Day 15 | Saiki to Beppu

Sunday 27 October, 2024

Missed the previous post? Check it out here

Our last day of cycling in Japan (but not for the trip) with sunny conditions for most of the day.

We start of by heading back to Yu-Jin bakery after our failed attempt yesterday.

We arrive at 9:30am and most of the bread is already sold out (they open from 7am). I guess that’s how you can tell it’s good!

We select a few things including the choc walnut bread and cheese roll, which were both amazing.

We had to backtrack the last 27km of yesterday’s ride on our way to Beppu, including a super long tunnel that makes us nervous. Cars always sound like monsters roaring through tunnels, especially when most of them are going over the speed limit.

Our day was 69km of highways and main roads plus a bunch of up and downhills.

It’s especially built up when we hit the city of Oita, so we stick to the footpaths.

There were some lovely views when we were able to get off the main road for a bit though.

There was a nice wide path down the No. 10 highway…that was until it ended and we had to cross to the otherside via a pedestrian bridge.

The last 12km along the water had spectacular scenery with a clear cycleway all the way to our destination.

We arrive in Beppu city and head straight to Mos Burger for lunch. We’ve been to a few different branches during this trip. They do a great plant-based veggie burger which is especially good after a day of cycling.

As we continue on, the rain starts and we get drenched cycling the last 1.5km to the hotel.

The hotel is very nice and so close to the station that you can see and hear the trains whooshing by our room (luckily not too often).

We originally chose this particular hotel thinking we would be catching the train back to Fukuoka but now we will be taking the bus which is still only a few blocks away.

Cheye has taken a liking to the yukata and Belinda is excited that she gets to select her own pillow again.

We head out a bit later for a wander around Beppu city.

It‘s still a bit rainy but luckily there are a few undercover arcades.

We head to 친구/Chingu for dinner, a small Korean restaurant and bar.

The food was so good, with probably the best 순두부찌개 (soft tofu stew) we’ve had. Even better than ones we’ve tried in Korea! The 비빔밥 (bibimbap) and 야채전 (vegetable pancake) was also awesome.

We had a good chat with the owner and his staff, who is also learning to speak Korean.

If you’re ever in Beppu, pay them a visit for some awesome food and a great experience.

Tomorrow we catch the bus back to Fukuoka to spent a few days relaxing and exploring the city. It’s been a great time cycling in Kyushu but we‘ll be back on the bike once we return to Korea next week!

Next post: Day 16 | Beppu to Fukuoka