Japan 2019 - Hiroshima to Hagi

Riding along the coast from Hiroshima to Iwakuni was very unpleasant. Lots of traffic, narrow roads and lots of industry. To top it off, it started raining. Iwakuni has a US military base - the restaurants and hotels are full of Americans. We were looking forward to leaving the coast and heading into the mountains!
The Kintai bridge is a replica, but still impressive with many amazing details.

For some reason this area has an albino version of the Japanese Rat Snake, which was first mentioned in chronicles in 1738. They are culturally important and are being bred in captivity these days.

Away from the coast, the tourists and the traffic! The rivers, valleys and forests are beautiful! Rice paddies are very photogenic! We have seen many farmers still planting rice manually, while some use a machine.

Note the footsteps from manual planting....

.... and the less back-breaking option. 

Our first night of camping - and what a fabulous spot: on a hill overlooking the valley, nobody else around, with a covered picnic table, a washing station and a covered veranda with a view!

We almost ran over this beautiful snake-tangle! 

The rain started to get heavier and heavier. By the time we arrived in Hagi, we were drenched and filthy. Kirsten called it a road bath.