Kyushu Bike Adventure 13 – Oita to Saiki

Kyushu Bike Adventure 13 – Oita to Saiki

After yesterday’s utter wash out, today’s blue skies feel like a gift. The good times have returned, and looking back, I think of today as the most memorable of the whole trip. But it starts with joyful, which is largely forgettable. All you can drink, though. I roll back towards Beepu on that coastal road from yesterday. Yesterday, a disaster, and today it’s a dream. The Ryukon pops into my head as I put down some perfect oceanside kilometers. I’m feeling good as I head north and get reacquainted with Beu City. That long brutal incline from yesterday that hasn’t gone anywhere and I suffer again. But at least I’m dry. I finally managed to get my drone up for some shots, hoping for that postcard view of the hells. But today, it’s the wind that’s my nemesis, blowing all the steam away. Oh well, Beepoo is still looking picturesque. I chill in North Beu for a while and enjoy the vibe of the place. Steam, dainty streets. More steam. I roll back down to Beu Station where someone’s put clothes on the statues. Cute. I hit a kambini that should see me through till lunch and then to the train. Destination Azamui. This route is wild. Tunnels popping in and out of mountains. Infrastructure for the win. Aamui stations got that small town vibe with Bongo Futawa putting it on the map. But my real destination that’s further down the road. It’s a seaside seafood restaurant. Regional oceanfront Japanese. Things are about to get real. Tucker, you ready? [Music] All right. Sorry, little guy. Okay. Okay. So, I’m just outside of Aumi and I’ve come to this. Look, he’s still moving. This is a little bit traumatic for me. I’m not going to lie. He is definitely in half. He’s been sashimied, good and proper, but he’s still going. And I have a policy of not eating food until it’s dead. Oh my god, I’m going to have nightmares. The fish I saw pulled out of the tank as well. And yeah, he’s he’s finally stopped. So, he’s with the deceased. So, I saw this place on Google Maps. I maybe 3 years ago. I was just scrolling through Google Maps and I just saw this place pop up and I clicked on it and I thought it just looked amazing. So, here I am 3 years later. This is like a meal 3 years in the making. So, I’ve gone a bit crazy. This is a spiny lobster. So, that’s been sashimied. And then I’ve got a kaisendon. And I’ve got some grilled abalone as well. This kaissendon, by the way, is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And the price, you would not believe how much this costs. I’ll tell you at the end. So, going to start with something nice and easy. Just a little bit of grilled abalone. [Music] Salty and super super fresh. Now, this is the whole abalone. All of the bits and pieces. [Laughter] Oh my goodness. So, it tastes straight from the sea and the sea is literally just there. So, it’s an amazing setting as well. They’ve also got an onsen here, which I’d love to hit up, but I’ve got to get back on the road. Supposedly, I’m supposed to cycle another 13ks after this. So, we’ll see how that goes. Abalone. Great start, but it’s time to get onto this Kaisendon. I’ll give the lobster a few more minutes to make sure he’s gone so you can’t watch me eat him. It’s like something from a horror movie. So, Kaisendon absolutely loaded with fish. Unbelievable. Am I right? So, I got wasabi and a little bit of soy. So, scolop, my favorite type of sashimi. M. So gorgeous and sweet as well. Super super sweet. All right, I’m just going to move my way around this plate. Have a look. Is it yellow fin or is it kingfish? I’m not sure, but it’s absolutely dectable. All right, so next up have this lighter fish. Looks like a herring. I don’t suppose it is. Might have been cooked in vinegar or citrus. Not too sure. Let’s try. Super nice. Slightly pickled. Really delicious. Reminds me of my childhood eating pickled herring. This is a coming of age story. The prawn that finally came out of its shell. M. Yeah, really yum. It’s like a baked tart with a little bit of girkin in that. Really mild, creamy flavor. More raw fish of some description. So good. So, what else do I see here? There is this Oh, that looks like it’s marinated. Now, what was it called? Ryuku, right? Which is the marinated sashimi that they do over here. Tastes sweet and soy sauce. Super super super good. Now the guy swimming around only moments ago. That is as fresh and as clean as it gets from the ocean to the plate to the mouth. I’ve almost worked my way around the bowl until here, which is white fish tempora. Nice fishy bitter. Now, I promise you there’s rice under there somewhere, and I will get to it. I don’t want to bore you with that. I think it’s time for the main event. God, I hope is dead now. I really feel like I’ve crossed the line here. The truth is, every time we eat meat, this is what happens, right? It’s just not normally staring you in the face. If this haunts my dreams and brings me closer to vegetarianism, then maybe it’s for the best. Maybe we should see the animals before we eat them. Anyway, spiny lobster sashimi, fresh from the ocean. It’s super good, super clean, very easy eating, a real mild flavor. And the texture, there’s like a soft chew to it. Load it up with wasabi and it’s just ocean freshness, you know, I very rarely indulge like this. Obviously, I indulge a hell of a lot, but very rarely like this where I’d buy a whole lobster. But, you know, because this has been on my list of places to come for like literally 3 years, I thought, why not? I’ll just uh push the boat out a little bit. And I actually came for this for the Kaisen Don. You know how much it cost? $13 Australian. I just could not believe that they can produce this amazing bowl for $13. How much would you pay in your country? In Australia, I don’t know, 200 bucks, 150 bucks, something crazy like that. I have no idea. Yeah. Anyway, I’m going to smash all of this and I’m going to have a full stomach, get back on the bike, and I’ve got about 13ks to go to the train station. So, see you later. If this were a film, it’s setting an isolated local Japanese onen restaurant hemmed in by mountains and sea. The conflict, man versus self. One man battles the wilds of the road as it leads him through parts unknown. The protagonist, that’s me, sits top of Foldi, maintaining cadence as he deals with the emotional trauma of lunch. You can find it on Rotten Tomatoes under certified fresh as Tucker whispers to the wind. It’s too fresh. Lunch. It’s too fresh. The 11 km ride between Azimu and Psyche. Hands down my favorite of the whole trip. It’s beautiful, varied, intriguing, and a little bit scary. Tunnels cut through terrain. A tunnel like a portal to a different place. A surreal place like I’d been spirited away. spirited away to a coastal town populated by vague shadows and lost spirits. Half silhouettes and distant conversations picked up and carried on the back of the evening breeze. Zaniba surely she awaits at the end of the train line. and Kamaji putting in a shift at the boiler room at the cement works. Another tunnel and I return to the raw world. This time in the town of Psyche and the station, it’s cycle friendly. There’s bike tools and showers for the weary cyclist. The station master gives me a sticker. I love it. For a limited express train, you need the normal fair ticket and an additional limited express ticket. I bored for Noa, wishing I could stay longer. Today was a good day. Next, I’m leaving my Foldi in Noio for a bus to Takho Gorge before heading south to Miyazaki. Expect some Aon Max Value shopping and the tastiest meal of the whole trip, Miyazaki beef yakiniku. If that sounds like fun, why not come along and let’s keep this thing rolling. [Music]

Flying from Jakarta Indonesia to Fukuoka Japan for a bicycle tour on a Brompton folding bike. Expect to see Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kitakyushu, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Kumamoto and plenty of towns in between. I ride, I eat, I ride, I eat, I rinse, I repeat. 18 episodes. Ramen, gyoza, onigiri, miso black cod, Imari beef, Takuro rice, kushiyaki, sashimi, combini, okonomiyaki, sushi, yakitori, yakiniku, tonkatsu, tonkotsu, tempura, soba, udon, matsunabe, sake, keiseki, not gonna lie, I do a lotta eating.

Sunset Reverie:

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@Japan @Kyushu @Ramen @gyoza @onigiri @miso black cod @Imari beef @Takuro rice @kushiyaki @sashimi @combini @okonomiyaki @sushi @yakitori @yakiniku @tonkatsu @tonkotsu @tempura @soba @udon @matsunabe @sake @keiseki @Fukuoka @Nagasaki @Kitakyushu @Miyazaki @Kagoshima @Kumamoto @drone @foldy @Brompton @bike @bicycle @biketour @oita @Imari @karatsu @kashima @isahaya @miyajidake @beppu @nakatsu @hells @azamui @saiki @nobeoka @takachiho @takachihogorge @sakurajima