Yunotsu is a town that could have been built for people who like to walk slowly. It lies on the Sea of Japan coast of Shimane Prefecture, in the municipality of Gotsu, squeezed into a narrow ravine between hills and sea, with one main street of wooden inns and bathhouses, red roof tiles glowing in the light and a small bay at the end. The hot springs here are said to be thirteen centuries old, and some of the bathhouses are small, plain, communal places where the water comes straight from the ground and the locals soak before work.
The town's other claim is that it was the port of the silver. The Iwami Ginzan mine lies in the hills behind, and the old road, the Yunotsu-Okidomari Kaido, brought ore and silver down to this coast, where ships took it away. Yunotsu is part of the UNESCO listing of the mine and its cultural landscape, and the harbour, with its sheltered cove and the old warehouse lanes, still has the feel of a place built for loading. The red roof tiles, glazed with local clay, are typical of the Iwami region and have survived centuries of salt and snow. Some of the buildings are of an old style with shingled walls and latticed upper floors, and there are also unusual pale bathhouses with elegant tiled facades.
The ride in is the Shimane coast, a quiet piece of Japan: tunnels, headlands, small harbours and cliffs, with the grey Sea of Japan beside you and the road running up and down along the shore. The curves are gentle and the surface is generally good, and you will often have it to yourself. Winter brings northern storms with high waves, and fog sometimes comes in from the sea, so watch the forecast. Gotsu, sixteen kilometres away, has fuel and shops, and it is sensible to fill there, since the town itself is small.
Try fresh fish at one of the small restaurants, and consider a short bath before you ride on. The light in the evening, when the sun goes down over the water and the lamps come on along the alley, is the best moment of the day. A night here is better than a stop.