Day 16 of Running the Length of Japan – Oshamambe to Mori (66.59 km)

Day 16 of Running the Length of Japan – Oshamambe to Mori (66.59 km)

This was a long day, but we enjoyed it.

We left at about 7.30 and went for a convenience store breakfast before heading out onto a long, flat main road. We knew we’d be following it for most of the day, and it made me chuckle that my watch indicated that my next right was in one marathon.

We stopped for lunch at a little family restaurant. Joy had stir-fried pork with rice; I had a hamburger with rice. It was great to have something real for lunch, rather than having another convenience store lunch.

We’d not expected much from the day, as many people had told us this stretch was all highway and traffic. Instead, we found some rather lovely coastline to keep us company through the run. Yes, there was traffic, and yes, there were bits where the pavement disappeared and we felt a little closer to that traffic than we would like, but it wasn’t as bad as people made out to us.

As we were going along the coast, we could see the mountains we were leaving shrinking and the ones we were heading to growing. There’s something about moving through a place, watching the scenery change, that gives me a sense of satisfaction. I think, aside from the traffic, this was one of our more beautiful days.