Japan By Motorbike

Japan wasn’t on my radar. Why then, travel to Japan? I had been there many years before with the Navy, but I didn’t get to experience it meaningfully because of the extreme hangover I had during that visit.  

 

Fast Forward 20 years. I was getting myself a drink from behind the bar at Berkeley Yacht Club when Alex came in and wanted me to pour him a beer. I was finishing a conversation with another friend at the other end of the bar about motorcycles.

 

Alex says, “You wanna ride through the cherry blossoms in Japan?”

I cocked my head and said “Yes I do.” Because that sounds like the best thing a person could do. We wentto dimsum that night and we talked more about Japan. I was very excited about the idea and booked travel for April 1-18. I was excited to also hear that the US Dollar was strong against the Yen, travel to Japan was predicted to be at historically low prices. Currently, 1000 Yen is worth about $7 US. When I traveled last April, It was a little lower, around $6.40 US

 

I knew I wanted to see the Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) and to visit the onsen. I did a bunch of research about these things before I went, told everyone I was going,and got lots of good tips form the ladies in the sauna.

 

What is Sakura? It is the time in Spring when the cherry blossoms bloom, symbolizing transience and imperfection, particularly in relation to our beautiful, fragile, and ephemeral lives. Some people love the end of the bloom the best, when the blossoms blow off the trees and cover the ground in great blizzards of tiny white and pink petals.

 

Viewing the cherry blossoms during Sakura is an immensely popular activity, which has its very own word, “hanami.” Hanami is the word for the flower watching party that is typically a boozy picnic style event where ground cloths are laid out and food is shared. This can be done solo as well. It is SO popular an activity that there are hundreds of signs fixed on the sidewalk beseeching hanami seekers not to hanami in the walkways.

 

Onsen are reason in themselves to visit. Japan is situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a volcanic and seismically active region, at the intersection of four tectonic plates, leading to abundant geothermal activity for underground water, thusly the formation of hot springs.

 

An Onsen is not just hot water, it is a mineral rich hot spring that has been developed with aesthetic care to ensure a beautiful, serene environment is available for the enjoyment of bathers. Onsen have strict rules that are to be followed by all visitors. You will often not be corrected if you make a mistake, but you’ll know you did something wrong.

 

A sento, or, public bath, typically uses heated tap water rather than the onsen’s geothermically heated mineral spring water. They are very popular as well and generally require the same adherence to cleaning and bathing rituals of the onsen.

Sometimes they are louder, with children or younger people, and sometimes have different kind of water to soak in. For example, some of the water will have something added to make your skin soft, sometimes bubbles, and some of them have a cold pool as well. They’re all a little different except you must always remove your shoes and wash yourself before entering the pools.

 

Another typical term involving hot water is “Ryokan.”

A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, offering a unique cultural experience with features like tatami-matted rooms, that you must not put anything other than a sock or bare foot upon. To sleep, there are futon beds which lie directly on the tatami. They usually have communal baths, and traditional meals. The food will come in small bites from light to heavy flavors.

Often, in the Ryokan guests are provided with Yukata robes to wear around the ryokan and in Onsen towns, the Yukata is commonly worn from onsen to onsen.

 

An Onsen town is much like what it sounds like. The thing that makes it an Onsen town is that you can usually buy tickets from a single source for most or all the baths. Sometimes there is a punch card or key card that you swipe before entering, so in a single day, you can visit all the onsen. Which seemed like more work than is pleasant for an onsen experience to me. It is a generally inexpensive affair, a visit to any individual bath will only set you back somewhere between $3 to $6

 

I’m a loosey-goosey planner. I like to travel with an organizing principle rather than a spreadsheet and reservations. If you’re a fancy pants (or even a regular traveler) and you’re going to stay at upscale Ryokans or hotels, you should plan well in advance. The reason is, the Japanese want to make your stay extra special. A last minute booking for them, is stressful and impolite.Something I found charming, when I stayed in the country, my hosts always made sure to see me off. They wanted to know exact times I wanted to do things so they could accommodate me. Especially leaving. They would follow me to the street while I loaded my bike and wished me safe travel.

 

If you are booking a last minute hostel, Airb&b, or a capsule hotel, you’re going to be fine. They are still gracious hosts and care for your comfort, but they are not going far out of their way.

 

What I did do well in advance, was book the motorcycle and my first night stay. I also booked my last night’s stay which was, in retrospect, a bad idea for my method of travel. I love the element of chance that accompanies an unplanned itinerary.

 

In Japan, there are 8 regions, 47 prefectures, which are similar to states, and wards. In Tokyo, there are 23 special wards.

 

I arrived in Tokyo, took a cab to Kawasaki city, spent the night at a hostel and in the morning looked for the motorcycle rental place. There are lots, but the highest rated is called Rental819. There are 100 franchise locations throughout Japan. I chose them in part because I knew I’d be doing a lot of riding and it’s nice to know there would be somewhere within striking distance if I had a problem. I rented a 249cc V-strom. Pretty much a glorified moped. Most of the time I travelled in the 45-55 mph range. Japan roads are slower.

 

Parking the bike in any city is an ordeal. There is no parking on most city streets. One MUST find motorcycle specific parking.. and you also have to make sure it’s the right size to park in that area. Many spots are reserved only for 125cc or less. On my first night with the bike, I found a good underground spot,but it was a 10 minute cab ride from the new hostel.

 

I was worried I booked my travel too late for the best cherry blossom viewing, but when I arrived, I was told by everyone that I was at the peak moment.

While I was in Tokyo, I made a quick stop in Uneopark, one of the places I dimly remember visiting from that first time with the Navy. My most significant recollection being that all of the park benches (that I was hoping to take a quick nap on) were occupied by snoozing men who were likely in a similar state of recovery.

 

This time, in Uneo park, I saw a large festival setup with tents and vendors and all the street food of the region with picnic tables set up under a tunnel of cherry blossoms so that one can hanami in a more organized fashion. The main viewing area is a wide promenade lined with ancient Cherries in full and luxuriant bloom.

I spent the entire day Cherry Blossoming around the park.

 

It is very simple to wander about town unencumbered by luggage that you are traveling with. There is normally a service at each hotel or hostel that will keep your bags safe for a small fee, or, you can use any of the pay lockers located around the city to stash your belongings for whatever amount of time you need.

 

I wanted to stumble on the right thing for dinner. There was a LOT to choose from. The smell that drew me in was of smokey grilled meats.

I walked in but was told it was full even though there were two empty chairs at the bar. I went to leave but the chef waved me in. The servers looked askance, but the chef, motioned for me to sit.

I used my phone to read the menu and ordered a pile of grilled meats, mushrooms and fried chicken (Karagge). It was so far the best thing I’d eaten at this point in Japan.

I didn’t know then exactly what happened when I initially walked in… or why the chef let me sit. I learned later that many restaurants have a regular local clientele that have their own seats on different days of the week. Those are “theirs.” I still don’t know why I was invited to stay.

 

In the streets, Japan is quiet. There is no crying, no dogs barking, no sirens, no music, no noise. I can hear the footfalls of pedestrians. Cars and trucks purr in their passing.

My last day in Tokyo, I wanted to see something I found on the internet, a place called Chidori-ga-fuchi, allegedly, the most scenic place you can go for Sakura. The cherry blossoms surround a moat, where you can also rent rowboats.

 

After viewing Chidori, I rode up to Nikko, about 2.5 hours North from Tokyo. Maybe I chose the wrong day, it was foggy and raining. It’s also much colder at Nikko’s elevation and the cherry blossoms are just budding. It is still wintery. I froze on the ride up, my fingers almost too cold to ungrip the handlebars when I parked.

 

The charming hosts at the guest house I stayed at offered to take me and one other to an onsen. Adam, a very tall and handsome French 22yr old who knows 5 languages and is doing cancer research wants to go too, so we pile in the minivan.

When we arrive, there is a machine where you put in money and get a little ticket that nobody checks. In one room, you put your shoes and anything you worry about in a locker. In another, you take off your clothes and leave your towel.

In the adjoining room is the shower and hot mineral bath. There are specific steps and rules. At this point, I was still somewhat unsure exactly what they were. I’ve gotten some random tips from folks that I put into action. Bathe thoroughly is the main rule.

 

I have the sense I should be interested in the world heritage site that is the predominant draw for visiting Nikko. I honestly had very little interest in it at first, but my hosts have urged me to visit. I’m very glad they did, even though it was quite a long walking day.

 

I tried to visit what I thought were the most interesting of the buildings. Some were ornate stables, otherstemples, some lodging, and on one whole side, a spectacular Japanese Garden.

The Nikko shrines and temples reflect the architectural style of the Edo period with particular respect to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.

 

The Edo period between 1603-1868 is a key point in Japanese history, representing a transformative era that laid the foundations for modern Japan. For nearly 250 years, Japan was relatively isolated from the outside world, allowing it to develop its unique culture.

 

The Role of Women in the Edo Period had real impact on modern Japan. While the samurai class often restricted women's roles, women in the merchant class had a degree of freedom and economic independence. They could own businesses and manage finances, which was quite progressive for the time. This autonomy allowed women to influence cultural life, which contributed to the development of literature, fashion, and the arts.

 

Different onsens have slightly different rules. I think.

One day I made the grievous mistake of putting my clothes in the shoe locker. Worse, the attendant wasn’t sure if I was a man or a woman and I couldn’t figure out what she was trying to figure out, so that took a while to sort. It was her wish to direct me toward the proper gendered bath.

 

Kyoto is unsurprisingly, very quiet. Quieter even, than Tokyo. When I arrived, it was raining great torrents of quiet, polite rain.

I checked in to my hostel for the next couple days, a small and beautiful wooden structure on a quiet side street with an even more charming host. This was an Airb&b find.

 

I continue to stumble on my execution of bathing etiquette. I’m unsure exactly all the things I am doing wrong but I know I’ve mis-stepped. I now know that the waterfall at the bath was not for bathing under butrather gazing upon. No one was impolite enough to correct me but one lady got up and left. I also think I’m supposed to dry my hair before I leave, but I’m not sure, so I wet-headed until it was obvious one way or another. I’ve never liked the sound of a hairdryer.

 

 

 

More rules for washing unlocked. Never put your hair in the water. Leave your small towel in the basket in the changing room or wear it on your head. Enjoy.

The public bath was similar to the onsens I visited but more practical in its design. It is clearly a neighborhood staple. There are two large square tubs.

One bigger and Jacuzzi style, the other still water, with a raised square water effect making a soothing falling water sound.

Neck deep in the pool, I was surreptitiously trying to watch the specific washing behavior so that I could repeat it myself.

 

An early mid 30s Japanese lady came in with what was obviously an older relative. The grandmother sat down at the wash station, but instead of the usual bathing ritual, turned on the water and immediately dropped the showerhead which sprayed everywhere like an out of control fire hose, slowly retrieved it and gave herself a perfunctory spritz followed by an eager, hunched over shuffle to the hot water. This was not met with rebuke. Her granddaughter looked like she might help. Her eyes didn’t show scorn or frustration, only sweet concern. She rinsed quickly and followed grandmother into the water, making sure she didn’t fall. Another woman, already in the water, held out her arms as if to a child.

After a morning soak, I was told by my host to visit the not very well known Haradani garden. I took a bus and then walked a very long way up a steep hill to find a jungle of cherry blossoms and all types of other flowering trees that were a fireworks display of blossoms and color. The Garden blooms in many seasons. There are 30 something different kinds of cherry and plum trees that bloom in very early spring and throughout the Summer. There are raised outdoor platforms where you can do a large Hanami spread, or an indoor location where you can bring your picnic in out of the rain or sun. You can also buy snacks and beers as you enter the gardens if you haven’t brought your own Hanami.

 

I walked all the way home from the garden and passed another cherry blossom spot which was a shrine garden. It was also spectacularly beautiful, but in a more organized way.

I also stumbled on a little place just outside a temple that made the top of my new favorite Japanese food list. It’s called Kabayaki. Eel on rice. It’s sweet and smokey and light. The only downside is that it’s not cheap. This may be in part to its very touristic location.

 

At the end of a long day of Sakura-ing, it’s nice to boil yourself in some hot water. One public bath was two minutes from the hostel, and another nearby one my host told me to go to for a really local experience.

This one had the hottest water I’ve found so far, and a cold plunge. It also had a bunch of different style pools. One a milky red, and a cloverleaf with four different kinds of water. In the cloverleaf there was aJacuzzi style, a still water, something else, (I couldn’t figure the difference, and)… one I discovered because I stuck my hand in to test how warm it might be… I felt an electric current! I pulled my hand back out, stunned and worried there was a problem in the tub. I had seen a woman sitting in the tub earlier, who seemed fine.

Before I told the staff about the electrical issue, I Googled electric water…. And it is a thing. You boil AND electrocute yourself. They pump in low voltage power to the water. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation to me.

 

My next stop is Osakikamijima, where I’m meeting up with Alex.

 

Alex is helping a friend build a house on a little island in Japan. He’s also in the process of buying his own home on the mainland North of the site they’re working at.

 

At this very moment, much of Japan is in the throes of a population collapse. The island they’re working on used to have a population of 35,000. It is now home to only ~7,000 people. There are many abandoned homes. For several reasons. Population collapse, one, and another that Japanese people don’t like older homesbecause rather than raise in value, they are very lightly built and lose value. Most of these super inexpensive homes are in the country, larger cities like Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka do not lose value in the same way. Those prices remain higher.

 

Currently, one can get a house here for ~$10k. That’s what Alex paid for his. Some families are giving away their homes to people who agree to take care of them.

 

Alex invited me to stay at his worksite on Osakikamijima. I was a bit early to the island, so I stopped at a hotel onsen he suggested.

I didn’t make any mistakes. I put my shoes in the right place, I bathed with all the right towels and sunk into the long square stone bath right along the cliff edge which looks out onto sparkling water that surrounds a flotilla of hilly emerald islands. I was alone, dipped up to my shoulders, the bath water mirror flat, with little wisps of steam gently licking across its glassy surface.

 

 

I toweled off and wound my way up to his worksite. His friend is rebuilding a home with a view. The floors will be earth and the framing wood, but filled with cob. It’s a very cool build. He has enlisted not only Alex’s help, but has a couple of French friends coming for a few weeks to help with the labor.

 

 

We plan to go out for dinner, but the only place that is open is the grocery. Even if one of the restaurants is open, we wouldn’t be allowed in. They take reservations several days in advance so that they can prepare the meal. The population is so low on the island, keeping the restaurant open all days is not possible.

It's okay, because the grocery has everything. We have a smorgasbord of shared plates. Noodles, okonomiyaki, Natto, sushi, fruit, and some sweet treats. Eggs for the morning.

 

The two French people show up just after we returned from shopping. They are a delightful husband and wife team that are starving too. It’s a good thing I was shopping. My usual extravagant shopping spree went over perfectly for this impromptu get together.

 

It is cold in the evening and Alex has one of my favorite dining accessories, the table with the big heavy cloth that holds in all the heat for your legs that fit completely under the heated bottom. I wonder if I’m allowed to sleep under the table.

 

His rental home is right on the water. I stay just the one night, and wake early in the morning for my walk that I enjoy each day here in Japan. The little island is stunning, and divinely quiet. Only a single car passes me in my morning stroll.

I wonder if I can afford a little shack here too.

 

I rode for most of the day to Kinosaki Onsen town. There are seven public baths to choose from. It’s VERY touristy. Lots of little kitschy shops and ways to suck any spare change out of your wallet. Not really my style, but I wanted to check it out. I did a little onsen hopping when I woke up, but I wasn’t inspired to stay for the whole day.

 

Alex texted me that I was close to Amanohashidate and that I should go.

There are three major scenic views in Japan and this is one, here on the coast of the Northern Kyoto prefecture.

 

I rode on skinny country back roads for an hour and a half until I got to the land bridge across Miyazu Bay or rather, the “bridge to heaven” because allegedly, it appears to be a pathway connecting heaven and earth when viewed from the mountains that rise above it on either side. 

 

It’s a beautiful, piney stroll on a long sand spit, peppered with temples and toilets. At the far end, there’s a cable car that runs up to the top of a peak that lets you look upside down through your legs at the sandspit that turns into a dragon rising into the sky (called matanozoki), throw some clay pieces through a ring for luck, and eat an ice cream cone.

 

 

There are a couple other things I could do in the area, but I elected to move on because there is one more special onsen I want to visit from Jean’s book and I don’t feel like a visit to Japan would be complete without a stop at Mt Fuji.

 

My arrival in Gotemba was met with again, generous hospitality. I was exhausted when I arrived. My host showed me around and then asked if I wanted to go to onsen. YES! I do.

I specifically wanted to go to one in the book that Jean loaned me. My host told me that onsen closed a couple years back though.  

She suggests an onsen at a “strip mall” which turns out to be a gigantic outlet complex that also has a very bougie hot spring that is reflected in the price.. the most expensive yet at ¥2200. It comes with towels. The deep outdoor pool was set into a Japanese rock garden which also displayed a wide and perfect view of Mt Fuji, where three of us soaked and watched the sun set on her misty shoulder.

 

There were some issues riding around Fuji so I decided to head back to the Izu Peninsula where I had a short ride on the Izu Skyline, and I felt it was worth a second go. Another Alex recommendation.

 

What I’m thrilled to have found is that there are multiple skyline roads. The best of which I discovered after I switched off my maps.

Tight, clean, buttery smooth roads wind ribbon-like around the mountain.

There isn’t much traffic since I turned off the main drag. Mostly motorcycles, and not many of them. I stopped for a short hike and to take in some views from the top.

 

I kept my maps off for most of the day and rode through a wildly changing landscape. Surfing towns, industrial areas, fishing villages, quaint little bucolic areas, steep hairpin turns and wide, immaculate sweepers.

On my ride yesterday, I’d stopped at a hangglidinglaunch site. Two wings were setup and three people stood at the edge. Two pilots and one retrieve driver.

The wind was blowing the wrong direction.

I met one pilot, Yosh. He used to live and fly in the Bay Area! I told him I’d say hello for him back home.

The site is a stunner. I would say it’s easily one of the most beautiful launch sites I’ve ever seen. I feel like I’d love to fly there someday.

 

I returned the bike a day early. Even though traffic is pretty easy, and drivers are for the most part, aware and polite, I didn’t feel downtown Tokyo was a great place to have a motorcycle. Public transportation was easier than finding good parking for the bike. There’s no parking spots as we know them here in the US. Also, there are many streets and tunnels closed to two wheeled traffic. There are signs that clearly state this. In Japanese. I only learned about this when I’d planned to ride around Mt. Fuji. I barely was able to turn off in time, and only because there was an actual picture. Red circle with a strike through and a motorcycle inside. I double checked on Google to see if this was actually a thing, and discovered it was a big deal-ish in the city.There are so many tunnels in Japan, that I believe that I rode more miles of tunnel in that two weeks of ridingthan I have cumulatively driven through in my entire lifetime. The rest stops were the best I’ve ever been to. Anywhere.. Some are like small supermarkets. There is a choice from a giant selection of delicious and healthy items. You choose them by pushing one of a hundred or so selections on a bank of vending machines and then wait for a person to call your number where you then collect your steaming tray of goodness. Everyone at a counter is delightful and kind. To a person. It feels like I stepped into an alternate reality…. Which is a little true.

 

I spent the last two nights in Shinjuku, the dining and entertainment hub of Tokyo. When I arrived, it was a culture shock. Nowhere in Japan has been loud until now.

 

Tall buildings are covered with screens and flashing lights. The screens have advertisements, music, and even trompe l’oiel video of cats.

Everyone is out. There are genderbending boys in fabulous flowing clothes, makeup, and dyed hair. They are beautiful in an unearthly way. They move almost as if they’re floating.

I can’t tell what age the girls are who wear the short skirts, extra chunky shoes, made up faces and cartoon colored hair. This is a style I’m completely unfamiliar with. My friend tells me it’s Harajuku.

It’s not unattractive, they look like animated characters who may not-so-secretly have a superpower.

 

I dropped my bag at the capsule hotel and wandered out for something delicious. I was on my way to get sushi but stopped at a small restaurant that had some trays of salted, drying salmon in the front. There was no English menu. Also, I wish there was a place like this in San Francisco. Maybe there is, but it sure won’t be $8 for a beautiful grilled fish, salmon roe, vegetables and tea.

 

I tried out my new Japanese word when I was finished. “Gochisoosamadeshita”

It means “thank you for the beautiful meal/service.” Which is a standard thing the Japanese say when they leave a restaurant.

I wanted to do three more things before I had to catch my flight. A public bath, a great dinner, and a lesbian bar.

 

The bath was an exciting five minute walk from the hotel and is worth a whole story in itself. If one were to get into Tokyo at a weird hour… like… in the morning when you can’t get check into your hotel yet, this is the place you should go. Drop your luggage in a locker (there are many points in the city where you can do this) unless it’s one of those mega suitcases which you’ve stuffed a gorilla costume, 40 outfits, a treadmill, and a dozen pairs of shoes into.

 

Go to the spa, bathe, sauna, cold tub, hot tub, until you’re cooked, clean, and happy, then head one floor up for a massage and a nappy nap in one of their mega lounge chairs. Get up when you’re rested and go downstairs for some food. When you’ve finished eating, go up 5 floors to the roof deck so you can walk it off and have another soak. $20.

Or nap. Whatever. If you stay for more than 12 hours, until up to 9:00 the following morning, it’s a little extra.

 

Gold Finger, not Goldfinger, the most famous lesbian bar in Japan,

has been cracking me up since I learned of its existence back in Kyoto. It just dawned on me that there might be a gay scene one moment when I was soaking somewhere. I don’t actually go out to these kind of barsanymore… I spent a great deal of time in them when I was young though.

 

The gay scene in Shinjuku is robust. There is a whole neighborhood dedicated to gay-everything. Nothing at all opened before 1700 though. Literally, nothing.

Gold Finger is tiny. Three barstools and a couple small tables behind me. It’s actually gigantor compared to the cubicle bars in the

micro-bar section of town, but by no means spacious. There’s a raised, lighted, red, oval stage-like construction against the far wall that would accommodate perhaps a single demure go-go dancer at most, and a disco ball roughly above it. Everything is carpeted and red.

 

I was the only one there besides the bartender who is a British ex-pat that’s been here 5 years. This isn’t her main gig. I can’t remember what she does, but it’s something big-headed with a degree. Engineering something. I think.

She’s cute and friendly and smart.  She tells me there’s not likely to be a crowd, but if I come back on Saturday, there will be a line out the door and standing room only.

A few more gals wander in… a couple from Brazil, first. There is a big Brazilian community here in Shinjuku. According to the bartender, it’s mainly because Brazil shares a long-term, strong trade relationship with Japan.

 

Then a Chinese gal here long term who recently finished a philosophy PhD, looking for work as a video game designer and a young German visiting for a week.

Japan is as close as you’ll find to Utopia as far as safety is concerned. If you leave so much as a flyer at your restaurant table, they will literally chase you down the street to get it back to you. If you’ve left your expensive camera on the train, you can rest assured that it will be at the Lost and Found when you pick it up the following day. Bicycles are almost never locked. I loved the country so much, the people I met and the feeling of safety I enjoyed, that I feel this should be a trip that I make on some kind of regular schedule. Maybe with a different organizing principle, perhaps a pilgrimage, or a bicycle adventure, whatever it is, I know it’s going to be the best it can possibly be, because…. it’s Japan.