Shimoda : A triology in four parts. PART 4 : The Day After

Just for the record: The next day, Juliane, david and me went out riding at noon around the Southern tip of Izu peninsula. We headed for Jaishi Toge and Matsuzaki, then went along the coast all the way until we were back in Shimoda. We were lucky that despite the forecast we experienced not too much of rain, virtually nothing. Juliane and david, both with fresh legs and properly agitated after all my talks of the wonderful ride I had the day before, went into racing mode up the hills and I had difficulties to stay with them. I went at my own pace up, all in all we did another 1,000 meter plus of climbing. It was a nice ride, with a lot of new explorations along the coast line. We had a coffee at Bistro Bear, the refined English coffee shop in the very Southern part of Izu and we did also great shopping there. The landscape is nice and it';s a pity to note all the dilapidated and deserted houses there. The guys at Bistro Bear told me that the primary school of their village will be closed next year - no children left. It always leaves me speachless when I see how fast the countryside in Japan is moving down towards extinction. It used to be concrete and bulldozers which ruined everything there in the past, but now it is simply the fast that there are no young people any longer. Despite screaming lovehole the country is moving down on the spiral of death.