2019-11-01_Bicycling

POCARI SWEAT

Lighter than most

sports drinks, massively

refreshing.

BOSS BLACK

Canned iced coffee

with a blend of drip

DORAYAK

Pancake sandwiches. We

loved the ones with butter

and syrup filling.

ONIGIRI

Rice balls with a

savory center are a

konbini staple. Get one

with an egg inside.

SUSHI

In Japan, gas-station sushi

is totally legit.

BEST

JAPANESE

CONVENIENCE

STORE FUEL

Japanese convenience stores,

konbini, are a wonder of the

culinary world. With aisles of

elaborately packaged food,

you could live off them for

weeks. We did.

 Hospitality / The kindness and warmth we were met with were unparalleled. Whenever we passed

someone, we’d ring our bells and say “ohayo” and they’d say it right back. Locals we stopped to talk with

met our sweaty, dirt-covered faces with soft smiles, and gasped in disbelief at the length of our journey.

The proprietors of a handmade home goods store welcomed us in with tea and a woodstove to warm up.

The owners of a tiny hole-in-the-wall ramen shop in Onomichi kept serving us tall beers and local sake.

A bike shop drove out and delivered tubes when we ran low.

And then there was Humi (pictured, left). We had been riding through Japan’s southern Alps, and after

skidding and squealing our way down a gravel descent, stopped for dinner at a quiet Swiss-style visitor’s

center and restaurant. Humi served our table and walked us through the entire menu, drawing the foods

she didn’t know in English. She had questions about our trip and shared her own story—growing up in

Kobe but moving to the mountains for the peaceful, open skies. During a formal, surprisingly sad good-

bye out in the parking lot, I said I’d be back someday and she jumped in excitement. Our hearts melted.



Jo

e^ C

ruz

(c

urb

)

ISSUE 1 | 2020 • BICYCLING.COM 63