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Gotoshi Library- Fukue Island

Posted on by helenhmk

When on the boat to Fukue Island, Kym asked me if there was a public library on this island we were visiting… and surprisingly there was – and from the couple of photos online it looked newish and recommended we visit given the walking distance from our accommodation.

The design looks pretty simple, it has large windows – with comfy seats in front (nice to see them facing out too). Good consistent signage and a map of the building and where collections are located next to the catalogues.

The shelving is modern (similar to other Japanese libraries). There was a lot more comfortable seating than I had seen in other libraries.

Magazines seem to be popular in Japan (but what would I know).. given the wide subject range which is on sale and available in libraries.

They did have a small English collection, but given it’s not their main language it’s not surprising the size or age. Yes I would if weeded most of the titles out, but I can’t blame them for the collection.

Opening hours are consistently good: 10-6 every day, but closed Monday’s.

When on holidays it’s always worth checking out the local library. They are usually good for seating, wifi, newspapers and public amenities…. and for annoying Kym who usually tells me “not another library..!”.

Lunch…

Posted on by helenhmk

After a cold ride you need a hot lunch. What could be better than ordering a lunch set – and getting this fabulous meal.

Yes I ate it all, dinner not needed… and it was delicious and super tasty. The fish was a delight… oh I love Japanese food.

Fukue Island riding report…

Posted on by kymdt

I am pleased to report that we had pretty good weather for the three days of riding on Fukue Island. Cold but not wet with some wind gusts – but not too bad overall.

We used Goto city as our base for a three loop rides.

Our rides suggests that there are plenty of quite back roads to ride on. Where we experienced a national main road they had well made bicycle/pedestrian paths alongside – including through the two tunnels we took. Overall I consider the routes to be generally safe.

There are whole island touring routes that I would certainly like to come back to do. It requires more time than we had. Also, accomodation on the other side of the island would require more planning especially if you’re an English speaker!

Day 1

The first day involved a ride out to Tomie Town a fishing village with 6,000 residents. With a stop along the way for bread, cakes and coffee at wondertrunk&co travel bakery.

The return leg came back via the airport.

The total distance of the route was 32.5km with 470m of climbing. The routes on Strava are available in two parts.

Day 2

The second day was a loop route that visited Dozaki Church Museum. “Dozaki church is a full-scale, redbrick, gothic-style church built in 1907 and dedicated to the 26 Martyrs of Japan by Bishop Cousin in 1908. As it was the first church built after the ban on Christianity was lifted, it became a model for other churches built in Goto. … The church is now a museum displaying many items relating to the history of Christianity in Goto. These include items which held significance for the Hidden Christians. In 1974, the building was designated a Tangible Heritage of Nagasaki Prefecture.”

There was also plenty of seaside and hillside scenery. There are some good food options along the way. But check to see if they are open when you plan to be there. We enjoyed pizza and pasta at Gino.

The route is 37kms with 597 metres of climbing. The route is available on Strava – https://www.strava.com/routes/3300766070992615422

Day 3

Our final day was shorter to make sure we could get back to the ferry in time. This time we cycled along a sea wall and then around Minodake, the lava coast and around Onidake. Helen has already told you about it and shown you a bunch of photos!

Officially the route is 25.6km long with 351 metres of climbing. It’s available on n Strava – https://www.strava.com/routes/3300774653980567244

Fukue Island, Goto – last ride…

Posted on by helenhmk

Today our brief time on Fukue Island ends, as we catch the ferry back to Nagasaki. In the last three days we cycled approximately 109km. Here is the map of the three routes:

The last ride today occurred in very wintry conditions. Imagine if you can (in Australia this might be hard with current temperatures) 9 degrees in the wind. On the up side there was not as much climbing as it was only 297meters.

The scenery was very different, as we cycled through some very small villages, farms and along the sea wall. it was lovely to have a nice flat surface for awhile instead of continuously going up or down.

We were cycling around Mt Onidake which was a volcano having last erupted 18,000+ years ago and created the Abunze Lava Coast which can also be walked.

Surprisingly the patisserie location was amazing – not surprisingly really given they use Echire butter. But it was also a welcome stop out of the cold. We had a brief stop at the Geo-Centre which contains information about the formation of the islands and a look out point.

The route back was up and down between farms and small roads, alongside the airport (it was not flat as suggested) back through the top of town and zipped down to a lunch place Kym had found before it closed at 2pm.

Certainly a great little ride (26km+ or 30km depending on who’s Strava account you want to believe) and fabulous water views.