Day 20: Aomori to Niigata 472 km 11hrs 18-31.5DegC Day 21 Niigata to Toyama 5hrs 20-33.5degC

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We are on our way south
To be in Sakaiminato
By Friday

To catch the ferry to take us
To Vladivostok
On Saturday

From Aomori to Niigata
We ride through lush forest 
And farmland

My driver does his homework.
The GPS loses 
Some arguments 

We meet some
Americans in our hotel
On a swine study tour

Some road scenes
The virtues of road houses
And pleasures of toll roads follow.




In Aomori Port.

Everyday starts with a good healthy breakfast.  Vegetables, miso, salads, fish, eggs, seafood, seaweed, pickles. Technicoloured 




Rice planter on the move to another paddy field.
Toll roads include a mix of road types. Motorways, dual carriageway, country roads. Our route is a mix of toll roads and these other roads.
We are happy to pay tolls - it is a cost of the privilege of travel on roads that are well maintained with tunnels galore and bridges and cantilevered roads on the coast. 
In the morning there were several toll booths - where we tossed ¥210, ¥370 into the autotoll coin slot and one where we collected the ticket at the beginning of the toll section and paid ¥1070 (total for the day ¥1650 $NZ16) when we exited near Niigata.
Today we were on a toll road for 250km and it cost ¥4320 ($NZ60)  












Welcome to this road house...

Where you will find typically amazing rest rooms with fresh flowers. 
The rest of the world could learn from the classy and clean bathroom facilities that are available throughout  Japan.

Land is used intensively. Gardens and paddies are very close to the houses.

We ride through some traditional villages this afternoon.


Rice is ripening here in the south. Rice planting is underway close by.


The Bullet train track marches down the valley and crossed over the motorway near Toyama.



The remains of Toyama Castle.
We arrive at 1pm, and get ready to go and explore.

















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