Day 2 - Karatsu to Hasami

The planned itinerary would hopefully have allowed us plenty of time at the lunch stop in Arita, the birthplace of Japanese porcelain, to check out the brightly coloured porcelain the area is known for.  The arrival of Typhoon Kong-rey forced a change of plan.

Our hosts for the previous night kindly allowed us to shelter as long as possible.  We were finally able to find running train services that would get us as close as we could to our accommodation for the night.  After lunch we finally headed out to brave the short ride to Karatsu station in gusts that were physically pushing the bike sideways requiring you to lean into the wind to maintain a straight course.  The changeover at Kubota station was going to be tight with just 6 minutes to get 2 bikes, 2 panniers, a BOB trailer and BOB bag up and over the overpass to the next platform at a trot.  We made it with a minute to spare, and then had to wait 30 minutes due to weather delays on the connecting train.  The hotel shuttle waiting for us at Arita station was a welcome sight.

I've posted our planned itinerary but I have no experience of riding this route.

Route

Stay and Eat

The Hotel Bliss Villa Hasami is a great place to stay.  We really appreciated the pickup from the train station with all our bikes and gear.   Secure parking for our bikes was no hassle.  A good soak in the onsen just across the road restored our equilibrium after a stressful day.