It's been there off and on for many years.
DBS also calls to Japan.
If you are going all the way upto Hokkaido,,
Remember,,,
Japan is a very long country ,, Tokyo to Hokkaido by bike ,,, takes about a week to get there,, then another two days or so to hit the ferry ,, meanwhile ,, you are paying 6 - 10 USD for a bowl of noodles ,, gas,, lodging at 70 yen per one USD,, Frequent rain,, impeccable drivers maintaining proper speed limit, at all times, in front of you ,,
Been to Japan,, some 60 times and lived in Shibuya, for a year riding horses at the Joba Clabe with Madam Yukio Mishima... love the place ,,, you have to do Japan,,, piece by piece,,to appreciate,, And watch the weather carefully.
Don't be penny wise,, pound foolish.

I have been living in Japan for 10 years now and riding for 8, and no offense but your take on Japan touring is at best highly misleading.

First of all, Wakkanai (at the northern tip of Hokkaido) to central Tokyo is about 1,350km by road. I personally have ridden from Wakkanai to Tokyo in 22 hours, including two hours hanging around the Hakodate port waiting for the ferry to depart, and another 4 hours on the ferry itself. Unless you are deliberately exploring every side road along the way and stopping frequently, the idea that it takes a over a week to get from Tokyo to any point on Hokkaido is simply incorrect.

Moving on to costs, especially with the strong yen (now at 80 to the dollar, not 70) it is certainly possible to pay 6-10 dollars or more for a big bowl of ramen noodle soup. (And it will be delicious!) But if you look for things like sandwiches, onigiri rice balls, or meat buns at convenience stores, or eat at cheap cafeteria-style restaurants at service areas, you can get a quick meal for only a couple of bucks. Better yet, if you're really pressed for cost savings on a long tour, stock up on non-perishable food at a supermarket and carry it with you. To save money on lodging, the obvious answer is to camp, either at campsites or for free in places you find on your own. (Choose wisely, be discreet, and no one will hassle you.) Campsites are also a good place to cook your own food from the supermarket.

As to weather, yes, it does rain sometimes in Japan, just like in most other places! A good idea is to avoid the rainy season from late June to mid-July, and the typhoon season from late August to mid-September. But even during those times, you can get days and days of great, sunny weather.

Finally, there are many different varieties of Japanese driver. On the expressways, you will regularly find people exceeding the speed limit by 20-40km per hour. Not Autobahn crazy, but certainly not little-old-lady timid, either. And lane splitting is 100% legal in Japan. So if there's a slowpoke in front of you on the expressway, just split your way past him! And on narrow mountain roads here, bikers regularly pass cars and trucks (after checking to make sure the oncoming lane is clear, of course). 9 times out of 10, the cager will actually ease over to the side to let you past! It's considered polite to give such drivers a friendly "thank you" wave as you pass them.

Maybe you somehow managed to have a bad time touring in Japan. I'm sorry to hear that, since I firmly believe Japan is one of the best countries in the world for motorcycle touring. I'd be happy to offer you or anyone else advice if you're considering a Japan trip. Or you could check out a local riders' forum at http://www.gaijinriders.com

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1997 Honda X4 ・ 2009 BMW R1200GS Adventure ・ IBA #42657

Don't mean to piss match here ,,

"Rain late June to mid-July, and the typhoon season from late August to mid-September"
Looks like missing out best time of the year. I went in April and it was miserable two weeks. Wet and foggy every day.

"Wakkanai to Tokyo in 22 hours"
No taking in of the culture, cuisine and people? Just ride like hell? What about all the lovely Japanese coast lines and small fishing villages,, and sashimis on the way?

"speed limit by 20-40km per hour"

Getting out of the Tokyo it self takes more than an hour,, two on bad traffic, if I remember correctly. Japanese cops are very good in nabbing you and penalty high for speeding.

And where I differ ,, my idea of grand tour of Japan is nice warm nights at a classic Ryokan , Onsens,, and warm Saki. No rice balls on the side of the road some where ,, in the middle of the rain.

No pissing match, just info from a local who loves riding here.

April in Japan is generally regarded as a prime month for motorcycle touring. Sounds like you had really bad luck with the weather, and that's unfortunate, but it can happen in any country.

I agree if you're touring to see the country, as opposed to get somewhere, it's much nicer to stop and smell the roses instead of blasting straight to your destination. I thought in your original comment you were saying that that's the minimum time it takes to get from Tokyo to Wakkanai. My point is that if you're in a hurry for some reason, it can be done in less than a single day. Of course you can make it take as long as you want by exploring fun roads and sights along the way, camping out, soaking in onsen, etc.

Technically, the whole area called Tokyo is more like a state than a city. (It's kind of like how New York is a city but also a state.) It could take an hour to go across the entirety of Tokyo, I guess. But I don't see how it could take an hour to get out of just the "central Tokyo" city part on a motorcycle. I ride around central Tokyo every day as part of my commute and don't have any problems with traffic. But even in peak traffic jam conditions (example: setting off at the start of a three-day weekend, when everybody and his brother jumps on the expressways out of town) you can just lane split your way to freedom. Or you leave early and beat the rush. If you refuse to lane split and you get caught in peak traffic, then yes, it could take you an hour or more!

You can easily get nabbed for speeding in the city. Out on the expressway, especially in less-populated areas, the odds of getting nabbed fall off dramatically.

Yes, there are very expensive places to stay in Japan. You could easily spend $100 a night or more. But my point is that the amount of money you spend on food and lodging is really up to you, just like the amount of time it takes you to go from Tokyo to Wakkanai is up to you. If you want to stay in "classic ryokan" and eat fancy meals, you're going to end up spending more -- maybe A LOT more -- than someone who camps or looks for budget accommodations and cheap eats. This isn't Japan's fault; it's a consequence of your personal preferences. One last point I'd make is that cheap doesn't have to equal low-quality. I've cooked nice, hot dinners at campsites that were every bit as delicious as a good restaurant meal.

My main point in all of this is that Japan is an incredible place to tour, and the costs and distances are easily manageable to fit all sorts of different agendas. I really hope you give Japan another try, and I hope you get better weather when you do.

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1997 Honda X4 ・ 2009 BMW R1200GS Adventure ・ IBA #42657

I started a new thread and moved some posts, as this debate (?) was getting off the Sakhalin ferry topic!


Regarding getting in and out of Tokyo:
Even if you are on a budget, I recommend taking the expressway (toll road). Taking surface roads, you really can spend 2 hours in stop and go traffic before you reach somewhere you can ride more than 5 minutes before hitting the next red traffic light. 1 to 15 dollars worth of tolls will get you far enough away that you are moving more than you are stopped.
The Metropolitan Expressway at the center of Tokyo, however, can be confusing as hell. Even being able to read and write Japanese, I sometimes get confused as to where I am going! And there are very few places to pull over and check the map there.

Routes in Japan to avoid include Highway 1 between Tokyo and Nagoya: Traffic is hell and there ain't a whole lot to see. Highway 6 on the Pacific coast is probably in bad shape as there was a bit of a tsunami last year (understatement of the decade?). Going to or from Hokkaido, don't ride the entire way on Highway 7 on the Sea of Japan (that would be East Sea to you Joe!:confused1: the scenery is mostly the same all the way.

Disclaimer: The opinions above are my own and may or may not reflect the real situation or tastes of anyone other than myself.

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Japan touring information

I fully agree with Chris and Guy!

Yes, Japan can be expensive, yes the weather can be somewhat shi...y, but touring in Japan is GREAT!

I've lived here for more than 20 years now, riding bikes to all kind of places,including 2 trips to Hokkaido. I accomodated RTW bikers twice so far and they were full of praise concerning their "Japan-experience".

It always depends on what you want to do, when and where.

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I agree completely -- I had just assumed anyone heading out of Tokyo would be taking one of the expressways!

But of course, someone who's just visiting and doesn't know what the surface roads around Tokyo are like are like might be tempted to try them instead. That would be a mistake.

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1997 Honda X4 ・ 2009 BMW R1200GS Adventure ・ IBA #42657