8 posts tagged “japan”
Sebun (7)
We were heading up the coast from Rumoi to Wakkani. As with most of this island there's not to many folk about. Probably cos its pretty cold and windy most of the year. So as is the norm with the Japanese they have found a good use for this wind. Turbine wind farming!
Yep no hippys in Hokkaido
But we weren't gonna make it to Wakkanai today, so we stopped at this little coastal village just before sunset, though the fog that was rollin in was making visibility pretty tough. We got to a rider house and found the dormatory full of local riders. It seemed wed be standing all night in there, we looked around the park and noticed some small huts that maybe vacant a little way up the track. Nat raced back to checkin as more and more riders were turning up by the minute cos the weather was closing in. We managed to score the last hut. Feww! It was small and blew our daily budget, but hey! We were warm and dry.
I was starting to dig these onsens. Normally I wouldnt get my kit out in front of a bunch of other men also goin comando but since in Hokkadio weve been comunally washing almost every day. And I think im getting used to it,, alarmingly!
The local wild life.
Quite accomodating.
Muttsu (6)
So from the quaint port town of Otaru we decided to make our way up the coast towards Rumoi.
What a great ride it was, blue sky and open roads.
We spotted this Deluxe parked outside a local restaurant. Looked like
it hadnt moved in a while, so we went inside to see what the story was.
The owner said yes it drove alright, but we couldnt work out why he
didnt roll that thing. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that
the island is iced over most of the year I spose.
Interesting prop though.
Beach life, Japan style.
Some big arse Turbines up this way.
Go (5)
Our first camp out.
Oh what a shamozle ! My cheap arse $20 tent.
The ride up the coast to Rumoi
And a quick dip in the Sea of Japan.
shi (4)
The pad in O Town.
So we hadnt even got outa Osaka when we had to fill up with oil.
Ominous !
And with better plastics!
san (3)
Well Ive finally gone through all the pics from last years tour of Hokkaido.
One of the coolest things in Japan is the way they murder the eng(r)lish language. I just love this stuff, cos its everywhere. From chalk boards to corporate signs, to food and of course tee shirts. Which leads to the question, do Japanese have english tattoos and would they make any sense at all.
And they use any spot thats vacant to charge for parking in big citys. And of course when your parking your car your gonna need a beer or some food from a conveniently placed vending machine.
I swear, in Japan you can find anything you need in a vending machine. The problem is finding a parking spot.
ni (2)
Well I gotta post some pics of the scoots my bro bought for us. The plan was to buy them in Osaka where he
We allowed 3 weeks for the trip, wild camping as the locals would say. I must point out now that some of the locals do the same trip in 3 days.
So you can see we were in no rush.
Problem was, both these scoots were well past their use by date. The white one was totally shagged and would only do about 60kph max down hill and across some of Hokaido's mountain passes it would be down to 30 kph.
We did get to see alot of the scenery though, kinda like a hiker would Id guess. We also did go through a Texas oil fields worth of 2 stroke oil, obviously disappointing to the conspicuously concerned stairs from Police.
ichi
Ive gone through some of my pix from my trip to Japan and resized a few.
This pic is one I just had to post.
The misuse of english abounds.
Why I do not know, as learning english is the national sport, possibly even, in front of Baseball.
This vinyl sign was pasted to a subway car window. Up at street level "SoftBank" is actually a Telecommunications company, that hold a large share of the market for mobile phones, so much so that you can see giant images of Cameron Diaz smiling at you all over Japan. I think id gladly, be 'human capital' in the morning for that smile.
Last year went to visit my bro who participates in the Japanese culture quite heavily.
And what a culture to visit. Absolutely the most multi leveled society I have witnessed.
On one night we went to an underground bunker in the sub basement of an office block in Ame-mura (American town, in the city of Osaka where we stayed) The venue was called PIPE 69 and was a hard core punk night. What a scene of slam dance and cigarette smoke. Totally blew me away how these reserved and uncontrollably polite people of Japan can turn into these punk rebels and smile all night!
Many bars only open at 8 or10 pm and most will stay open all night if anyone is sitting at the bar. Some publicans actually have their bar in their apartments front room. Totally freaky way to live but it works for them.
The Japanese are hugely fashion conscious and a style can come and go in a matter of days. One thing however that is very secure , in Osaka at least is Louis Vuitton. The multi level store on one of the main intersections down town has the highest turn over of any LV store outside Paris, so I hear. Apparently Japanese customers are not allowed into Paris stores cos they clean the places out.
I think I stayed in Osaka with my brother for a month and it was no where near long enough. We drank every night many times till after dawn. At the end of the evening we would ride home with out a care as cyclists have absolute right of way in Japan, even above pedestrians. The food is great the beer is excellent, the people are superb and the scenery , landscapes and city scapes have only to be seen to be believed.
We could all learn much from these people and this culture.
As a friend once told me when I was contemplateing going to Japan for the first time. "Just do it" she said, "if you have the chance go, you wont regret it" . She was so right. Now given any chance, I will and have gone back. Back to visit so many interesting and friendly people, to see far out wacky art and to eat the fabulous food and to drink way to much beer!
