We checked out of our Narujima accommodation this morning with an agreement that we’d call back to pick up our washing at lunch time, to give it time to dry. The minshuku lady offered to make us udon noodles for lunch when we came back – an offer which we were happy to accept.
We did a bit more scootering around the island, exploring and admiring the view, then picked up a few things at the supermarket and finally ended up back at our much-loved beach. We put up our feet and relaxed for a couple of hours.
Harbour on Naru Island
Back at the minshuku, we found that the dear lady had brought in and folded all of our washing and had some scrumptious noodles ready for lunch. We completed the meal with a cup of tea and loaded the scooters up ready for the next stage of the journey.
We went down to the ferry terminal and sat back with our Kindles until the ticket office opened. This time the ticket office lady filled in the mystery form for us (phew!). We didn’t have to line up with the cars to board the ferry – there weren’t any!! Our scooters were the only two vehicles on board and there only about six passengers all together. Not a very profitable trip for the ferry company!
The trip was fabulous, taking us around many small islands on a very calm sea.
Approaching Wakamatsu
As we drove off the ferry our next minshuku lady was there to meet us and we followed her to our new lodgings.
Our accommodation on Wakamatsu Island
We were stunned when we saw our room! We have a living area and a sleeping area, more than twice the size of the minshuku rooms we’ve had so far, with a huge TV and a sofa to sit on, so I don’t have to try to tie my legs in knots. The lady speaks a little English and with my little bit of Japanese, we’re actually managing to communicate quite well. Her daughter lives here too, and she studied English for a few years at school, so she’s helping to fill in the gaps.
Hauling nets
This bench really rocks!
We went out for a walk around the town and after we’d been gone a while, the minshuku lady caught up with us in her car and took us for a drive up a very steep hill to a lookout. We were thrilled to see a deer and her babies along the way. The final part of the ascent was on foot and left us all a bit puffed!
The view was gorgeous but due to the hazy conditions, we couldn’t get a decent photograph.
Easier on the way down!
Back at the minshuku, we had dinner with the lady and her daughter at a table with chairs. Again, no tying my legs into painful knots! What was challenging was trying to eat in front of our hosts. In most cases, we’ve been given dinner and then left to eat it on our own so we don’t have to worry about doing it the ‘right’ way. Hopefully we didn’t bring too much shame upon Westerners with our clumsy eating. The meal was delicious and way more than we needed. We managed to have quite a decent chat during dinner using our combination of mangled language.
We had thought that we were here for two nights, but we’ve just been informed that we are only here for tonight. Our minshuku lady has arranged another place for tomorrow as she had other guests already booked for tomorrow. This was a little disturbing and we didn’t know how to find the other place, but she’s just said that she’ll escort us there! If there are any unhelpful people in Japan, we haven’t met them yet.
Then it was time for baths to soak away the aches and pains. We finished the evening watching Die Hard in Japanese before snuggling in to our futons.
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