Day 3 - Fukui to Komatsu
There's nothing that crystallises the value of a warm, dry shelter more than contemplating throwing your leg over a bike for a few hours cycling in the rain. The rain we finished riding in yesterday increased overnight and was not forecast to abate until late morning. So it was a wet start to the day.
While some sightseeing opportunities are on the agenda, the star attraction remains the Echizen coast with rocky coastline, clear waters and quaint fishing harbour towns. I'm sure the scenery would be even more spectacular under clear skies.
Route
The planned route for today had us hugging the coast most of the day, before heading inland for Kaga Onsen to avoid Komatsu airport. Unfortunately the entry on to the beachside road at Oruga Resort indicated the road was closed due to damage. We needed to detour inland on to route 166.
The detour did allow us to ride the cycleway along Lake Kitagata. Unfortunately the iris garden was not yet in bloom so we continued on our way. Shortly after we picked up a cycleway along the banks of the languid Daishoji river which made for a peaceful run into Kaga Onsen and on into Komatsu.
As we arrived at the outskirts of Komatsu, the sun finally peeked from behind the clouds. My route planning bought us in on the scenic approach to the city, past one of the major plants for Komatsu (the company, not the city), panelbeaters and other assorted industries.
Stay and Eat
We opted to avoid the tourist gauntlet at Tojinbo and looked for a restaurant around the corner from Oshima. We settled on the "American". I'm always confident when establishments play to their strengths. Here you can have anything you like as long as it is omelette rice. There are 6 different types of omelette rice and all the ones we tried were good. Coffee was made from freshly ground beans and the hot cocoa was rich and tasty.
We opted for the Hen na Hotel in Komatsu. It's right next door to the station, is new and clean and does the job for a good price. The animatronic dinosaurs of the airport location are replaced with a 'holographic' projection system with the choice of being checked in by a samurai or a dinosaur. At least this time the QR scan worked.
For dinner we tried Kanazawa style curry at Curry Alba in the station building.
See and Do
I added Tojinbo Cliffs to the route after seeing it recommended as a scenic spot. Our Japanese companions knew it better as a famous location to end your own life. Putting aside recent tragic history, the coastline here is certainly spectacular and well worth a stop.
We stopped Just around the corner from the cliffs at Oshima island to cycle across the bridge and back. We saw this bridge on an episode of Cycling Around Japan on NHK so wanted to see it while we were in the area. It's a pleasant enough place to spend a few minutes. In better weather I'd have been more inclined to explore the trails on the island and climb up to see the lighthouse.
