Back on the road, back to the Guest House.

A cyclist from Yokohama came to stay at Guest House Ioly Osaka!

On a tour of the Saigoku Pilgrimage, he came over on his road bike after he visited the 5th of the 33 designated temples, which is in Fujiidera, near the Guest House.

When I asked if he came all the way from Yokohama by bike, he said no. He came to Wakayama by public transport, and started riding his bike there.

The locals of Habikino and Fujiidera often say the area is rural and has nothing to see here, but I guess they compare their area to the central Osaka city, to which they can get easily.

On the other hand, this guy from Yokohama, which is another huge city, remarked 'Well, well, well, this area is so urban!' as he checked in. I instantly thought 'What!? Yokohama must be way more urban!', but he continued and said that as he started his pilgrimage from the first temple in Wakayama, there were no shops or anything near the temples or the accommodations, so compared to that, he found the Fujiidera/Habikino area nice and convenient. That makes sense. In fact, the first three temples are all in Wakayama, and the fourth one is in Izumi City, Osaka, and all the four are deep in the mountains, while the fifth one, Fujiidera, is in the City of Fujiidera, really close to the shops and the train station.

He also told me that this was his second time doing the same Pilgrimage, so he knew the route nd where the temples are, which enabled him to travel better and smoother, and he was able to better decide how many temples he'd visit each day.

He previously attached two bags on both sides of the rear tire, but it took up the space, so he now uses one bag to place between the front and rear tires. Also, his pedals were really unique! They kind of looked like they were non-existent; they were that small! Refer to the photo below. The special shoes would fit there.

He explained those things to me as he was preparing to pack his stuff and get his bike ready for the road. Then he set off. He went smoothly and swiftly on his road bike...

After he left, I went upstairs to check the room he had stayed to find his belonging left there!

It was his bike helmet!! Come on, cyclist!!😅

I rang him up, and he came back in no time.

He set off for the second time, with his helmet on this time.

Take care! Have a great trip!!🚴