Cherry Blossoms

By Larry Corell
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Riding Among the

To celebrate riding
a motorcycle on my sixth continent, I was looking for a unique experience. It had to satisfy three criteria: 1) It had to have some good riding (a real motorcycle experience); 2) it had to have a cultural element to it; and 3) Penny, my beautiful wife of 46 years, had to be included. Requirement number three meant no rugged off-road, no flea bag motels where I usually stay and a van to carry the luggage. Luckily I heard about Phil Freeman and MotoQuests tour of the southern three islands of Japan. Phil is the founder of

MotoQuest and uniquely qualified to lead a tour of Japan. Not only does he speak fluent Japanese, he is also passionate about the country and the people. He also has a special relationship with a group of Japanese that only ride BMW Airheads. This group is known as the Flat Twin Club (FTC). The FTC has shown Phil the best roads and the quaintest inns. They even rode with us on some of the twistiest roads. I was impressed because those old bikes can go! Mr. Hirata, a FTC member and karaoke singer supreme, is Phils lead guide. He owns the following BMWs: R69S, R90S, R100/7, R100RS, R100R Mystic, R100R Classic and R1150GS. He is a very interesting person that I would describe as being a mans man. Akiko, a little pixie of a woman, had several jobs. She drove the support van, was the group photographer and kept us all in good spirits with her bubbly personality. We were a diverse group, 17 of us, from all over the world South Africa, U.K., Australia, Canada, U.S. and California (ha, ha, just kidding). Usually I travel alone because there is more interaction with the locals, but when there is a language barrier I look to a tour. Because of their varied backgrounds, the tour members usually add a lot to the experience. This group was no exception, very interesting people. Over the course of a few days it came out that of the 17 people, 12 had been married for more than 40 years.

Photos by MotoQuest
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If you are thinking this must have been the geriatric trip with a bunch of old farts, you would be badly mistaken. The best riders in the group were in their 70s. They werent good for 70-year-olds, they were just plain good! We were lucky because everyone was a competent rider. It made for a cohesive group. We did not go through any major cities like Tokyo, but we did go through some urban areas. It was amazing that with stoplights and 90-degree turns, we did not lose a single rider. Phil had taught us his version of the buddy system. I think even he was surprised at how well it worked. One of our group riders had done a lot of riding in the Australian Outback. He gave us his version of the buddy system and how important it is when you are in the bush and have limited fuel. Getting lost is just not an option. The mountain roads were as challenging as you wanted them to be. If you have ever ridden in western North Carolina, you have some idea of what they were like. The roads were well maintained and twisties in the truest sense. Most of the group rode on 400cc bikes, which were the perfect size. The Flat Twin riders did well on those roads.

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After a day of exhilarating riding we would arrive at a quaint inn or small hotel. The first order of business was to take off our boots and step into some slippers provided by the inn a Japanese custom. My size 12s looked pretty silly in those tiny slippers. We went to our room where we exchanged the riding gear for a long kimono. From there we went to the communal bathcommunal but gender separate. I had not been this concerned about my package since junior high school. Fortunately I have gained some confidence since then. It also helped that the water was warm. After bathing and then soaking, it was back to the room to dress for dinner. Dressing for dinner consisted of putting a shorter, dressier kimono over the first one kind of like putting on a sport coat. I wore my jeans under the kimono because keeping it closed was more difficult than I thought.

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Dinner is where the cultural experience was fully expressed. The presentation of the food was a thing of beauty not at just one or two meals but all of them. I love Japanese food, but Penny does not share my passion. Nevertheless, she has an open mind and does not want to miss anything. I was very proud of her. We both ate Fugu, the blowfish that will kill you if not properly prepared. The Japanese have an expression that says you are crazy to eat Fugu, you are crazy not to eat Fugu. We also ate some raw horse. That was a challenge. It did not taste like chicken! We drew the line at the large snails and clams that were still moving when placed on the hibachi. We have open minds and are willing to try something unusual (okay, the sake helped), but not everyone in our group was as adventurous. But I never heard anyone complain about being hungry.

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One of the highlights of the trip was the cherry blossom trees. Phil had planned it so we would be there when the blossoms were in full bloom. We have cherry blossoms in Washington D.C., a gift from Japan, but they have them in the whole country. Everyone participates in the festival called Hanami. Last year, because of the tsunami, it was very subdued. This year everyone was in a good mood. On one of the trips most special days we purchased some lunch from a deli and joined the locals on a riverbank under a full canopy of blossoms. It was spontaneous, impromptu and something Penny and I will remember forever.

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On the last day we boarded the bullet train to visit the War Memorial in Hiroshima. I dont know the exact speed of the train, but they dont call it bullet for nothing. It was also super smooth. I wish I were eloquent enough to describe the feeling you get when you first walk up to the Memorial. It is profound and very sad at the same time. You feel like you are standing in one of the most important places on the face of the earth. Trying to comprehend what happened that day is not something I could dwell on. I have been fortunate to have traveled the world, but I have never experienced a feeling like that. If you ever get the chance to visit this magnificent country, do not miss Hiroshima. There are some things that surprised me about Japan. First, the use of the Internet was not nearly as prevalent as in the U.S. maybe because we were mostly in rural areas. Second, they do not use credit cards. Use of credit cards is an everyday occurrence in my family, usually multiple times a day! Not using them is something I could get used to. In my travels on six continents, down some really bad roads and in some rough places, I have been frightened only twice by the people around me. I view the world as a pretty safe place if you have the right attitude. Without a moments hesitation I would say Japan is the safest place I have ever been. We never had to worry about leaving our gear on our bikes. One could probably leave it there for days. The Japanese have a very simple concept: dont take items that dont belong to you. The honor system is alive and well. Having had time to reflect on the trip, I know it was my most memorable. It was intense, complex and multi-layered. The layers keep unfolding as Penny and I have time to think about what we experienced. We learned a great deal about another country, its people and their culture. One thing that was not different about this trip: I came home, as I always do, with a better understanding, appreciation and love of my own country. There is no place like home.

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