2008 Japan Three Island Tour: April 5th:

     I walked out to the small boat harbor and watched the sun rise over the ocean. Small fishing boats made their way out to a calm sea.  Seagulls cruised along the shore. Not a cloud was in the sky, and already the temperature was rising. By the time we got on the bikes, it was as warm as it had been during the entire trip.

     We made our way east to the main part of

Shikoku

. In the first 33 kilometers, we had passed through 16 tunnels. On the left and the right, you could see the ocean far below. Cherry blossoms were in full swing on

Shikoku

, and we passed by countless trees lining the road, their bright pink adornments proudly displayed. Many times, you would see a scene with several kinds of blossoms of different pinks and reds. A shrine would fly by, then heavy forest, and then more blossoms.  As Arch said, “Everywhere you looked, there was a picture.” When you looked up on the forested slopes, you could see the cherry blossom trees, like light pink brush strokes on a canvass of green, jump out for attention. “Here I am!”

   The route led us along the north coast of Shikoku, along the

Inland Sea

. The road hugged the coast and the traffic was light. Many times, I could see the group far ahead, winding its way along the sea. The sun was out and the sea continued to be calm. I came around a corner to see some of the group stopped at a pullout overlooking the water. They were taking a picture of a rock protruding out of the water, with a miniature red shrine gate on it. A seasoned rope was draped around the rock. A small fishing boat sat anchored in the background.  The water was clear to the bottom.  It was one of those Japanese moments you get when you see such intricate beauty that someone had taken the time to make, for the sake of beauty and nothing else. It seemed that everywhere you went in this country; there was something artful that was set aside. It seems the entire country is in on this. What is it that makes an entire population take time out to beautify their surroundings and bring a more spiritual and artistic meaning? This was also the only time that I had seen Arch and Dale stop to take a picture on the entire trip! ….it must have been special.

    We stopped briefly for gas and headed inland along a rather large, clear river. The surrounding gorge was covered with a canopy of pines, cherry trees, bamboo and other deciduous trees. Rice fields bordered the road and old, Japanese-style houses were scattered throughout the valley. At one point, an old lady with a pink baseball shaped cap and bonnet looked up from her gardening and I waved at her. She waved immediately back.

    The scenery of

Shikoku

seemed to get better and better as we neared the center of the island. There were rows of terraced tea plants, forests and the roads seemed be there for our group only. Each river we crossed was clear; each lake we skirted was blue. Each time we came out of a tunnel, a knew picture was there waiting. At one point, we went from tunnel to tunnel and in between, you could see below a blue lake with a red-painted arched bridge spanning it, with a profusion of cherry blossoms all around. I could have stopped, but saved that image for me only.  There simply was too much to see.

    After a while, we saw up a group of bikes off to the side of the road.  It was another group from the Flattwin Club, ready to show us some of the back roads of their home. In all, there were six bikes: Mr. Matsuoka on his White BMW RT 1100, Mr. Karasaki on his 1989 BMW K100RS sidecar, Mr. Momota on his1983 BMW R80, Mr.

Fukui, on his 1993 BMW 1000 Paris

Dakar

GS, Mr. Itou on his 2001 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low, and Mr. Tai oh his 1990 BMW K1000R. They were ready to ride.

   We split into a couple of groups with the faster ones taking off ahead of us behind Mr. Matsuoka. Even though the riders could not speak to each other, they did have a common language. The locals were going to show us one of their favorites: a dead end road that climbed for over 20 Kilometers and had over 140 turns. This gorgeous track had no traffic, and climbed over 3,000 feet to a restaurant at the top of a mountain.

   Looking out over the never-ending sea of mountains on such a clear day struck home the fact that

Shikoku

was a very special place. Far below, the road could be seen, winding its way back to the bottom of the valley. Other roads, too, could be seen wondering this way and that throughout the valley. It made you wonder just how long it would take to fully explore this island!

     When I pulled up, Dale came up to me a said that this road was fantastic.  That meant a lot coming from a guy who had traveled extensively in

Europe

and other part of the world. Van added, “I have ridden the

Alps

and the Dolomites, and this road was better than all of them!” I think what was remarkable about that particular road was that it was not on any maps. Only the local riders knew about it.

     After lunch, we doubled back down the mountain and continued to our destination. Unfortunately, we had to pass through a city, so we opted to take a toll road to bypass it. Even so, the views from the high speed toll road were exotic and well worth the ride.

   Our last part of the day, we followed the

Oboke

River

Valley

. This is the last unobstructed river in

Japan

. Its clear waters and rapids are a favorite for kayakers, fishermen and rafters. This steep gorge was full of cherry blossoms in full bloom and the road was built upon a monumental concrete base, which hugged the rock walls and at times, seemed to run right over the river. I could look over the railing straight down and see the river below.

   We arrived finally at a hotel by Kazuribashi. Kazuri means “decorated” and bashi means “bridge.  The decorated bridge for which this area is named was a vine-made bridge used for commerce and travel for over a thousand years. Now, it a tourist attraction and is reinforced with cables, and for a small fee, you can cross it and get a free injection of adrenaline.

    The hotel we stayed at had a most interesting

hot springs

arrangement. There was a tram-way that you could ride up to the top of hill, where you could bathe in outdoor hot springs while overlooking the valley below. What a treat!

    That night, we were joined by Mr. Hashimoto and Mr. and Mrs. Itou. Mr. Itou, at age 73, is the national trials champion for his age group. He is also a class clown, and has just enough grip on the English language to be very funny.  It was delightful to spend time with them, and to see the riders talk and joke with him.