and dense with beautiful depictions of these yokai. There were also a considerable amount of English translated text about individual yokai and the legend surrounding them. On the second floor was a rock/gem museum of sorts. I'm not including pictures from that because rocks are everywhere.
I loved the museum, which is why I am including so many pictures. I apologize for this. Click on any individual picture to get a larger version, so you could read the text. This may not work on phone, so use a proper PC, or even a MAC if you must.
I quickly drove to Imabari. I needed to have the gas tank full and return the car by 12:00. I arrived at 11:50. I walked a few blocks to the Imabari train station, where there was a bicycle rental. I grabbed a bike with a basket, as I had two backpacks full to the brim, along with a big water bottle. It was kinda wobbly when turning, but I would just have to be careful.
I started my journey. I was told that a blue line started alongside the white lines on both sides of the road, starting on just the other side of the station. A few blocks of following the blue line later, I remembered that while reading the contract, it indicated that I agreed to wear a helmet. I was not given a helmet. Since I already tried the "I'll just deal with it" plan, with my umbrella the day before, I decided to go back. A few minutes later I set out on my journey again.
I reached the beginning of the first bridge without much of a problem. The bike had six gears. I know very little about bikes, but I thought that higher was better. As the incline kept curving around to get riders to the bridge's level, I struggled. I took breaks. I stood up while peddling. It was hell. The bridge ended up being a long bridge. Over four kilometers long.
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| I guess boats don't get thirsty? |
After the bridge ended, I had to peddle up another long hill. I was really struggling. I thought that maybe bikes were like cars, and going to a lower gear might help on inclines. The problem was, when I tried to lower the gear, I couldn't twist the handlebar to make it go lower than four. Luckily, I had bought a small and larger towel. Using the small towel, I was able to bring it down to two. Eventually, I would get it to one. This helped immensely! I would have to keep this towel handy for gear shifts for the rest of the journey.
Unfortunately, I only made this discovery just before reaching the ryokan. My legs were sore, my butt hurt tremendously, and I was just exhausted. The bike ride was only fifteen kilometers. I had a lot more scheduled for the next day. I have an MRI, with contrast, scheduled for the week after I return home, as I was previously diagnosed with a tear in the ligament where the hamstring connects with the hip, and I wanted to be certain of those diagnosis. I wasn't sure what to do. Also, I wasn't that impressed with any of the views so far. There wasn't much to see so far.
I looked at the islands, seeing if there was anything of interest for me to stop at. There was nothing on the first few islands. Finally, something caught my eye on Ikuchi Island, on the fourth island. My ryokan was n the first. There were six islands in total, not counting the start and end point. On Ikuchi, there was a small museum of what was said to be one of Japan's most famous painters. Right nearby was a large temple complex, with some interesting features. I looked it up, and there was a ferry and bike rental return right there. I decided that I would make this my endpoint. I watched a Phish show on Youtube, while relaxing for the night. It was an excellent, excellent show.
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