- Remastering the Slow Ride - October 26, 2026
- Morocco - October 19, 2026
- Greece part two - October 9, 2026
I’ve completed many moto tours but none brought me as much joy as touring Japan.
In Japan I was always alone. Not just on the bike but when enjoying a viewpoint, eating a meal in a restaurant or sitting around at a small port waiting for a ferry.
Yet I frequently experienced being completely at peace.
There is a term called Gaijin Stomp. It means as a foreigner living in Japan you can get away with making mistakes as nobody expects you to know the rules. The burden of having to speak and act in the many complex ways of Japanese society is removed. Also gone was all the anxiety I felt living in Australia.
I miss being in that bubble of ignorance now and find myself some days personally struggling. However there were additional factors that made me enjoy riding Japan so much.
Touring Japan was always slow cruising. Daily routes modest, stopping to look at everything with lots of time for photography, my forgotten other hobby.
Apart from the expressway the national speed limit in Japan is 50kph. In rural locations adherence to that might be relaxed but still my pace was mostly no more than 65-75kph.
Whilst always on curvy roads I was not carving corners or feeling I need ride a certain pace or thinking about reaching my destination.
I had mastered the slow ride and there was no pressure about anything. I often would stop for extended rests listening to nature feeling totally at ease with myself.
Since leaving Japan I have rarely enjoyed that same feeling.
The closest I came was riding the Gold Wing down the Blue Ridge Parkway with its countless roadside viewpoints and rest areas. Riding a cruiser for that tour was perfect way to slow things down.
The polar opposite was the group tours I later completed. Pissing competitions between men to ride the fastest past the things they travelled so far to see.
But of course many male riders are deeply focused on machismo and what others think of them. No where is this more prevalent than Australia.
That is another reason I felt at ease in Japan because riders there are less concerned about speed and image and no one mocks anyone for what they ride unlike blokey Australia.
I will tour Japan again, as well my other favourite place New Zealand. But otherwise I feel it’s time to reduce my long distance flying and once again ride my own country.
My aim will be to try recreate the feeling of the peaceful slow ride here in Australia. Which I’m not sure is possible given how totally different Australian roads are and the scale of the country. However I will give things a go “my way”. Plan B will be buy another FJR1300 in Japan should this fail.
So I put a deposit on a bike. A model that has been on my short list a few years. Most people will not understand and hey that’s fine.
The only persons opinion that matters to me is my oncologist. Fingers crossed; I get my scan results later this week. Then if I’m ok, new bike debut to follow.
Quick update; my plans are on hold while I sort out some medical matters.
Good luck with the doctors.
Thanks Mark 🙂
Thank you Warren.
I look forward to your posts and always enjoy reading them. You unselfishly relate your experiences without a shred of ego or boastfulness and your words and photography communicate those experiences to me.
This post is quite reflective and captures the essence of motorcycle touring: being in touch with the environment and allowing time to absorb and appreciate the experience.
I fervently hope to read many more in the future.
Thanks Paul, I appreciate your kind words.
Hard to do the slow ride here because of the size of the place…. but, being retired at least takes away the time pressure. Still I personally reckon the best places here for the show ride are either Tasmania or the Victorian high country. Both unfortunately quite a ways from where you are. 😬 (and after just riding Brisbane to Cairns it is a bloody looong way!)
Good news on the bike mate. Doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s what suits you. 😎
Cheers
Dave
Hi Dave,
Yes it is so far from here to anywhere but of course I am tied to the hospital here. After 100’s of flights I have reached peak air travel and want to give something different a go.
A knee injury from a moto-x crash in the 90’s means I cannot stand up on pegs for long riding gravel. I’ve tried knee braces but end up having to sit and that doesn’t offer me the bike control I want.
I considered getting a camper and joining the grey nomads but will first try a two wheel version of that.
Nooo. No camper, please!
As for the bike, I am guessing a Gold Wing. Looking forward to the reveal and I hope all is well otherwise.
Cheers
Dave
Good plan …will be interested to see what you have decided to buy …hope all goes well with the scans.
Thanks Richard,
I will get in touch with you via messenger and see if we might catch up when I am passing by.
Good luck with the scans Warren. I really enjoy reading the posts of your trips for their reflective nature. You inspired me to head over to Japan earlier this year for a road trip. I rented a BMW 310GS (your previous bike) and the low speed limits on the rural back roads turned out to be a benefit as I also enjoy meandering around without the pressure of high speeds. I tour here in WA too but the fast traffic, huge distances and kangaroos on the country roads introduce an element of stress compared to places where I can chill and cruise at 60-80 or so kph. At least we have very little traffic off the main highways. I am looking forward to the new bike reveal.
Thanks Tim,
Yes Japan is fantastic. Some people cannot adapt to the slow pace, I might be trying to achieve something not possible here but anyway I will give it a try for awhile.