Taking the 8:44 JR to Hikone to meet up with J. After I put my bike back together we rode off towards the hills and the gorge. The road through the gorge was rough but not too difficult to ride. We had to keep an eye out for the small sharp stones and rocks strewn about.
Afterwards we continued on quite fast back roads until we ascended back in to the hills. On the other side of the hills we came face to face with two huge trucks that forced us off the road. That's when my tyre troubles began. J rode off and I discovered I had a flat. Luckily she came back after she noticed I wasn't following. After fixing the tyre we pulled up at a very small restaurant J knew and had a wonderful pasta with fresh mushrooms. Once we finished eating it was time to zoom off. Only, I couldn't zoom off, as my tyre was flat again. We pumped it off and continued down the road until we got on the main road to OmiHachiman when it went flat again. After taking the tyre off we found a couple of holes in the tube "snake bite" as J called it. We fixed the tyre and set off again. We made good time, but it was starting to get late. J and I split and I continued on to OmiHachiman, but just after I'd passed a station on the branch line to OmiHachiman I got yet another puncture. Luckily the next train was due in a few minutes, so I quickly threw the cover over the bike and took the train, as the sun was setting and got to the main line to catch the express. So that was the end of a great ride marred only by the number of flat tyres.
At Ashiya I waited for M to pick me up. At the same time, A was arriving from her game in Yokohama, so after putting the bike in the back of the car, J and I walked home.