- Japan – Kyushu - May 1, 2026
- Adventures on Borrowed Time - April 17, 2026
- It’s Now or Never - April 3, 2026
It’s been five years since I last rode a motorcycle in Japan.
Having ridden over 110,000km around Japan it’s easily the destination I have enjoyed moto touring the most. A group of highly mountainous islands that anywhere else might have a limited road network but thanks to incredible wealth and a Swiss like fascination with engineering the countryside has a staggering level of infrastructure with 100’s of beautifully engineered curvy mountain roads.
That being the case, and while I mostly enjoyed my 9 years in Japan before I was diagnosed with cancer, after that devasting diagnosis I also experienced the worst side of Japanese people, sadly when I most needed support. That left a bad taste in my mouth.
Despite five years passing I had no plans to tour Japan again. However I’ve booked a motorcycle rental for South Korea and since Japan is just 1 hour away I started considering a side trip.
Some planning
My favourite riding region of Japan ultimately has to be Kyushu followed closely by Shikoku. Looking at airfares I found one that allowed me to fly into Fukuoka then return home from Seoul (i.e. multi-city ticket) without the usual price bump.
Then the Rental 819 depot for Fukuoka airport had a bike I have always admired and wanted to try when I was living in Japan. The Honda CB1300 Super Bol’dor. It was a long run domestic model that like the Kawasaki ZRX1200 has a cult following in Japan. The CB1300 has been discontinued making this most likely my only chance to rent one.
So I decided lets go and see if I can reignite my interest I once had in the country or if not then close the book gracefully after my previous abrupt departure.
A draft route for this ride came together too easy. I didn’t even refer to my Best Motorcycle Roads of Japan map as Kyushu is somewhere I am very familiar with.
I’ve not tried to include every good road in Kyushu but have cherry picked many of my favourite places but lets see what the weather holds.
Weather is going to be a gamble. I have never ridden Kyushu before May but recently the monsoon season has been arriving early so doing this ride late in May after South Korea would also be rolling the dice and the prime first two weeks of May I have locked in for South Korea as that is still the main ride of this trip so far.
This is an aspect to riding Japan I have not experienced before. The need to set a firm date and hope for the best. When I was living there I would follow the weather forecasts and bring forward or delay my touring accordingly as well I could sit out rain for days while on tour or totally redesign my routes as I had no time limit but that is not possible with set rental period and departure booked.
Some Rental 819 locations now rent the Japanese issued toll credit cards required to use the ETC reader mounted in a car or bike to operate the automatic toll gates. This will a great assistance for me on this ride.
A week out from my departure and I’m still unsure if I will be going with talk of looming fuel shortages but my flights are not cancelled so I pack my bag.
I spend a couple of days in Hakata, Fukuoka recovering from what turned out to be a more gruelling flight combo than I imagined. I wound up with a noisy child behind me to Taipei then unbelievably of all the flights they could connect to same mother and crying baby on my flight to Fukuoka.
I enjoyed some nice food and grabbed some new clothing from Uniqlo at half the price it retails for in Australia. (note you always need to buy one size larger here).
Japan is incredibly cheap compared to Australia thanks to a very favourable exchange rate of over 100 yen to the AUD dollar. Meals in a restaurant $8AUD, 500ml beer or premix (like Hard Solo or -196 etc) $2.50. Hotels $60-80 a night on average with a buffet breakfast. Australia was already much more expensive when I lived here but still this furthers that as the exchange rate back then was only 61 yen to the dollar.
Bit of a mess first day but that’s nothing new
I used the Japan Taxi app for foreigners called GO to get to the rental depot. No Uber here although you can use Uber or Didi to also hail a taxi but GO made the trip easy with no language or payment issues and while I could have taken trains and busses I’m at the point where I no longer have the stamina for all that just to save $20.
I’ve rented the Honda CB1300 at about $150 AUD a day which for a large bike with full insurance is reasonable these days. Same in Australia, Europe or North America costs at least $100 a day more. Of course I could have rented a sports car in Japan for same money, bikes are expensive but it is what it is.
There was another foreigner at the 819 branch renting a BMW R1250GS . Told me he was doing a self guided tour with everything pre arranged by a company called Shogun. Turns out they are Australian and also do escorted tours from Tokyo. 7 days $6499AUD. Hotels are just $60AUD a night here so an independent week of riding will only set you back $1500AUD. The price difference highlights what I recently posted of people waiting too late and moto touring companies preying on that lack of confidence and the it’s now or never situation people find themselves in.
Departure went well for all of 5 minutes. My Route App was working and it was not raining. Within 5 minutes it started raining and then My Route App stopped working and then the expressway ground to a halt in the rain for next 20 minutes before I reached an exit.
Sitting under the expressway out of rain I could see that My Route App map had next to no roads on it (unlike the online planner map it has for Japan) and the ones showing were broken lines. I’d already missed my turn off so decided to use Google to take me via the expressway inland away from coast to try dodge the rain. (update it seems My Route App doesn’t work in Asia and trying to ask further the admins got all defensive and shut down my questions so I apologize for previously recommending this app and suggest you look elsewhere)
That actually worked and I stopped at a highway service centre for a coffee and snack trying to decide what to do. I’d lost a fair bit of time so elected to cull half of my route and task Google Maps to get me to a point where I could join my original route.
It was overcast but not raining so I decided to ride on to Ibusuki island. Exiting the expressway I forgot that stop signs in Japan are triangles like Give Way signs in Australia and rolled though one then was promptly stopped by the police for doing so. I played my I don’t speak any Japanese card and showed my licence and International permit and was told to obey road signs then let go.
The sun briefly appeared but then retreated. I decided to follow my original route regardless of the weather using Ride with GPS for navigation. The RWGPS planner is No.1 but it’s navigation app is a bit weak, it shows a overhead map view rather than the usual birds eye following view so you rely more heavy on the voice prompts which mostly do a good job however if you go off course is does not recalculate your route which is really poor and why I have only used the online planner then been using a Garmin and more recently My Route App.
I’m brining back my tin can coffee adventures and kicking it off with a favourite which I enjoyed today along with a Japanese deep fried curry bun for lunch. One of many Japanese food items I intend to enjoy while here.
Tried to capture this bridge a little better than my previous visits. Still doesn’t express how impressive it appears reaching across to almost touch the clouds that are always shrouding that mountain every time I have been here.
I revisited the western side of Ibusuki island and enjoyed the ride despite it starting to spit rain. I’m in my laminated rider gear so light rain is of no concern. Also the bike is shod with Dunlop Roadsmart 4 tyres which were my favourites on my Yamaha FJR1300 when riding Japan. They are superb on wet roads.
Reminds me of my ride on the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland.
Can still see Goto Islands off in the distance which I rode to on my Islands of Japan tour in 2017
Visited the last viewpoint on my list for today knowing the weather would wash out the view.
Amazing spot on a fine day.
Staying at an old favourite hotel chain of mine tonight and even in Japan there has been some inflation. Last time I was in Kyushu it was 4800Y per night at Hotel AZ but now the price has crept up. Still fantastic value compared to Australia, about $50AUD with a big buffet breakfast.
Got some dinner at adjacent Cosmo pharmacy. That might sound odd but in rural Japan the pharmacies or drug stores as they call them here (borrowing the term from America) often double as supermarkets. Payment was cash only thus confirming Japan is still resisting cashless payments.
Basically today ended up like the blue line.
Day Two
Hazy morning but this soon clears away to a lovely day.
First up is revisiting another one of my favourite viewpoints. Hiyamizdake Observation Deck.
This is actually well away from any main road or Sasebo city and I am the sole person here yet the park is beautifully manicured. This is the side of Japan that I always found so enjoyable. Beautiful parks and viewpoints dot the countryside all carefully tended to with spotless toilets.
270 degree view of Sasebo’s 100 islands which I actually took a trip around back in the 90’s in a pirate themed fake sailing ship as well I stayed at the Dutch theme park Huis Ten Bosch in Sasebo.
I used to do regular tourist things but it got to a point I lost interest in that type of travel and stopped and put all my energy into my career which led to me making huge leaps but eventually I found I was moving the goal posts like most other people and starting thinking there must be another way. Then I discovered motorcycle touring.
What I like most about riding Japan is it always was a relaxed pace tour for me. Not just because the speed limits are conservative but there is something of interest around every corner and so many scenic views to photo that my daily routes were always set conservative to allow me to detour or stop randomly to take a photo with no pressure to push on. I felt that again here this morning for the first time in 5 years.
I found a new viewpoint in the area when planning my route so made sure I visited it on todays ride and wow what a find!
As happens in Japan I had the whole place to myself. I broke out my lunch and had a picnic right out front of the castle on table and chairs provided.
The fallen cherry blossoms here are a bit of a worry for me as they should have been long ago blown away this far south. Seeing the ground everywhere a carpet of pink I fear that I might be in for a bit of rain this tour as that always follows the cherry blossoms in Japan.
I rode the Rainbow road south but failed to get any photos from the Osmo action cam worth sharing then I went to ride over the dyke that crosses to Unzen but the road is closed for repairs so I’m left with a big detour.
Next up I took a look at some new to me Unzen backroads.
Real mixed bag, went from nice farm road to narrow forest road then to beautiful two lane sweepers all on the same route. Anyway it was nice to explore something new.
That’s Kurviger navigation on the phone. I am trying it on a trial membership. It works ok here but I really don’t want to subscribe to yet another app. I see you can buy a month access so I might use this in future here but just pay for a month then unsubscribe.
Next I rode up Unzen mountain and took the Nita Pass toll road (just 100Y) which gives you access to an excellent viewpoint.
It’s either a small world or Japan is indeed getting popular with Aussies as I met some at the viewpoint. Two riders on CB400’s and another ‘old mate’ from Auckland trying to impress everyone with his knowledge about Japan (◔_◔).
Unzen is a fabulous riding area.
From the viewpoint I descend down the superb route 57 then turn south to ride the Unzen green road which is just wonderful. An elevated sweeping road with very few junctions which I failed to photo except for an afternoon vending machine stop.
Then I ascended other side of route 389 which is another fine ride before visiting route 128 and stopping to take another photo at this view below. A previous photo of mine taken here featured in the AMCN magazine 11th Adventure ride issue this year.
Lovely engine in the CB1300. Bucket loads of torque. Can leave the bike in 3rd all the time (speed limits here are modest) and I’ve left the lights still in 2nd few times and barely noticed. These old style muscle bike fours are I think one of the best style of motorcycle engines, turbine smooth, lazy stump pulling torque. You can enjoy these engines in real world riding unlike hyperbike engines.
Lady from reception came out and insisted I park the bike under cover at foyer. Nice hotel, big room, ocean view, all for 6000Y with breakfast.
Went to the local 7/11 and got a obento for dinner. The choice of the evening ‘in store’ theme music at the convenience stores used to be something I always found amusing touring Japan. This year at 7/11 it is an instrumental of Michael Jackson’s Human Nature.
Day 3
Overcast with rain threatening but roads are still dry leaving the hotel.
I ride more of the Unzen Green road which is a fabulous gentle undulating road between the many terraced potato farms with sweeping curves.
Revisited a nice viewpoint and grabbed a hot coffee at the nearby vending machines which are at every possible place you might stop. Between 4 to 5 million of them in Japan apparently.
As you can see the Boss in Japan has a pipe, that is the original logo from Suntory but the pipe was removed for Australia. Also different is the price, here $1AUD Vs $6 back home. The size is a little smaller here but it’s a great example of how much Australians over pay for things.
Missed the ferry to Amakusa by 5 minutes but I force a smile. I already know I will have to trim todays route considerably. There is no point in sticking to my plan of visiting the shrine overlooking Amakusa in deteriorating weather conditions.
Something I failed to mention in my guide to riding Japan is when catching a ferry you need to say what size engine your bike has because usually under 750cc is a little cheaper. I will be updating that guide after this trip.
But do not worry if you forget or cannot speak any Japanese. Some of the fun riding Japan is once away from the big cities you will be something like an alien from mars to the locals and they will not expect you to know the rules or act normal in any way. As I have mentioned in my older rider reports – the further away from Tokyo (Kanto region) you go the more genuine Japan becomes.
I rode straight from Amakusa town south and had a picnic lunch at another viewpoint I often have visited that is a few km from the next ferry port on my route.
The approach to some of these view decks can be a narrow leaf covered path but always sealed as is everything in Japan.
Enjoyed lunch at this observation point.
I watched the ferry sail past me out towards Shishi island and got to thinking it’s a long crossing from this port, over an hour. I’d be better off riding south to the next port to try get ahead of the rain.
Nice ride on minor roads past small out of thew way fishing villages, the real Japan. But the rain was by now chasing me so I just kept moving and did not get a photo. Made it most of the way before it started raining steady.
Good thing about this large port is there are a few places bikes can wait under cover where as the other dock had nothing. I joined a bunch of guys riding Can-am’s under the overpass.
While I think trikes or spyders seem to combine disadvantages of both a car and bike in one vehicle I guess they still provide a more engaging journey than any car and also most of the gliding through the air feeling. I don’t have any issues with what you ride, scooter or Gold Wing or Spyder. I don’t understand why some guys feel it is an attack on their masculinity if another guy is riding a clutchless bike or 3 wheeler. Reality check, other folks don’t look at you and think that’s a cool biker, they look and think another jackass on a motorbike.
The rain has really picked up. I grab a hot coffee and look at the radar. Will have to abandon remainder of my route and just slosh it to my hotel. Shame to miss all the things I was looking forward to revisiting in the region but nothing I can do about it.
Despite the CB1300 having a reasonable looking screen it does very little in the way of deflecting wind or rain. Really notice that on the expressway in these conditions. Actually has the effect of making it seem colder and the rain heavier than it actually is like that Suzuki Bandit I rode in NZ.
I wanted to rent a proper tourer like a FJR1300 or R1250RT but there were none. ADV bikes really have taken over the rental market. However despite the conditions and todays ride being mostly washed out I’d rather be here giving it a go and being slightly uncomfortable than back home comfortably numb.
Most grateful for undercover parking at tonight’s hotel so I could unpack slowly out of rain.
Braved the now heavy rain to walk to a nearby Lawson store to get some dinner which I will heat up later in the hotel microwave. (I always travel with a compact umbrella) One of the other nice things about riding Japan is finding meals is so easy. Often that can be one of the more challenging parts of solo touring for me but not here. But then I am happy to eat in my room, dining out is not as easy without speaking some Japanese.
Day 4
I slept in a bit because the forecast was heavy rain this morning. It passed by to the north of me by the time I leave the hotel at 10.30am.
I made a new route which is shorter but retains the morning set of nice backroads that I initially strung together for today. Light rain never used to bother me when I was touring Japan so long as it stays like it is now I am hopeful of getting a little riding enjoyment today.
Above is a sunken old power station. I last visited here when I was testing a Japanese made Airbag Vest which I found a bit heavy and blocked my air vents. Interestingly when I had that accident in NZ if I had been wearing a tethered vest it would not have activated as I was still on the bike at stop. I think the new models from Dainese that you wear under your jacket replacing your armor sound good but you can’t take them on planes due to the compressed air canisters so no point me getting one.
Shorter route will get me to the hotel before check in so I kill time at a Family Mart which in the countryside can have a small area to sit and eat.
Convenience stores all have hot water urns for making cup noodles or soup. It is really popular to do this in Japan and many of the car drivers have come in and purchased a cup noodle then filled up with hot water then gone back to their car to eat. Just be aware in Japan all urns and kettles have lock switch for the water spout to prevent accidental burns, so be sure to look and turn that off to obtain water.
After lunch the weather deteriorated and was not much fun.
This is what the rest of the day looked like but I’m completely dry in my all laminated rider gear. So glad I finally found this stuff from Merlin and the gloves from Richa which are amazing.
Riding in rain I tend to stiffen up as well push on not stopping to take many breaks. The CB1300 has slightly high and rearward pegs which are out of place on the bike and today I really got some discomfort in my knees. No way I could ride anything sporty these days.
I take the Tarumizu ferry across to Kagoshima. I have used this many times, it lets you avoid the city which I always found congested.
It poured down while I was on the ferry so I was glad to be sitting dry not riding through the city in it. My hotel was just 2 minutes from docking and again had undercover parking.
First ferry of this ride to still be cash only, others took credit cards. Some shops here now have pay wave touchless credit card payment which is big step forward from last time I rode Japan. And generally speaking people don’t act scared when you say ‘card-o’ or show a credit card now unlike before when it caused sucking in of air and mild panic attacks or even a staff meeting to jointly observe the procedure.
I am staying two nights in a nice hotel on the bay. Shame about the weather I can’t even see Sakurajima volcano through the low rain clouds. It has been quite active of late. I once saw a documentary about volcanoes and this one along with a one or two others in Japan are way overdue to erupt. Considering the whole bay is the caldera if (or when) this happens it will be a monumental explosion.
Spoiled for choice when it comes to dinner tonight. There is Lawson and 7/11 and a Hotto Motto obento shop all across the road and a 24 hour supermarket 500m away with food court which I peruse but end up back to Hotto Motto as I love their dinner box meals and am unsure if I will have a chance to sample their wares rest of this tour.
While I don’t miss living in Japan, I do miss the food.
This is my shortened revised route for day 4.
Day 5
I had been hopeful of doing my loop ride to the far south of Kyushu today and visiting two amazing viewpoints or at the very least riding the Ibusuki Skyline which is one of my favourite motorcycle roads in Japan. Alas the weather which was forecast to be overcast is actually spitting rain and from my high floor hotel window I can see the mountains where the skyline begins are shrouded in low clouds.
After a huge buffet breakfast I lie around in bed looking at the weather forecasts. I have the paid version of the Windy weather app which is pretty accurate with its modelling and weather predictions – something invaluable for the motorcycle rider on tour.
Tomorrow, Saturday is going to have few showers nothing too challenging but Sunday looks terrible. Tomorrow night I had booked a unique stay at a hotel made of shipping containers called R9 The Yard to the East but to go that way will mean I’ll be smack bang in the worst of the rain on Sunday so I decide to cancel that and wear the loss. Murphy’s law it was the only hotel this tour that required registration and full payment well in advance. Oh well it’s still a small part of the overall cost of this trip. I used to sweat the small stuff but not any longer.
Beyond Sunday, riding Miyazaki and north east doesn’t look good at all so I cancel those hotels (fortunately with no penalty).
The modelling is suggesting Amakusa will be fine on Monday so I have booked a hotel for two nights at Yatshushiro where I will sit out Sunday inside dry and warm then Monday weather permitting I can do a loop to try visit my number one viewpoint in Japan that I missed on day 3.
With that sorted I do my laundry. Every hotel in Japan (bar luxury ones) will have a coin laundry. It’s another thing that makes moto touring here so easy not having to hand wash clothes every day and trying to get them dry. Price is very reasonable under $2AUD for wash and same for 1 hour dryer.
I’ve already mentioned how affordable food and drinks are but let me show one more thing.
Yes 1180Y is $10.35 AUD for bottles of Jim Beam.
Day 6
The fine morning forecast did not arrive. Still spitting rain when I set off and I can confirm Kagoshima remains a slow ride to get through the city to the expressway, even on a weekend.
Exiting the expressway north of the bay I can see that the mountains I was thinking to ride are all covered in low clouds so I turn around and get back on the expressway then ride north to Ebino.
Here the mountains again are also looking wet. The weather radar shows the rain should blow over so I find a Lawson and have some noodles and kill about 45 minutes. The rain has not fully cleared but is only light now so I set off.
My route this afternoon is one I have not ridden in at least 10 years and had forgotten just how good it was.
There is a couple of loop bridges on this route and I am always a fan of over engineered Japanese roads in the middle of nowhere, but they are very difficult to photograph, and I failed this time.
More than that this afternoons route is also scenic and lots of nice corners so I will share some of that.
You climb three passes but the valleys are perhaps the nicer riding, the roads have many curves like above and multi shades of green fill your peripheral vision.
And views like this as you follow the flow of mountain streams all the way.
It’s quite some ride, one I had bypassed in later years always riding through Amakusa. I enjoyed rediscovering it this afternoon.
Stopped at the same rest area I did when I first rode this route. A park with spotless toilets and vending machines is literally the middle of nowhere between two mountain passes but everything is clean and not vandalised and even has free wi-fi hotspot. This is the Japan that I loved so much.
Despite a little rain and grey skies making photography a challenge it has been a superb afternoon of riding.
Made it to my hotel once more dry and warm in my laminated gear. Staying at an old friend for two nights to sit out the coming bad weather.
Was surprised to find Route Inn has replaced their welcome theme music. For many years it was the theme from the movie Unforgiven. Now some random piano medley. Quite a let down for lovers of theme music in Japanese businesses, such as myself.
Day 7
Spent much of today editing photos and writing up this report but I did venture out to go shopping for lunch and dinner both times sourced from a local Aeon supermarket.
Inner city covered malls are a feature of regional Japanese cities. I used to enjoy exploring these places which had many old shops like record stores, film camera shops and, 80’s style hi-fi shops. This is fading away and almost 90% of the shops in this mall were shuttered.
I could not help but notice the dozens and dozens of signs for hostess bars on my walk to the Aeon supermarket. Doesn’t worry me in the least but always amuses me to hear the Japanophile foreigners say these things don’t exist. Japan has the largest prostitution industry I have seen anywhere in the world. Makes Thailand seem lame. In larger regional cities the red light area covers 1/2 a dozen city blocks. Since I always stay in ‘business hotels’ to get parking I seem to often be right next to these zones, not that foreigners are allowed into any of these bars.
Japanese Egg sandwiches are popular with influencers on social media but let me tell you skip the convenience stores and go to a supermarket or bakery for huge fresh made sandwiches that put Family Mart or Lawson to shame.
Day 8
I’m scared to pull the curtain back but then I do and it is a beautiful sunny morning.
I made a new route for today that will take me back into Amakusa and to a favourite viewpoint that I wanted to see this tour.
Today’s ride is a bit of a grind a lot more urbanized areas than I would normally ride but it is only the 2nd fine day of this tour so I am prepared to just get on with it to see a place that was once my all time favourite view in Japan.
I had read this remote shrine had become more widely known, in part due to my blog. I used to post images from here every year and some were picked up and became popular on social media in Japan. Always empty in the past and a place I could sit and reflect, today there were dozens of people here.
I brought a tripod with me specifically for taking a photo with myself here but it was impossible today. I waited patiently and for a brief moment managed to grab this photo without people at a different angle than I would have liked then it became too busy to get another.
Next I moved to another view point where I had previously got some good shots but alas now the trees blocked the view here.
I then rode down the mountain and along the Amakusa Orange line which is a superb high road with grand views. Despite many photos from the Osmo not one came out interesting.
I turned off to what I thought was another observation deck that I had visited before but ended up at a completely new to me viewpoint. Whilst not what I set out for it was a nice spot to enjoy todays picnic lunch and I had it all to myself.
Quick stop at this temple then I made the long trip back to Kumamoto prefecture but was satisfied to have revisited one of my favourite places in Amakusa today.
I did have some more good moto roads this afternoon. Once past Kumamoto I rode the Yoshimuta Highlands which is a superb road that leads onto a famous riding route called Kenny Road named after famous motorcycle racer Kenny Roberts that used to enjoy riding this area.
Before calling it a day I stopped for a afternoon coffee and checked the weather for tomorrow. It was not looking positive so I turned around and rode some of the highlands a second time then a part of Kenny road before doing a U Turn to ride back again then finish up at my hotel.
Todays route was like this with a couple of side trips.
Day 9
The weather is cool and overcast but so far dry. I ride back to Kenny Road to enjoy it’s full length this morning.
Unfortunately the light is poor for photography but the riding remained top notch.
Never seen this type of Boss coffee before (although there are so many). Kenny road runs along that ridge in the background.
Next up I ride over the Mt Aso volcano. Sky is gloomy but still no rain and I got a car free ride all the way up which I have never had on this very popular tourist road.
Everyone lives in the huge caldera. Aso volcano is quite active and another volcano that is overdue for a major eruption.
Next I rode the fabulous route 11. Very popular road with plenty of bikes on it today. Many beautiful curves and fine surface but hard to capture in a photo.
Unfortunately the conditions became worse but still the roads remained dry.
I turned off route 11 to ride a new to me route Shikishi Road which like all the roads in the Aso region was another nice ride. Japan loves tunnels and every one has a name and a decoration like above.
Then I zig zagged to ride an old favourite which on my best Japan roads map I called secret forest road but today I found out it has a name which is Sky Farm road. You know you are in for a good ride when you see signs warning riders like above.
Another road I have not ridden for at least 10 years and I really enjoyed today along with riding the Aso region which I had been bypassing to explore the East more.
But all good things have to end. Today is my final with the bike and I have to think about making my way back to Fukuoka.
Came to an unexpected road closure at this river overlooking an old onsen hotel so I then tasked Google to get me back to the rental shop.
But first my last lunch on tour and since it was cold I opted for some udon from a Lawson. I’ve previously not really made much use of the small dining area in the convenience stores, only occasionally on rainy days however I should point out not all regions of Japan will the stores have a small area inside to eat, it seemed fairly common this ride in Kyushu but I don’t recall that on my previous rides. Perhaps it is something that has been introduced in a small redesign.
Last tin can coffee adventure photo. I stopped at an expressway parking area on my way into Fukuoka and you can see how many cars are here at what is just one of the smaller highway rest areas. Fortunately Fukuoka airport where the rental shop is located is fairly easy to ride out of and back into unlike Tokyo. You really only get the big Japanese city traffic for a short distance.
Been interesting to look at the latest model Japanese cars not yet in Australia and the many models that are domestic only. I have not seen a single Chinese car here and there has never been any Korean cars. Also very few all electric cars. At this stop there are some fast chargers but zero cars plugged in. Hybrid drivetrains are still king here.
Easy return of the bike. As is the norm I filled up nearby to return with a full tank. I always use Eneos petrol stations as they will take foreign credit cards unlike some of the others and it’s always full service which I enjoy.
They advised how much I owed on the ETC card and I fixed that up then was done. The rental branch is in a motorcycle accessory shop so I take the opportunity to pick up a spare of my favourite 4 hook stretch strap that I use on all my bike rides which I wrote about here.
Then I used the GO app to get a taxi to hotel, very handy app for Japan.
Did a little more shopping. Got a new Panasonic electric shaver duty free which was exceptionally good price compared to Australia along with two replacement blades. Then enjoyed some great food while resting up.
So where did I end up regarding my thoughts about Japan at the end of this tour.
Well I enjoyed my time here much more than I imagined. I also enjoyed my ride here despite the poor conditions more than I expected to and frankly more than many of the other rides I have done in the years post my cancer surgery.
Some of that is because I found everything so easy here, the riding, the hotel stays and finding food but also Japan does have such great motorcycle roads and terrific viewpoints which are something I like so much.
The rest of my year is full. If we don’t run out of jet fuel that is. I am returning to ride North America and Europe one more time. I know I have said it will be my last before but again I say same. Looking at 2027, if my health is ok, I am thinking maybe I will come back to Japan rather than fly so far to other places. I know I will enjoy the riding here and find everything easy, and that is what I want moving forward.
Great to see you back enjoying Japan! Hoping to get down to Kyushu for touring later in September. Route 128 looks beautiful.
Hi James,
I really enjoyed being back riding Japan. I can see much more of it on my horizon health permitting 🙂