Sweet buns are dangerous. I might be getting addicted. Yesterday I ate too many and nearly threw up in the night. If I get fat while cycling the length of Japan, it's all over. I eat two protein bars every day, but lately all I've done is pedal a bike, so all the protein is going straight to my legs. My upper body is the same size, but my legs are bulging.

While I was eating gyūdon at Sukiya, an elderly couple sat down next to me. At Sukiya you have to use a tablet to order. The old man, looking baffled, was gazing at the tablet in his hands as if it were some alien technology he'd never seen before. When I saw that, my own grandad came to mind. Last year I bought him an iPad so we could FaceTime. Needless to say, it didn't work out in the end. However long an explanation I gave, there was no way he could understand it, and he didn't have WiFi either, which made it even trickier. Knowing all that, I helped the couple and placed their order. They're both 86 and have never been abroad. After we'd chatted for a bit, they handed me a 1,000 yen note and said, "buy yourself a drink with this for your journey." I felt bad, so I tried to refuse, but it was no use. Recently Japanese people have shown me a new kind of kindness. In the UK only family shows you that kind of kindness, but in Japan everyone treats each other like family. If someone did that in the UK, you might wonder what their ulterior motive was. So from now on, I want to show everyone the same kindness too, if I can. It might be hard at first, but I'll try.

On the beach I also talked to an expert at identifying jade. I was told that jade can only be found around here. He looks for jade every day. He taught me some tricks too! Apparently jade sometimes sells for more than gold. Next time I'm back, I definitely plan to look for some.

I took the Oyashirazu road. It runs along the coast, so the sea views were seriously lovely. Oyashirazu was really fascinating. It's known as the most difficult stretch of the Hokurikudō. It came to be called "Oyashirazu" ("not knowing one's parents") because, when passing along the dangerous water's edge, parents couldn't spare a moment to look back at their children. The Statue of Mother and Child was put up to pray for safe passage through Oyashirazu, where one bend follows another.

Honestly, I shouldn't have gone that way. I usually use Google Maps, but I don't look into things very deeply. If I'd done even a little research I might have understood how dangerous Oyashirazu is, but sure enough, I'm an idiot. Apparently Oyashirazu is still pretty famous for how treacherous it is, even today. There was no cycle path at all, and in places there wasn't enough width for a bike and a car to pass. Because of that, I had to ride at the speed of the cars. When there was somewhere to rest, I got off the road for a moment and rested my legs. Then I waited for a gap with no cars and rode as fast as I could. As I rode, on my left I could see the surface of the sea reflecting the sunlight, and on my right the intricately patterned coastline, so although I really don't want to die, I thought that of all the ways to go, this might be the loveliest. The drivers passing by all looked over at me with an expression that said, "are you stupid?" While I was riding I also heard sirens, and two ambulances came past. This road is seriously too dangerous, so apparently there are accidents all the time. Needless to say, when I finally reached a pavement I was massively relieved.

I was hungry from riding all day, so at around 7 I went into a ramen shop by the sea. I was eating curry ramen as the sun went down and missed the sunset over the sea. Damn. From now on I'll make absolutely sure I don't go into a restaurant at dusk.

A year ago I read Convenience Store Woman, but at that point I'd never been to a Japanese convenience store, or even to Japan. I feel like I finally, truly get it. I think Japanese convenience stores are special places. To convey the convenience store as a place to her readers, Sayaka Murata used all five senses. I didn't understand why at the time, but I feel like I do now.

Going into a convenience store feels like plunging into another world. The environment changes so much that your five senses go numb. It's like an artificial world of the future. The first time I went, I was honestly overwhelmed. It felt like all five senses were put on alert. They're everywhere, so when you see one in the countryside, it looks as though a spaceship has been dropped from outer space. Even at midday on a hot day, they're fully lit up, and the contrast is unreal. On top of that, they have everything. I'm not lying. If you want something, go to a convenience store, and they'll definitely have it. Want an onigiri? Go to a convenience store. Want a sweet bun? Go to a convenience store. Want a book? Go to a convenience store. Want a towel? Go to a convenience store. Want nail clippers? Go to a convenience store. Want friends? Go to a convenience store. Want a sense of fulfilment? Go to a convenience store. Want a singing whale? Go to a convenience store. I could go on forever.

I've completely forgotten what I wanted to say. I'm in Itoigawa now. There's nothing here. There's no Starbucks or McDonald's either, so there are no sockets and I can't charge anything. Sure enough, there was a convenience store, though. I came to write today's blog, but I ended up writing about convenience stores for twenty minutes and now my head hurts. What a waste of effort. No, actually, it was fun.

Note: when I use social media, I can't think creatively. I don't know why, but I've stopped being able to think. Maybe I'm tired.