2008 Japan Three Island Tour: April 2nd:

<Yet another blue sky day! The sun rose a burning ball of orange over a green canopy. There was a chill in the air. The cherry blossoms were just popping out on some of the trees. >

   This would be our second longest ride of the week, so I briefed everyone in my game face that I was going to be a "road bully" and crack the whip to keep everyone on the move. I did not want us to get in after dark.

   With that being said, I was the one that held up the departure. Carolyn and Jessica gave me hell, but I had my excuses. We pulled out of the hotel parking lot to a barrage of farewell waves from the gracious hotel staff. The sun was high in the sky, the wind was from the east, and we needed gas.

   Mr. Hirata picked a great country road north toward the coast which wound through fields by enchanting houses, avoiding any town of any sort.  As I whizzed by the hundredth house, I admired the black ceramic shingles, the artsy style of the corners of the roofs and how they resembled birds or something exotic, and the meticulously trimmed garden trees. And it hit me, albeit insidiously, that this country has it own profound and timeless style. This was class. Here is a country with its own independent history like no one else. There was pride in those shingles, loving in those trees.  I took another smooth, perfectly paved corner on the road raised a few feet above the surrounding rice fields.  What a ride on so many levels.

   Hirata had done his home work well, and we had not seen a stop signal for quite a time.  We finally came to the ocean, and started along the coast. After a while, a long bridge connecting a small island came into view. Hirata lead the group across it. The bridge ran along a long shelf in shallow water. We stopped half way out on the bridge to take it all in. The water was very clear and you could see the kelp beds far below. There were fishing boats cruising under the bridge towards the open sea. When you looked back to the main land, you could see a white sandy beach and rugged coast line heavily forested stretch out in both directions. Laurie saw a dolphin.

    We got back on the road and headed for the very southern tip of Honshu Island (Japan's largest main island.) We needed to by pass some towns, so we took the toll road for about twenty minutes before stopping for a bathroom break. Japan is so small and mountainous that the population density is incredible in areas that are flat. Anytime there was flat ground, it was either farmland or buildings. It is very hard to avoid the populous. If you go into a small town, it means waiting for stop light after stop light. Some of the time, you cannot avoid this situation. However, if you take the toll roads, you can bypass everything. This convenience comes with a price. Usually, the price was at a rate of $5 per 20 kilometers per bike. The extreme side of this, though, is a bridge that we cross during this tour that costs $40!! 

    After the potty break we put on our helmets and said goodbye to Honshu and hello to Kyushu, Japan's southern main island. In all, there are over 3,000 islands that make up Japan. Of them, there are four main ones: Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido. As we crossed the narrow channel between the islands, you could see an unfathomable amount of shipping and fishing traffic. There were literally thousands of vessels all headed in different directions. It reminded me of a commuting scene on Star Wars. The coast was lined with industry, and smoke stacks could be seen into the distance.

   Once off the toll road, Hirata took us on his favorite ride. One, he said, that even the local riders don't know about. We crossed a large plain full of little towns, stop lights and farms. After a while, we worked our way south into a narrow valley that was heavily forested. Then, the city seemed to drop away instantly, and we were surrounded by pine trees and bamboo on all sides. We started climbing and winding our way along a clear stream and passing traditional houses, shrines, gardens and uninterrupted forests. Again, where were we?  The curves were perfectly paved and banked. Traffic dropped off and it was just our group, riding into the mountains. At one point, the road stopped being two lanes and turned into only one. On each curve, a convex mirror was there to guide you safely.  At first, they are hard to get used to, but after a while you start to use them as if they were part of your bike.  The forest was on all sides now, and we climbed for over 20 minutes to a point from which you could see hills and mountains stretched out for quite a distance.

    Many people don't realize how mountainous Japan is. It almost seems that there is not a level place in the entire country! At the top of the pass, the road twisted madly back down. Each curve was numbered and it seems that we passed hundreds of them. There was not a time for over this hour of riding that the bike was not banked. The road started to level out, but the beauty started to even get better: long, sweeping corners with tunnels made out of pine trees. The mountains were steep and high on all sides and heavily forested. Small farms with traditional buildings flew by. Small plots of terraced rice fields coupled with large grass roofed barns were on one side, while an ancient shrine sat perched on the other. We criss-crossed a clear flowing stream over and over.  I wanted to stop so many times and just take it in, but was compelled to twits the throttle. What do you do?

   At the end of the valley, the group took a break and everyone was smiles at what they had just seen. That valley had been there for eons, and seemed like time had stood still. We had finally made it to the real Japan!

   The last ride of the day was a real treat. We entered a narrow cliff-lined canyon. The volcanic cliffs stood as sentries high on both sides as we sped through. There were no buildings. A small stream trickled through large boulders alongside the road. The curves were cut out of the rock, and as you leaned into one, you could almost touch the rock wall. Again, the surface of the road was perfect condition. This was where the motorcycle belonged.

   At the end of the day, we were joined by Mr. Hashimoto, a friend of Hirata's. He was the president of the "Flat Twin Club" - a BMW oriented motorcycle touring club to which both of them are members. It is because of him that this tour came to pass. He had invited me to come and ride around this area 5 years ago. After seeing this countryside, I realized that it could be a terrific experience for foreign riders to see.  And so it cam to pass....I was happy to again ride with him, and he would be joining us for the rest of the tour.

    After the canyon, the road took us onto a series of small mountain tops. This was timber country, and you see where it had been harvested over and over again. All of the pine trees were in rows and had been selectively cut from time to time. The air grew chilly as we climbed. We took a side road that was only one lane in width. After a few minutes, we entered a remote hot springs resort area where the steam from the thermal waters was spewing out from all points, both from pipes low to the ground and pipes high in the air. It seemed like the whole town was a steamy vent.  The steam wafted across the one road and made the whole scene look like something out of dream.

    We pulled into our ryokan a few minutes later. It was nested down by a creek surrounded by pine trees. When we pulled in, you could tell it was something special. This particular ryokan was made up of several out buildings surrounding one main building. Several small distinct outdoor and private pools dotted the estate. Some of the rooms had their own private hot springs bath! The whole place was elegant and traditional. I was told that members of the Japanese Royal Family had stayed here. Sliding paper doors, hardwood floors, tatame rooms and quaint visiting rooms were the marquee of this place. We were provided indoor slippers, outdoor slippers, and several layered Yukatas (evening robes). Everything was first class. Just to get from the front door of your room to the private hot springs bath in the back, you had to open 5 sets of sliding paper doors!

  The dinner that night was exotic and delicious. I can't tell you all of the things we ate, but most of it seemed to be vegetables of various sorts. We also each had a hot plate which we could light on our own. There was a small platter of beef and vegetables to be cooked on it. A sauce, of course, was provided just for that plate. We had a variety of sashimi with its corresponding soy sauce bowl, and raw sashimi beef with its own sauce bowl.  All of it was superb.

   Mr. Hashimoto insisted on buying the group a round of beers and we all made a "Kampai" to the day. Now, we were an international group of motorcycle touring elite (bums)!!