When Everything Goes Smoothly. From Kyoto to Osaka

"Hi Ilya, How is your bicycle trip? I hope you are having a great time in Japan. Well,,,,,I read your profile on CS page. You seem very nice and interesting guy. If you need a place in Osaka, pls let me know. My day-off is only Sun. However, next Mon is holiday in Japan. Oh I am bi sexual, so I hope you are open minded.If you have any questions, pls ask me. Take care!!! Best, Sho"

Yeah, I'm open minded, very much so, but what does this word mean in the context of this invitation?

The morning was generous with new messages. Among them were two new positive responses. The second one was written in Russian:

Sharom! Ilya! Sposivo volishoe napisati mne! ochen rad!! Gde ty ceichas? Ja zivu v Osake, kogda budesh v Osake? Kogda prijaesh na Osake ty mozesh spati mene, Nu esli ja budu na Israel ty mne pomogiesh?

So there I was, sitting in my tent on a tennis court at five in the morning, with three options in reserve, each one promising an interesting story or at least a conversation.

When it got light at half past five and my camping spot could be seen from the road, I had already secured the last bag and set off. It's 40 kilometers to Osaka, and on a flat highway you can get there in two and a half hours. You could take a detour through Nara — Japan's first capital, founded in the 7th century — that's an extra forty kilometers. I read in the guidebook that there's a park where wild deer roam around. The decision was made quickly, and I headed out.

This was one of those mornings when everything goes smoothly. Got up well, received a positive response, the right song came on in the player, clear skies and great riding.

Morning :)

An elementary school somewhere between Kyoto and Nara.

By nine in the morning, I was already petting deer and admiring a huge castle.

A guide to the mischief of local deer.

Got food?

Octopus fritters.

I'm popular with the deer.

They saw off the antlers of "wild deer" in tourist areas.

Road #308 from Nara to Osaka turned out to be unexpectedly picturesque.

The road is very steep, about 15 degrees uphill, then the same going down. If not for the bags on the rear wheel, I would have flown over the handlebars several times. These are the rear brake pads.

The road passes through villages with gorgeous views.

Two gulps of silence before I dive into this electric madness. Good evening, Osaka! I've arrived.

Waiting for my host at the metro station. This is a Shiba Inu puppy. His name is Sora.