In the first part of this story about motorcycle travel in Japan, I had just reached Takayama. In this part, we pick up where we left off and make tracks west along the northern coast of the Kyoto Prefecture into Tottori Prefecture.
Takayama
One of the local specialties is beef from Hida, or Hidagyu, a town further north in the Gifu region. The black haired cattle are raised for a minimum of 14 months, and graded and certified by a local authority. The meat is characterised by its high marbling and tenderness. And, in my opinion, on par with the internationally more popular Kobe beef. There are plenty of restaurants and Izakaya that offer Hidagyu, so take your pick!
Making tracks
Next morning, I strolled around the old town and had a coffee before setting off towards Biwa Lake. Following the winding road with smooth pavement on the 73 south, I passed waterfalls and parks, then turned into 257, 472, came across a gate on 86, but this did not interfere as much as yesterday, and onto 256. It started to rain a little, which meant I got to admire the koi in Monet’s Pond by myself, and I continued in the rain to Ryōkaizan Yokokura-ji Temple. Overgrown with moss, the wood worn by time and weather, this deserted temple made me feel as if in a fairytale or a Studio Ghibli film.
Unable to find a lunch spot all day, I opted for a roadside station. These complexes often have a local shop, a convenience store, a tourist info centre, a restaurant, and sometimes even a hot spring, called onsen. The big bowl of ramen was most welcome to warm me up and prepare me for the last leg. Two hours of wind and rain later I found myself at the door of a traditional inn, called ryokan, on the shores of Lake Biwa. Unfortunately I arrived too late to be able to join the dinner, but luckily they still had a bed. Well, a room, with a few straw mats and a 2 inch foam pad, called ‘futon’. Even better, though, was the in-house onsen, which I wholeheartedly welcomed after getting soaked to the socks.
A day off the bike in Kyoto
That night the weather took a turn for the worst, a proper storm developed. I made the decision not to ride and spend the day in Kyoto. However, trains were cancelled due to the storm. Marumo, the owner of the inn generously offered to drive me to the first station where trains were still running, and drove me 45min south.
A day isn’t nearly enough to explore Kyoto. The atmosphere is calmer, less rushed than Tokyo, with its temples, palaces, and pagodas overlooking the city. After a coffee I wandered around the narrow streets and small shops in Gion. I climbed the hill to the popular Kiyomizu-dera temple and Koyasunoto pagoda on the east side of the city. The former stands on a five stories tall wooden deck that was built without metal screws or bolts, an impressive feat! In the west are Kyoto’s famous bamboo forest and golden temple. In the centre is the imperial palace, and in the south the well-known red tori gates. All the reason to spend a few more days here, but in my case to come back another time.
An unexpected encounter
Next morning the weather had cleared up, and my gear had dried. I rode off to the northwest on the 303 until I reached the coast at Obama. I followed it west until Miyazu where I turned onto the 178 to explore the cape. Smart choice, beautiful curves followed by breathtaking views and lined with cherry blossoms. At some point, I turned around to ride the same stretch again, that’s how much I was in awe. I pulled up on the side to double back, next to a Kawasaki W650 Bobber.
I got chatting to the gentleman in the bright yellow varsity jacket and matching vans. He introduced himself as Mr Kumaki, the proprietor of a small motorcycle cafe about an hour away. Because the weather was so good, he had decided to close the cafe and go riding instead. He invited me to follow him there for a cup of coffee, and I gladly accepted. He apologised profusely for being older, and therefore slower. I reassured him I would be ok with whatever pace he chose. The thumping and roaring parallel twin in front of me would liberally use both lanes of the coastal road and bomb through the small villages at twice the speed limit, and I could not help but think I had met a motorcycle “Mr Miyagi”.
At Mr Markey’s Cafe, Kumaki-san whipped up a quick lunch of stir fried veggies, sausage, and noodles. Meanwhile, I gawked at the hundreds of pieces of Americana collectibles that had found their way here over the past 30 years. We talked bikes and enjoyed our coffee in the sun before I set off towards Tottori. What a wonderful encounter, this is why I love travelling by myself on a motorcycle.
Adventure time
I continued my journey along the coastline and the road kept getting narrower and narrower. It snaking along the mountain until it culminated in an open area at the top of a cliff. Blossoming Sakura surrounded me and the sun started to set. I took a few photos and a few minutes to take in the scenery. Mobile network reception was non-existent here, so I decided to continue following the narrow road towards the west. Blissfully ignoring the warning sign, I ventured along the narrow road that had suffered damage from falling rocks. Dodging the small rocks and holes they had left behind, I swerved left and right. The road hugged the hills tightly, going up and down along the coast. Incredible scenery, and adventurous riding.
At this point I was practically rolling in 1st gear as the road condition deteriorated. Years of neglect had given nature plenty of room to take back territory. Low hanging branches, slippery moss, and collapsed parts of the road kept me on my toes. Until the road widened, and I turned a corner. I found myself eye to eye with a fisherman who had his nets spread out across the entire width and a good 30m stretch of road. He signalled me to ride over them, so I did as instructed. Whereas I was surprised, he seemed entirely unphased.
You meet the nicest people on a Honda
As luck would have it, I had another heartwarming encounter that evening. At a restaurant at the beach in Iwado, I met an American-Japanese couple. They had taken some photos with the motorcycle before coming in and were curious about my story. A few days later they reached out and told me that the encounter sparked their older desire to ride motorcycles. They had already signed up to get their licences.
Photos by Casper van der Ven Copyright © 2024 Casper van der Ven, all rights reserved.
