Konichiwa! Let’s Ride Nippon (Japan)!
I do not know one person who doesn’t like Japan. Everyone
loves how clean it is there, how oiishi (yummy) the foods are, and how polite
the people are!
Not forgetting to mention, Japan has plenty of breathtaking
sightseeing spots and doing a scenic ride would totally fit into the itinerary,
wouldn’t it?
Plus, the weather was awesome at around
15 degrees! Yay! Riding
without having to sweat!
Grand mountainous vistas and the absence of traffic
enforcement patrol cars make a slice of motoring heaven here in scenic Japan.
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| Credits to theguardian |
The courteous country is known for being one of the world’s
major car manufacturers with a production of more than 8 million cars a year.
That makes a whopping amount of producing 21,917 cars a day.
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| Credits to gojapango, Shinkansen Bullet Train |
In contrast to it’s overwhelming car production volume,
Japan has never been regarded as a driver’s country as most of the people there
rely heavily on it’s efficient public transport.
Venturing out of the congested cities unveils a treasure
chest of private scenic toll roads anticipating your discovery with your own
drive, or for bikers (like myself), it’s definitely on our ride.
I was flying to Osaka, the 3rd largest city in
Japan.
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| Market selling fresh seafood |
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| Katsu (Pork Cutlet) Don (Rice) |
There’s loads to shop and eat and repeat – it’s nice, but too much of
the usual.
The main highlight of my trip was a short touring ride!
I searched
and realized there are actually quite a lot of motorcycle rental companies here
in Japan, however most of them (websites and staffs) are Japanese-speaking
only. Hence, communication would be a barrier if you can’t speak their
language.
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| Mm.. Konichiwa? Genki deska? |
I could speak like, maybe 12 words of Japanese? Ok maybe 18 words. Yeah, it’s pretty
equivalent to none.
I decided to go with Japan’s largest motorcycle rental
company,
Rental 819 where I collected
my
Kawasaki D’Tracker 125.
Now, here are the pros for renting from a larger and
more reputable company:
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| Wow, all da bikesss! |
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| Level 1 of the shop, there's level 2 |
More selection of bikes to choose from.
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| Going through bike checks |
English speaking staffs to assist.
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| Signing of the agreement, insurance forms |
Vehicle support - In case your bike breaks down etc.
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| With Rental 819 friendly and helpful staffs |
Reliable service.
Oh and did I mention? They have gears like
helmets and gloves available too, at very reasonable rent rate of average $6/day. Save the hassle of bringing my own all the way from Singapore.
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| Credits to passportchop.com |
With a International Driving License (AA Singapore, cost
$20) and an original Singapore Driving License, let us transverse over 800km
this Autumn from Japan’s 7th
largest city, Kyoto, all the way to one of United Nations Educational Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site – Shirakawa-go, Northern
Japan.
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| Shirakawago Village |
The roads may be plastered with warning signs of speeding
but to my pleasant surprise, police cars do not patrol them. I can already
sense eager riding enthusiasts ready to unleash their intrepidness of both
themselves and their motor machines.
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| Oh no! Another innocent animal knocked down by a car |
Lying on the extreme opposite, we sauntered our way up North,
ruising along the largest freshwater lake in Japan, Lake Biwa, accompanied by
670km
2 of its vast serenity views.
When the sun begin to retreat, it
sends temperatures dipping to as low as 8 degrees, as we continued through the
Fukui and Ishikawa Prefectures, lining the coast of Japan Sea with totalitarian
North Korea sitting silently across, on the opposite side.
Man, I was so unprepared for the weather.
Now, let’s see, what do I have in my bag?
I have no idea why my bag is SO freaking heavy but I don’t
have enough clothes for the cold. After wearing almost ALL the clothes I have
(excluding dresses because I would look ridiculous wearing jeans and dress at
the same time while riding a bike), confidently thinking it would be enough to
keep my body warm, I WAS WRONG.
It was freeeeeeeezing. Having the
Ducati Panigale 899 with me now would have been perfect I tell you. Purrrffeeccttt.
Despite piling..(wait ah, let me count..) 5 layers of clothes on, imitating looks of a
round Russian doll, traveling at only 40km/h, the cold instantly pierced through every
seam of our casual clothing, biting into my skin.
At 100km/h, my face was.. wait,
I CAN'T FEEL MY FACE!!
Teeth tightly clenched and
shivering uncontrollably, we endured until we rose into the hills of Ono
District, Gifu Prefecture.
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| Credits to donpower |
By then, I was convinced I will be reaching my destination
as a block of ice.
I swung my backpack in front of me, thinking it could shield
me from the wind.
Shield my ass man, the winds came in from sideways too. In fact,
ALL WAYS!
Best part was, it started to RAIN. This
is just wonderful.
This is also called #yoloUnprepared. LOL.
We were trying to find our way to our Gassho guesthouse in
the current conditions:
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Night
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8 Degrees
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Not enough clothes
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Cold as ice
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No GPS
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No WIFI
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Raining
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Strong winds
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Turning into ice
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No street lamps
Miraculously, we found our way to the guesthouse in the dark.
Furthermore, it was located off the roads, like we had to go down some small
windy off road into a village with NO LIGHTS. No moon also, no nothing.
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| Dinner in Gassho Guesthouse |
Checked in, thawed ourselves by sitting by the big wok where dinner was cooking and snuggled onto the traditional tatami beds after that for a good night's rest!
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| Shirakawago Village |
The very next day, we woke up to a magical
sight sprawling at our feet -
Shirakawago.
Known for their houses constructed in an architectural style
known as
Gassho-zukuri (prayer-hands
construction), they are at least 300 – 500 years old.
Solely man-made and
paired with an exceptionally strong design with unique properties of thatching, they are made
to withstand and shed the weight of the heavy snows during winter.
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| So peaceful here. |
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| Soaking in the varsity of nature |
Mesmerized by the picturesque landscape, we immersed in the
village’s natural beauty filled with tranquility and historical density, as we
observe a steady stream of travelers in admiration of the idyllic setting.
The Kawasaki D’Tracker was light and easy to manage on some
off road terrain, sauntering through shady trees in warm autumn colors as I
rode through some mountainous roads too to the nearby serene Shiramizu Lake
where I stopped to have some aromatic coffee.
Overall, Japan’s well-manicured scenic roads are magnets to
all riding/driving enthusiasts, as we crossed paths and exchanged delightful conversations
with other local bikers touring through the landscapes in their big motocycles such
as the BMW GS 800, Honda VFR and a Ducati Multistrada.
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| Shirakawago Tourist Center |
Through the years and the ever-changing times, Japan’s
motorways are now built by larger corporations as it continues to undergo
restructuring just like any flourishing tourism industry.
Looks like things are
only going to get better. Besides, what better way to travel by meeting another
fellow biker from the other side of the world yet sharing a common passion –
life on two wheels.
