Month: Jul 2019

Riding with a XBR500 to Japan – a résumé

When I sat in front of a world map some 15 years ago and asked myself which travels I should add to my bucket list, a journey to Japan came to my mind. As I prefer to ride and not fly to distant places, the route was basically determined – there is only one direct route to Japan – and it leads through Russia, passing Moscow and the Lake Baikal, leading to Vladivostok at the Pacific coast. Another idea was to bring back the XBR to its home place. It seemed something obvious. 

A higher priority had to trip through Africa, I wanted to do this first. The third trip was a journey through South America, this is the one that is left now.

It took many years to make this happen, but now it’s over. Let’s have a look back what has happened in these 40 days. 40 days are an important number in mythology, many famous trips of askesis and alleged enlightenment took 40 days. During the actual journeys, you encounter a lot of situations when you say to yourself: ‚I need to remember this!‘. However, many of these little anecdotes get lost along the way. Often they are forgotten or later not deemed important enough to make it to a daily report. There is also the daily pressure to write a report in the evening, sometimes you’re just too tired to remember everything. When you’re travelling alone, you can maintain a daily reporting schedule. What really drives you then is the pressure that you run into a back log of reports, and that’s what you want to avoid. In order to note down the impressions during a trip, I had been thinking of a technical solution based on speech-to text recording while riding, but this has not materialised yet. 

Let’s approach this look back in a Japanese or German manner, properly structured, in an organised way!! LOL

The preparations

In contrast to the trip to Africa in 2011, my preparations started rather late and in a relaxed way. After a series of long distance journeys in the last 15 years with no or manageable problems (Syria and Lebanon, Tunisia, Oman and Iran, Ironbutt Rally in USA and Canada, Kenya to Namibia), I had apparently gained so much confidence in the XBR, that I felt very relaxed about the upcoming adventure. I would have liked to do more testing kilometres before, but the set-up was well known, except for the tyre rack. This was the part that I was most nervous about. Luckily the problem with the valve seal popped up just in time and I’m so thankful to Stefan that he could make some time and help me fixing this. Apart from this, the making of the tyre rack (thanks to Heinz for his help) was the most time consuming preparation.

For the rest, I was carrying lots of spares I knew that I would not need them, but, just in case….it could be a show stopper when a small part breaks down and you cannot replace it. 

The change from the German to the Belgian bike registration was tedious, but necessary. Without it, I could not have started nor ended the trip. This bureaucratic procedure absorbed much of my attention in the months before the start.

My decision to leave a lot of luggage at home was absolutely right. I had already some overweight due to the spare wheels, but the riding was so much better. I could wash part of my clothes, so carrying only a small selection of clothes is absolutely sufficient. 

So this low level of preparation was absolutely appropriate.

The performance of the bike

Well, what can I say…Could it be any better? The only ‚repair‘ in 15.000 km was a worn speedometer cable, one lost and one loose bolt! OK, one bolt of the rack I could not tighten, but it didn’t matter. The biggest nuisance was probably the occasionally leaking carb, but this is an after-market part and should not have given me this problem, after all it was new. As long as its happened only occasionally, I tried to avoid opening the carburettor. 

The gear box is XBR-untypical clunky, but it is doing its job! The rest….close to perfection. The oil consumption was ok, in the midrange with 5 L in 15.000 km. It’s an air-cooled one cylinder motor from 1985 that was pushed through Russia, not at top speed, but not very smooth either. 

The motor did what a XBR motor does all the time: its job. Steadily and reliable. I treated it with care though. Not so much out of consideration for the motor, but for all the other parts. 

What surprised me more was the quiet suffering of the other moving parts that are not related to motor or transmission. Wheels, bearings, the frame and above all the suspension took a million hits. The bike had seen worse roads, but it was the sheer quantity of bumps, potholes, ramps and gravel that put the shocks under great pressure. I’m really impressed by this. I’m using reinforced after-market IKON shocks, but still, they are more than 90.000 km old and deserve some proper maintenance now. 

Was it really necessary to carry two entire wheels through Russia, carry the extra weight and risking a fall on slippery roads? In retrospect: no. But still my thinking was correct. I had assumed that the tyres would last until Vladivostok, but the decision was subjected to a rigorous prioritisation. This is also the basis for good rally results: What are you top priorities? Getting to Vladivostok in little time without the risk of a huge problem due to a lack of tyre changers or flat tyres in Eastern Siberia? There you go! 

Splitting the team

John asked me some years ago if he could join the trip and later he changed his part to a RTW trip. I welcomed him as a team member as I knew he is a tough guy and has proven his endurance in a lot of rallies and trips. We have always good conversations and get along with each other very well. This is an important point when you go on an adventurous trip. Group dynamics can destroy any party but the personal component was on track in this team. His bike had finished the Ironbutt Rally in 2011 and proven its durability.

However, it was some months before the trip when things did not go so well for him. You can plan things for years, and then life takes a different turn. The circle of life is something nobody has control over and fate always strikes at the wrong time. So John had other, more important things to do that kept him busy in the weeks before the start of the trip. Not only was he delayed in looking after his bike, but also his mental balance could not be unaffected. So the last weeks before the set-off were not optimal for him. It was worrying me a bit as I knew that we had a tough ride in front of us, we had no other option than to catch the ferry in Vladivostok. This was quite some psychological burden for me, but it was even more for John. 

During the three and a half days we rode together, I noticed that this was not the normal John Young I knew. He was quickly physically and mentally exhausted and the tough part of the trip had not even begun. I tried to cheer him up and hoped that he still would find his way into the trip, getting into the flow.

I know that it must have been a tough decision for him to pull out so quickly, but I know it showed great quality. He assessed his situation, considering the performance of his bike and took the right decision at the right time. This is an important quality of long distance riders to know when they have to pull the plug. It’s never an easy decision, but there are more important things in life that play a role. An exhausted rider is a danger to himself and to others. During the rider meetings of the Ironbutt Rally, riders are strongly reminded that they are not alone in this world, it’s their families and loved ones who want them to return safely. So when a rider takes the difficult, but correct decision to pull out, it shows great responsibility. I know that John also did not want to affect my trip as well and I am very grateful for his consideration. This trip together did not work out, but there will be other opportunities.

The roads

It is normal to be nervous before large, adventurous trips. You don’t know what is ahead of you. You can read about it, but you’ll only know when you finally get there. For this trip, no gravel roads were planned, but I had heard frightening stories about the roads in Eastern Russia. That was a reason of concern for me. My bike is small and carries a lot of weight. Its luggage rack is reinforced, it has the best front and back suspension you can get for this bike, but every material can only take a certain amount of physical stress before it breaks. Slippery surfaces were also a big concern, the front wheel could lose grip and any fall, as small as it fight be, could be the end of the trip. Remember the priority setting?

In the end, roads were much better than expected in Russia. The construction of the trans-Siberian highway has made a lot of progress and road surfaces improve every years. There are still a lot of contraction sites, but they will be gone in the next year. New ones will come, but the quality of roads improve quickly. The part between Ulan-Ude and Vladivostok was a nightmare, but now most of these 3000 km are quite ok and no problem for adventure bikes. My XBR may be adventurous, but one has to be careful though.

As expected, Japanese roads are excellent, also in the mountains. The only annoying thing is the slow traffic in urban areas, it is very safe, but painfully slow. Motorways and rural roads are ok though because nobody respects the ridiculously low speed limits of 40 or 50 km/h on normal roads and 70 or 80 km/h on motorways.

The weather

My initial plan was to go in August/September. The reason was to have warm temperatures in Siberia and avoiding the humidity in Japan. However, John could only go in June, so we set the start date to end of May. It could have been much worse, very cold in Siberia and permanent torrential rain in Japan during the rainy season. However, it wasn’t. 

There were a few cool days in Siberia, some rainy, but I never had a whole day of rain. In Eastern Siberia, temperatures were ok. In Japan, it was very warm and humid. The first days were quite nice, but then the rainy season started. Rain was not too hard and lasted only for some hours. It could have been much worse. 

So overall I think I was quite lucky.

The priorities 

Well, the priorities were very simple during this trip:

1. Don’t fall.
2. Stay healthy. (this is linked to 1.)
3. Have fun.

I am very happy that I accomplished all of them. Despite many critical situations, I managed to keep the bike upright and the black side down.

I stayed healthy, Mr Montezuma could not find me. I am even healthier than before.

And I had a lot of fun, saw and experienced a lot of new things and made the acquaintance of great people.

Statistics 

~15.000 km

No fall

5 L motor oil

~ 0.8 L chain lube

One motor oil change

One speedo cable

Three Russian tickets with ‚supplementary‘ fees

One Japanese warning

A whole travel budget well spent

Lots of new people met

Highest number of daily visits of my blog ever (724, July 2nd)

Problems (‚challenges‘ in Newspeak)

Well, very little actually. 

The border crossing into Russia. The 12.5 hours set my own new personal record.

The annoying theft of my left side cover in Nizhny Novgorod. Had no consequences. 

The aggressive watchdog of the hotel in Ufa. Escaped. 

The horror road avoiding Kasachstan. Stayed on the bike.

The loose and broken luggage rack. Solved, I carried cable ties.

The rumble in the jungle in Ulan-Ude. I carried imodium.

The supposedly failing gearbox. It wasn’t. M10 key is your friend.

The unclear situation at the drop-off. As usual, it all turns out fine.

The people along the way

Although I crossed seven countries during the ride, there are only two where I truly met people: Russia and Japan. I’ve spent over five weeks in both countries so I it is safe to say that I gained a little insight into the mentality of the two countries. It is of course only scratching the surface, a first impression. Overall (as usual), I met a lot of nice and friendly people along the way, in line with the famous quote of Mark Twain: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” I try hard to remember negative encounters and it is really difficult. Hmmmm…my stolen side cover in Nizhni Novgorod…the bloody watchdog in Ufa….the unfriendly ladies in the hotel in Sayansk…same for the hotel in Skovorodino…some ladies in some petrol stations in the Russian east…cheating petrol stations near the Baikal…the Japanese bus driver that shouted at me “あと!!! (ato/later!)” when I got on the bus and made three attempts to pay for a ticket without understanding that you had to pay when leaving the bus. But….I think that’s about it.

On the other side of the balance, however, there are many nice memories of meeting people such as…the Austrian bikers in Lithuania…the people in the queue at the Russian border…little chats with Russians at the petrol stations….chats with Russian riders…Alexandr from Moscow on his ST1300…the super-friendly receptionist in Krasnoyarsk…friendly pedestrians…lots of friendly waiters/waitresses…Yuri, the great fixer from Vladivostok…Tatiana and Ryo, two perfect fixers from DBS Ferries…Timoteo, the Spanish-speaking Russian in Vlad…the Japanese hospitality in ryokans…Japanese bikers…the people from Café Tippel…Japanese British car drivers…the mechanic from the Bike Bomber garage in Hida…the staff of Ryokan Yatsusankan in Hida…the papermaker in Ainokura…the taxi driver in Matsumoto…the policemen in Tokio….Aki and Toru from the “Desperado” bar in Tokio…Mrs Omiya and Mrs Takada from DHL in Nagoya…Ryo the bike guide in Kyoto…Seung and Rosalind from Singapore…the chef from Kashin in Kyoto…Professor Hidenaga-san from Tokyo…just to mention the most obvious.

Except the “grumpy” part between Ulan-Ude and Chabarowsk, people in Russia were very friendly and helpful. The attitude of the Japanese is just fantastic! Outstanding kindness and hospitality. Everyone tries very hard not to annoy other people, this is very relaxing. Interacting with other people is all about respect.

The food

The food in Russia was quite good. I enjoyed the soups, the dishes, even in the Far East it was all right and had I no reminiscence of the behind-the-iron-curtain kitchen back before the fall of the Berlin wall.

Japan is paradise for foodies. It seems that Japanese think all the time about food, food, food. It’s everywhere, in different forms and levels, but always good. You can spend lots of money for fine dining or just have some simple, but delicious street food. Staying in ryokans means you have to skip lunch, the very elaborate breakfast is equivalent to a full English breakfast, only so much more delicious and sophisticated. The dinners there were always surprising and showed a reference to Japanese aesthetics.  Many different styles and dishes offer something for everyone. The quality is ranging from good to outstanding. Freshness of ingredients is unmatched.

The feedback

This blog exists for a while, eight years so far. There have been peaks of interest during longer trips (Africa, the Ironbutt Rally in 2013 and 2017), but I had not expected such a wave of visits, comments and positive feedback! A lot of people seemed to be pleased with it and I could see that there were not only regular, returning visitors, but also a spreading of the reports to the vastness that is called “the internet”. Much to my surprise, I received a lot of positive to enthusiastic comments from readers, especially from native speakers. This is very flattering, because I think that my English leaves a lot to be desired as I can’t express myself in the same way as I could in German, I am missing a lot of eloquence when writing in a foreign language. But a lot of the readers seem to have liked it, so I take notice with a pleased humbleness. Thank you all very much for your feedback!

Most memorable moments

The moment when 750 min of waiting time were over and we could finally leave the Russian border post…

The short visit to the Red Square in Moscow, having successfully made a picture…

Saying goodbye to John in Moscow, knowing it was the right decision for him…

The moment it rained for the first time in Russia on a terrible road and my adrenaline reached new heights…

When I realised that my “plan” for Russia was realistic and I could ‘pull this one off’…

Crossing the Volga in Nizhni Novgorod…

Riding through the endless taiga with grassland and birch trees…

Dealing with Russian policemen…

Leaving the horror road in Бердюжье (Berdyushye)…

Seeing the Lake Baikal for the first time…

Crossing the Amur River in Chabarovsk…

Riding 400 km of the last 700 km to Vladivostok in permanent alert mode…

Looking down on the Zolotoy Bridge in Vladivostok…

First view of the Japanese coastline…

Leaving the harbour in Sakaiminato…

Walking through the Peace Park in Hiroshima…

Eating Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima…

Visiting Miyayima island…

Riding around Shikanoshima island…

Eating Teppanyaki in Fukuoka…

Arriving at the Honda factory in Kumamoto…

Talking to the family of Café Tippel…

Riding in the caldera of Mount Aso…

Riding through the Iya valley on Shikoku island…

The oil change in Hida…

The stay in the ryokan Yatsusankan…

The thatched houses in Shirakawa-go and Gokayama…

The valleys in the Japanese Alps…

Ginza and the Tsukiji market in Tokyo…

The fun with Aki and Toru in the Desperado bar…

The successful goodbye to the XBR…

The ride in the Shinkansen…

The walking and cycling through Kyoto…

And many more!

 

Conclusion

A ride of a lifetime. Like my previous big journeys in the last 13 years, without any big issues. I arrived back home well rested and relaxed. This is due to a good planning, a careful execution of the plan, the absence of bad luck and a reliable motorcycle that carries you anywhere you want to go. Compared to what could have gone wrong, a perfect outcome. Before the trips, the adventure always seems so overpowering, but in retrospect, it was so easy to do. This is probably the broadening of one’s horizon that Mark Twain spoke about. With every journey, the world gets a bit smaller, but more familiar.

Saturday: My hotel provided a very elaborate breakfast – it is a small hotel, but they put a lot of effort in details, such as breakfast. Not too big, but prepared with quite some inspiration. A good start into the day. I had booked a guided bicycle tour for today. I went to the main station and had some trouble to find the meeting point, but I arrived on time. There was only another couple from Singapore, Seung and Rosalind. Our guide was Ryo, a young student from Kyoto who does these tours frequently. Her English was very good as she had spent 6 months in Canada.

On the program were to visit to a Buddist and a Shinto temple plus the ‘Philisopher’s path’. In fact she showed as a little more. Her explanations were very good and we learned a lot. Seung and Ros were also travelling in Japan for two weeks and it turned out that they were also adventure bikers! Seung was even planning to do his first Ironbutt ride in Malaysia.

A bicycle is the perfect vehicle to get around in Kyoto and there are lots of them. We went also to an aqueduct, built some 100 years ago in “European” style. It is something exotic in Kyoto.

Our guide Ryo told us many things about the city and some details that were very interesting. For example, she suddenly stopped at a vending machine like you see one at every corner in Japan, they are everywhere. But this one was different. It contained booze. That’s new! One of only two in the city. Very interesting for teenagers.

Luckily it was cloudy, but the humidity and going uphill let the sweat flow again. After the Philopher’s path (where an ancient philosopher used to walk to his faculty), we stopped for some tea and local sweets.

We passed by another temple as we got closer to the touristic area. I asked Ryo if the ladies dressed in Kimonos in the streets were locals or just tourists who rented a kimono. She said “100 % tourist!”

We went back through small roads to the place of the bicycle rent. This was really a nice and very informative trip in good company! Seung, Rosalind and I decided to have lunch together. Thanks to Ryo for the good guided tour!

We three went to the station and found the restaurant recommended by Ryo closed. But there are restaurants in abundance, so soon we were sitting in a cooooooool place and ordered good food. We chatted for more than two yours about motorbikes and our trips.It was great fun. And of course they both ride Honda! They had been already to the Honda museum in Motegi that I deliberately had left out. Well, you can’t have it all. We exchanged our social media locations and said farewell.

As I was already in the station, I visited the Isetan shopping centre. The food section is mind boggling. A “I wanna try it all’ place.

I bought some souvenirs and was impressed by all the different fancy shops. Well, I’m easy to impress, I’m just a hillbilly, haha! I walked back to the hotel and had a well needed shower. I planned my last real dinner in Japan. All the good places were north of the station, but I was not in the mood to walk a lot again. But then I discovered a place very close to the hotel. A family-run business with classic Japanese Kaiseki cuisine and excellent reviews. Let’s go there!

It was really classic, taking off shoes, a small place and I got a place at the counter, directly opposite of the the chef, a young lady and her father who were preparing the dishes in front of me. The place was full and the lady seemed stressed and tired, but both prepared the dishes with great routine and dedication. I ordered the big Japanese dinner, after all it was my last Japanese dinner of the trip. It was really great food and great fun to watch its preparation.

Next to me there was a man at the counter and I started a conversation with him. It turned out he was an ophthalmologist and professor who gave a talk at a conference in Kyoto. He presented some work on drug delivery using drug-releasing contact lenses. Very interesting. I told him that I also had worked once on novel drug delivery systems and we had a good conversation topic.

As I had ordered the large dinner, I was the last guest in the restaurant. I had a conversation with the chef and it seemed she finally could relax, having a funny talk with me. I told her that I was impressed by her good English, having in mind that she never had left Kyoto. She told me that she was not the boss here. Her boss was her father. And her father’s boss was her mother! I praised her good food and she was very thankful, this honours the cook. It was a classic farewell in the street, with waving and bows. An excellent choice.

Sunday: I had another good breakfast and checked out. I walked to the station and left my two bags in a locker. I took the metro and visited the Nijo-jo castle. It is an UNESCO world heritage and played an important role in the history of Japan. The centuries under the Shogun power and the samurais started and ended in this castle.

In the old palace rooms, no pictures could be taken. Inside the palace are several masterpieces of Japanese art, most notably the painted screens of the main chamber. In this room the shoguns met the daimyo (high-ranking warlord-administrators) who sought an audience. The screens were painted by artists of the Kano school and employ rich colors and large amounts of gilt to depict flowers, trees, birds and tigers. They were meant to impress. Also in the palace are the famous “nightingale floors,” which were designed to squeak when steped on and thus alert guards to any intruders.

I walked around in the garden started to melt again. In a ‘rest area’ I bought a green tea ice cream, so I could enjoy the freshness of the air condition.

I took the metro and went back to the station. I entered a place where they make Otonomiyaki, Kyoto style, different from Hiroshima’s. But tasty as well. I got my bags and embarked the Shinkansen. It was Sunday, so the train was pretty full ( I had no reserved seat). I was sent to the correct wagon by the conductor. By the way: when the conductor enters or leaves the wagon, he/she bows first. I have met quite some different conductors in my life…

In Nagoya, I had to change trains, the stations are even separated. Finally I arrived at the Nagoya airport again and walked to the same hotel I was three nights before. In the restaurant, they had only American food….not bad, but what a contrast to the last two weeks!

Tomorrow morning, I will fly back to Europe and a fantastic trip will come to its end. As I will spend a lot of hours in the seat during the flight, I plan to write a bit of a summary of the trip.

I was nervous this morning. After breakfast and check-out, I had to ride 40 km to the harbour to drop-off the XBR. There was not enough petrol in the tank and I feared that the bike was losing much petrol with the fuel tap in reserve mode. When I was about to take off, it started to rain. I went back to the reception and took my rain suit out of my luggage that will stay here for two days. There was a petrol station and I decided to put five litres in the tank. This was way too much but I had clear priorities: number one – get to the warehouse. Whenever I stopped, the carb was overflowing, so I rode opening and closing the tap all the time. I could ride in normal tap position and it seemed that the carb lost less petrol. I rarely had to switch to reserve during this trip, so I rode mostly with a half-opened tap to avoid the overflowing. After 30 km, I realised that the carb was holding the juice again – I would arrive with too much Petrol. I had been instructed, to my bewilderment, to drain the fuel completely. DHL had suggested to drain the petrol at a station next to the warehouse. My request was received with astonishment  by the staff at the petrol station. I asked if they would have a jerry can for the petrol, they could keep it. Their comment was that this is illegal…

Well, I went to the warehouse, I could take care of it later. There was already a employee waiting for me.

I explained him the problem and his comment was that it had to be sent as a dangerous good. Well, that was exactly what I wanted to hear. He explained it to the DHL people on the phone. I had to park the bike in the warehouse , disconnect the battery and remove the number plate (?). I received a call from DHL that the vessel would have to be changed. Well, fine with me. Then I had to wait for the ‘customs number’ after the processing of my case in the system. The employee and I had a long talk, his English was very good as he had worked in Chicago. Finally the paper was ready and he accompanied me to customs, some 100 m away. There, my contact officer was already waiting. My passport and

carnet de passage received the necessary stamps. In the meantime, another officer friendly asked me about my trip. Both officers showed me the way to the bus stop in front of the building and wished me a good trip. What a service and treatment! When I think of certain European custom officers….

 

I took the bus and 40 minutes later, I arrived at a metro station. I had to change the train once and then I was at the Nagoya central station. I bought a ticket for the high-speed Shinkansen train to Kyoto. The ride was very interesting. Everything is super organised and efficient. The acceleration and speed of the train through urban areas is impressive.

In no time I arrived in Kyoto and checked in my hotel near the station. It’s a small, not expensive, stylish and new hotel. Very chic. I decided to go for a walk. But first I needed some food. Some ramen in the station. I walked through the small streets of Kyoto, passed shrines, rivers and shops. I even got as far at the hip quarter of Gion where the tourist density increased and where you can see women in Kimonos. I even spotted one Geisha (actually a maiko). Gion is the Japanese centre of the Geisha culture. A lively quarter with narrow alleys, shops, restaurants and traditional buildings.

A bit of an open-air museum. When after three hours my feet told me that they had enough, I took the metro back to the central station. I needed desperately a shower. After some rest, I went for some dinner in a Yakitori bar, eating some weird skewers (I remember chicken skin and other funny body parts). 100% authentic.

My room has a little kitchen and a washing machine so I could wash some clothes which means I will have clean gear for the flight back.

In the morning, the rain was pattering against the window. I checked the rain radar: a large rain front was moving over my area. If I waited long enough, it would pass by. So I had a late, very traditional Japanese breakfast. When I had packed my luggage, indeed the rain had stopped. Not need to put on the rain suit. The road was still a bit wet, so I rode carefully. It was only a 260 km to Nagoya and another 50 km to the hotel at the airport. After 30 minutes, I was already riding on the highway. The tricky part on this day was to arrive at the hotel with the right amount of petrol left in the tank. I was instructed to have no fuel left in the tank at drop-off, so I had to time it wisely. At a point, I was approaching a service station with petrol and the next announced was 65 km away. Hmmm, that’s maybe a bit far. Maybe I should stop here and think it through. The bike seemingly had heard my thoughts and was running out of petrol. A quick shift to reserve did not work immediately and I had to stop on the exit lane. Finally the bike started and I made a short break and decided to fill 7.4 L in the tank. I had 100 km left to Nagoya, another 50 km to the hotel and a 40 km the next to the drop-off point in the harbour.

The time was right to approach Nagoya: no traffic, expressway to the centre and few red lights. I found the block where I had to meet the people from DHL. It took me 30 minutes to find the right entrance. I first thought I had found the Marunouchi building – until I found out that every second building in the area was a Marunouchi Building. Finally I met my contact persons, two friendly ladies who checked my papers and gave me very detailed instructions for the next day. I will have to deliver the bike, wait for a customs number and walk to the customs office. Plus some telephone calls. The tricky part will be to deliver the XBR without petrol. And get to the station to take a train to Kyoto. As I can’t stay until the customs inspection, they will ship in a dedicated container for the XBR only. No crating needed which means I can leave the panniers on the bike.

I rode the last 50 km to my hotel at the airport where I will leave on Monday. It was carefully chosen because I can leave my luggage there and travel light to Kyoto. I also spotted a car wash close to the airport where I could wash the bike a bit. Some 15 km before the hotel, I had to switch to reserve. 4 km later, the bike would sputter again and stop.

What’s going on??? Luckily, there was a petrol station opposite to the junction where I investigated the problem. Maybe there was some water in the tank? I removed the petrol line and wanted to collect some petrol with an empty water bottle. No petrol was coming out of the tap. Hmmm? I opened the lid….there was petrol inside, right? I used the light of the mobile phone….well, I had to conclude that the tank was empty. This was impossible! I just had switched to reserve! Was there a problem with the tap? I filled up 3.5 L, this should be more than enough. When stopping at red lights, I noticed that the carb was overflowing massively. It occurred to me that I rarely had to switch to reserve during this trip. I stopped at the carwash. Again, the bike was massively losing petrol! For the last 7 km, I had to close the tap when stopping. But finally I found the hotel at the airport and checked in. I had a look in the tank again….a lot of petrol was missing, I’ll have to buy petrol again tomorrow! Right now it seems to me that the bike might be losing a lot of petrol during riding, even it is not in idle speed. Does it have something to do with the tap and the reserve position? Anyway, I have 39 km left to the harbour. In the worst case, I have to open and close the tap periodically. Maybe the XBR wants to tell me that she is tired and wants to go back home now? We’ll master this last challenge tomorrow.

After a well deserved shower, I entered the airport terminal for I had a brilliant idea. I could buy some cheap suitcases and put everything in there, without the need to find another solution to have only two pieces of luggage plus the motorbike gear. I bought two big suitcases, the cheapest special offer I could find (horrible colours), but it seems that this is an elegant solution. I hate to spend 15 hours in stinking motorbike trousers. But now there’s no need for that, I packed already the suitcases and it seems everything will fit.

I notice that I didn’t take any pictures today, well only one from an orange Baumkuchen I had as a snack. But this is really not very spectacular. I booked a guided bicycle tour in Kyoto on Saturday, it will be good to do some exercise again.

So tomorrow has to challenges: getting to the warehouse and getting from the warehouse to Kyoto Station. But I think I will master this test as well.

Monday: I left Matsumoto with a clear stop in mind: the Hakushu Distillery on the way to Tokyo. Of course I had done my on-line reservation for the guided tour and I was there in time after hour of riding. When I was at was at the ticket counter, it was concluded that I was a driver and could not participate actively in the whisky tasting at the end of the end. Well, we’ll see, I was thinking. I had to download an app to follow the tour in English. It was a classical whisky distillery tour: ingredients, mashing, fermentation, casks, ageing. Some things were particular: the situation of the distillery in the woods, the large distilling room and the large warehouse.

I estimated space for 20.000 casks in there. My estimate was confirmed, but the distillery has 15 warehouses with room for 200.000 casks.

That’s an incredibly high number. When we entered the tasting room, there were no glasses for the “drivers”. So they did take this seriously! What a bummer! But it got worse: in the adjacent bar, one could order all the old whiskies (18 and 25 years), but no purchase for “drivers”. Aaargh! Und adding insult to injury, all whiskies were sold out in the shop! How is this possible?? So many casks and nothing left for a little shop? This was disappointing!

I returned to the parking. The lady from the ticket counter came to talk to me. Her English was excellent as she had worked in New Zealand. We had a good talk. She understood the problem, but the distillery was bound by law that no alcohol would touch my lips. Well, case closed, let’s get out of here.

I went back to the highway and rode towards Tokyo. I stopped at a large service area and had some good noodle soup there. My initial plan did not work – I had planned to visit the National Museum in the afternoon, but I realised that it was closed on Mondays. Hmmmm. What could I do instead? Well, I could visit the Hamarikyu Gardens instead, this was planned for the next day initially. I was surprised that the highway to Tokyo’s centre was so fluid. Maybe the early hour helped a bit. It was a bit tricky as the sat nav always wanted to send me on the shortest route. Finally I arrived close to the gardens, but there was no place to park. Finally I found a spot in a corner and walked to the entrance of the gardens. Humidity was around 90 % and streams of sweat were flowing. I strolled through the beautiful garden that contrasted with the surrounding skyscrapers.

I returned to the XBR and rode to the hotel. I followed the sat nav’s instructions and at a junction, I turned right. At the same moment I heard a loud voice shouting via a loudspeaker. When I had finished the turn, I heard massively loud sirens in the back. Hm? What’s going on there? I rode on, calmly. Only two more turns to the hotel. The sirens came closer. The sirens were behind me. The loudspeaker talked again. I turned around.

The cop was talking to me! I stopped around the corner. The police car behind me with flashing lights. The two cops tried to explain me (with the help of an app on their phone) that I shouldn’t have turned right at that crossing. Oh, really? Hm, I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware. Yes, it was forbidden between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. And then started what I hoped never would happen. I had to present all my papers. Driving licence, international driving licence, its Japanese translation, my passport, the carnet de passage, its Japanese translation, my Belgian registration, its Japanese translation, my Japanese insurance…The officers looked at everything, trying to understand all the documents. It was clear that they never had such a case and were overwhelmed by the situation. The younger officer was very polite and excused himself. They needed to call HQ and check if I was allowed to ride Japan. Oh vey! Well, of course, but they were apparently confused by the German/Belgian mixture. I was content that I had changed the bike’s registration to a Belgian one. Assuming someone manages to enter Japan with a German bike, this would be a total disaster. But I was confident that everything was in order and tried not to smirk too much. The officer was very courteous and asked for my patience. I tried to explain the situation a bit. Slowly, very slowly the cops understood the Japanese papers. In the end, they were satisfied with the information. I explained that I had not seen any sign. They told me that I was very important to respect road sign. Yes, of course, officer. Very much. In the end they gave me a warning, I said sorry for having wasted their time. We bowed several times and I was free to go. My hotel was only 50 m away. There was no place to place to stop, so I stopped on the pavement. I entered the hotel and hoped that the passing cops wouldn’t mind that I had stopped there. But there were no sirens again.

Punch line: I checked the next days twice, there was no sign! Only for the direction where the police car came from. The cops were wrong, haha. They would have lost their face!

I checked in and brought my luggage to the small room. It was a small, but new hotel with very friendly staff. I wanted to park the bike. Er, motorbikes cannot enter. What? But I had booked the hotel because it had a parking. Motorbikes cannot enter, we had informed you. What? Well, yeah, AFTER I had booked the non-refundable room. Great. They had suggested a parking, but could not reach anybody. OK, I take care of it myself. All parkings I found in the area were not suited for motorbikes. Finally I left the XBR next a small parking, but still on the parking’s premises. When I returned to the  hotel, I had developed a bad conscience and asked the staff again. They (finally!) explained me that their suggested parking was a parking for motorbikes. Aaaaah! I went there (500 m) and it was a complicated system with a long lock and a payment terminal. I didn’t understand the machine (only Japanese) and left the bike there. In the hotel, they explained me how it worked. I walked back and put the lock around my lock. I walked back and FINALLY could have a shower! It was late and as the hotel had no restaurant, I strolled around in the hip quarter of Ginza. In the end I chose a foodbar with the kitchen in the centre. I had some good meat in soy sauce, but that was not enough. I noticed that the famous Kabuki-za theatre was just next door. But I was too little time in the city to watch one of its long plays.

I had a beer in an Irish pub (only Japanese, that’s strange). In the whole quarter, there were many European food places. But not for me! In the end I went to a famous ramen chain restaurant from Fukuoka. When I was there, I tried teppanyaki and not its famous ramen. Well, then I needed to try them here in Tokyo! And they were delicious, with roasted pork. So the day had found a good end, after quite some hiccups.

Tuesday: I had no breakfast in my hotel, but went to the famous Tsukiji market. The famous fish auctions have recently been relocated to another quarter, but the wholesale market stays here in Ginza. It is quite a lively, funny place, lots of shops trying to attract tourists with delicious snacks or proper restaurant food. I tried some fish yakitori and some Toro sashimi. I walked criss-cross around the market and found the halls with the fish mongers.  In the end, I chose a restaurant and had breakfast/lunch: some bluefin tuna and sea urchin. It’s definitely not something for everyday, also seen the endangered status of the fish, but once it’s ok to try it here. I walked around again and slowly the market filled with tourists, time to get of there.

I walked through the shine and glitz of Ginza and its shops. I crossed several shopping malls to cool down a bit. It was not the temperature, but the high humidity that made me sweat like a….well, you know. All luxury brands were present, several times. Some malls had nice ideas like a book shops with fine food or nice Japanese pottery. But I resisted to buy anything, as  a matter of principle. My luggage is too big anyway and I’ll have to reduce it before I fly home.

The quarter is bustling with activity, work and shopping, shopping, shopping. Consumerism to the max. Interesting.

I walked to the adjacent Imperial park where the Emperor’s palace is located. It cannot be visited, only the public part of the park. I wandered around and took some pictures. Slowly I walked back to the hotel, with a break in a coffee bar (air condition!). It was a long and interesting walk today. You feel a bit like a classic naturalist, studying the exotic behaviour of distant tribes. The staff at the hotel was very nice and printed some papers I will need for the drop-off of the bike in Nagoya.

I went to the little onsen in the hotel and dressed up, I had reserved at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Finally my clothes bought in Vladivostok would come into play. It was still casual, like the place itself. Two tables and one counter where the chef prepared the dishes. Many little dishes were served. It was all very good, of superior quality. Well, the source for this freshness was only one kilometre away. First-class ingredients next door. But to be honest, today’s dinner would not merit a star. It seems that Tokyo is flooded by Michelin stars. 149 of them I counted. That’s…. a lot. But no regrets, I was a good meal.

I was thinking about having a whisky before hitting the sack. There was no bar in my hotel. I checked Google. There was a bar very close called ‘Desperado’ (cozy whisky bar). Sounded good. I entered the small bar where there was only the bartender and one couple. They left soon. Well, I sat at the counter and started a conversation. I tried his suggestion from Hokkaido. Good! We chatted a lot, also about my trip and then I needed to try the Hibiki 21 years. Excellent. The bartender laid the Japanese Tarot cards for me and concluded that my future looked rosy, I only needed to have an eye on good communication. OK, this can be arranged. Aki had worked at a big luxury hotel, but has now started his own business, this bar.

And then the late evening took a funny turn. A new guest arrived. It was Aki’s (the bartender’s) friend Toru. We discovered that we had many common interests (motorbikes, wine, music taste) and had really a good laugh. I tried another secret tip from Aki. Some other friends came and went and the conversation became more and more hilarious. Toru knew the German singer Nena and her armpit hair. Why was this hilarious? Well, not because Nena was very ‘natural’ (and why not?), it was the very detail a Japanese guy remembered after almost 40 years. They invited me for a glass of wine and we discussed the wine subject. Then a new guest showed up. According to his accent, I correctly asked him whether he was Austrian (no, not Australian!). Touché! And then Aki and Toru were very generous inviting for some more rounds of whisky. It was great fun together, but at a certain point I called it a day, I knew it was already very late and I had things to do the next day. I said farewell to he guys, it was really good company laughing together with two great Japanese fellas!

Wednesday: I woke up at eight with a heavy head. Not a bad handover, but I lacked some freshness until the evening. I packed my stuff und fetched the bike. I could have left without paying, but so what, I had parked there and why not pay your dues. It was again hot and humid. I quickly mounted my luggage in front of the hotel and rode to the Ueno quarter. I rode along a road that choice had suggested to me. Many motorbike shops should be there. But as Aki and Toru had already told me, things had changed. There were only few shops left and no parking space. So no stop there. I went to the National Museum and visited the highlights of Japanese Arts section.

You could spend a whole day and more there, but I still needed to go to Mount Fuji today. So I decided to enjoy only the great section of the highlights. But it was worth it. I was striking that delicate artefacts were produced in Japan when Europe and its artists were still in the grip of the dark Middle Ages. Some drawings from the 14th century were so realistic and comic-esque that they seem to be from the 21st century. Great paintings, calligraphy, sculptures and other things.

When I returned to the bike, I found a paper, probably a parking ticket. Well, no parking spaces, but if nobody is bothered….I left Tokyo (after some detours, my sat nav is really stupid here) and headed Westwards again. I stopped at the Mount Fuji Museum and visited the exposition, a good documentation of the history of the iconic mountain and its role for the Japanese people.

I had planned to ride half-way up, but as it was cloudy, I decided against it. Well, I only had to get to the ryokan for today. I tried to get a view on Mount Fuji, but when I finally found a good spot, Fuji-san was in the clouds. A pity.

I had the usual programme, arrival at the ryokan, friendly welcome, check-in, Yukata and a long bathing session in the onsen. After that, buffet dinner. No Kaiseki today, but I had to find out for myself which kind of species I ingested today. The place is less chic than the last ones, but everything is there that you need. And the price is ok.

I received a message from the Japanese contact person of DHL who seem to have some problems to get my shipment on track. Now they told me that the customs inspection can only happen three days after I will have left the country. But they need the passport for the inspection. Well, no. The German HQ confirmed that there will be a solution, but the Japanese section is struggling. But hey, that’s their problem not mine. I will visit their office tomorrow in Nagoya, let’s see what they tell me, haha.