Go Back   Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB > Ride Tales, Trip Reports and Stories > Ride Tales
I finally did it: Quit my job, sold my home and have gone riding!!! I finally did it: Quit my job, sold my home and have gone riding!!!
Register FAQ Calendar Today's Posts
Ride Tales Post your ride reports for a weekend ride or around the world. Please make the first words of the title WHERE the ride is. Please do NOT just post a link to your site. For a link, see Get a Link.
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Hendi Kaf,
in Cambodia



Like Tree446Likes

Reply
Page 135 of 141 « First 3585121122123124125126127128129130131132133134 135 136137138139140141
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #2011  
Old 24 Jun 2019
MilesofSmiles's Avatar
Registered Users
HUBB regular
  
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Riverside California
Posts: 78
Gene and Neda,
I have been following your "many year" trip in ADV which I am not a member and I am now at the Japan part and your first Sushi meal. What a wonderful adventure you have undertaken. My two KTM's sitting in the garage and myself only wish I could have done a ride like this. Fantastic.

Thank you for the adventure.
Reply With Quote
  #2012  
Old 22 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847
Quote:
Originally Posted by MilesofSmiles View Post
Thank you for the adventure.
Thanks!

Our blog is really behind, but I'll try to post up what I have.
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2013  
Old 22 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847
Updated from Apr 01 2017: Surfs up, Japan!



We're riding the island of Shikoku today. The plan is to simply follow the coastline south-west from Tokushima and just check out what's along the way.

So no plan really...


A little shortcut through the mountains. Virtually no traffic once we're outside of Tokushima! We like that.


Quick photo break! The bikes are handling nicely and I think I'm finally starting to get used to the sporty seating position

It's still pretty cold and overcast as we break through the heavily forested mountains. The twisty road we're on quickly descends down to Shikoku island's shores. We're greeted by the sight of sandy beaches along the coastal route.
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2014  
Old 22 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

Along the coast, we pass by several groups of hikers on the road dressed in the same white jackets we saw in Koya the other day

These hikers are actually on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. There are 88 temples scattered all around the island of Shikoku. Pilgrims have to visit all of them in order, traveling a total of 1,200 kms! To show your progress, you get your Temple Stamp Book marked with a red stamp found at each temple. So it's like a religious scavenger hunt!

People from outside Japan may not be aware, but there is a bit of fad going on with these Goshuin (temple stamp books) in Japan these days. Temple stamps can be found all over the country, not just on Shikoku. We're on a lot of Japanese Facebook groups, and we've seen so many posts of people's goshuin showing off rare stamps from hard-to-reach temples. For a lot of young people here, if you're going on vacation or on a business trip to a different part of Japan, you must always make time to visit one of the temples in the area to get your goshuin stamped there, so you can post a picture of it on Facebook, to the envy of everyone else!
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2015  
Old 22 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

Back to the pilgrims though. There is a traditional pilgrim's outfit that consists of a white coat, purple scarf, conical hat and a wooden walking stick

Most of the pilgrims today undertake the pilgrimage by tour bus, but a small number still do it on foot, which typically takes six months to complete. This is something I can totally see Neda doing...

Despite all this preparation, many pilgrims don't actually complete the full 88-temple, 1,200km pilgrimage. They say most give up around Temple #30, in Kochi, because of its hot temperatures, frequent rains and it's distance from civilization. I guess at that point they hop on the tour bus with the rest of the other pilgrims...

Since the pilgrimage can be done any time of the year, early spring is probably the best time to undertake it, as the weather hasn't gotten too hot yet on the island, and the snow is already disappearing from the mountains.

On our southern route down the east coast of the island, we pass throgh Minami, where we spot a large temple from the road. This turns out to be Yakuoji temple. It's #23 on the Shikoku 88. We stop to investigate.
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2016  
Old 22 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

At the temple in Minami, we see the cartoon sign for food, the mascot with the noodle bowl on his head. Must be a restaurant inside?

No restaurant. And embarassingly, I find out that it's not a sign for food at all. The cartoon figure is actually Koya-Kun, a monk who is the mascot for the town of Koya, which we visited a day earlier. The reason the Shikoku 88 pilgrims were in Koya, was because that is where everyone traditionally goes to prepare for the trek.

So I guess that's not a noodle bowl on his head... Oops...


Some more ema cards with wishes written on them. So cold, someone gave the statue of the monk a knitted cap... not a noodle bowl...
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2017  
Old 22 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

Buddhist swastikas adorn the temple roofs overlooking the town of Minami and the coastline of Shikoku


Passing by many small shrines, each a little house for a diety

At Yukuoki, there is a local custom where people visiting the temple leave coins on the steps just beside the railing for good luck. I haven't seen that in any other temple.


Closeup of the white jackets that the Shikoku 88 pilgrims wear. Emblazoned on the back
is name of the Buddhist monk, "Kukai", who is associated with the pilgrimage
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2018  
Old 22 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

Various people and statues around Yukuoji templ


Orange and white koi fish swim in little channels
and pools found around the temple

Koi is Japanese for carp. Typically carp is grey in colour, but when it was first brought over to Japan, breeders brought out various bright colours in the fish. The koi fish are a symbol for love and friendship because "koi" also sounds like the word for "love" in Japanese.


Aha, we spy the first Cherry Blossoms! Neda is sooo happy we are finally seeing them start to bloom!

Our elation is short-lived though. There is a chart on the Internet which shows when the cherry blossoms bloom in each part of the country. However, we've just heard that Tokyo has had a bout of unusually warm weather lately. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom right now where we just left! Dammit! We traveled for a week and a half just to catch the beginnings of the bloom in the south and it's already well underway back in the north!
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2019  
Old 22 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

Prayer candles and cherry blossoms


Back on the road, heading further south. I love the Japanese writing on the tarmac
I have no idea what it says, but it's a constant reminder that we are in Japan!


We pass by many of these huge ramps that led to nothing in particular

Japan has a long history of earthquakes and tsunamis. The last big earthquake/tsunami was in 2011, and that one caused the Fukushima reactor meltdown. During that disaster, a 30-meter tidal wave of black water slammed the north-east coast, killing 18,000 people.

Since then, many countermeasures have been put in place to prepare for the next big earthquake and/or tsunami. Vast underground tunnels have been carved beneath Tokyo to allow the flood waters to drain. In the coastal areas, these ramped tsunami evacuation towers allow people to climb high enough to avoid killer tidal waves and being drowned in the resulting floods.

There were about 4 or 5 of these mega structures in each town we passed through. Crazy!
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2020  
Old 22 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

Road rises up so we stop to get a glimpse of the coastline from above


Neda says the rocky coast here reminds her of California

While we are sightseeing around the area, we catch a glimpse of a stray dog running across the road in front of our parked bikes. A closer look reveals that it's not a dog at all...


It's a monkey! A Japanese macaque, specifically. We stare at them up in the trees. They stare back at us.
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2021  
Old 28 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

And then back down to sea-level


We make another stop to visit some cool-looking rocks by the beaches


This one has a tree growing on top of it! Cool!
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2022  
Old 28 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

This lady walking by us was funny. She had no control over her dog. It was walking her!

Laughing out loud, Neda says to me, "Our dog is *never* going to behave like that!"


A bit further down the road, we see people in the waters. Not just any people... surfers!
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2023  
Old 28 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847
I'm not a big surfer, but I've never heard of Japan being a great surf spot. I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise that there is surfing here in Shikoku with all the tsunamis and typhoons that hit the south-eastern shore of the island.


A surfer crosses the highway to get from the town to the beach


Surfers enjoy themselves on the rivermouth swells, in front of a wall of concrete tetrapods

At first I thought these concrete blocks were a form of tsunami countermeasures, but then I read that these giant tiddlywink-shaped concrete blocks are called "Tetrapods". They're piled up on the beach to prevent erosion of the sand by the pounding waves. It's a very artificial design, not found in nature, its special shape forces the water to flow around them, dissipating the wave impact and preserving the sands beneath them from washing out into the ocean.
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2024  
Old 28 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

Walking down to the water

The south-east coast of Shikoku has a unique geography and climate contributing to excellent surf conditions. Because of the abundant rainfall, rivers from the mountains in the middle of the island create sandbanks on the shore when they spill out into the sea. Then during typhoon season, the huge waves break on these sandbanks creating what's known as "rivermouth swells".

Typhoon season is normally July-November, which makes it the best time for surfing. It's still too early for the good swells, these must be all the locals in the area that surf year-round.


Hangin' Ten on the baby waves in Shikoku
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
  #2025  
Old 28 Sep 2019
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: No Fixed Address (formerly Toronto)
Posts: 1,847

Parked beneath a statue of Kukai, the Buddhist monk at the center of the Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage.
Beneath the statue is a temple where they train new priests.

By the time we've reached the tip of Cape Muroto, it's well past lunchtime. There's a visitor centre off the road and when we peer inside, we find a cafeteria with a marvelous view of the coastline. Score!


We're lucky they are still serving food this late in the afternoon.
We order the classic chicken donkatsu (breaded chicken with curry and rice). So Japanese!!!
__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com
Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 135 of 141 « First 3585121122123124125126127128129130131132133134 135 136137138139140141

Tags
cuba, rtw, visit

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 32 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 32 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

 
 

Announcements

Thinking about traveling? Not sure about the whole thing? Watch the HU Achievable Dream Video Trailers and then get ALL the information you need to get inspired and learn how to travel anywhere in the world!

Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's the list of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now, and add your information if we didn't find you.

Next HU Eventscalendar

25 years of HU Events
Be sure to join us for this huge milestone!

ALL Dates subject to change.

2025 Confirmed Events:

Virginia: April 24-27 2025
Queensland is back! May 2-4 2025
Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 2025
CanWest: July 10-13 2025
Switzerland: Date TBC
Ecuador: Date TBC
Romania: Date TBC
Austria: Sept. 11-14
California: September 18-21
France: September 19-21 2025
Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2 2025

Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!

Questions about an event? Ask here

See all event details

 
World's most listened to Adventure Motorbike Show!
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...

Adventurous Bikers – We've got all your Hygiene & Protection needs SORTED! Powdered Hair & Body Wash, Moisturising Cream Insect Repellent, and Moisturising Cream Sunscreen SPF50. ESSENTIAL | CONVENIENT | FUNCTIONAL.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)



Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance.

Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.

Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.

Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!


 

What others say about HU...

"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia

"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK

"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia

"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA

"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada

"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa

"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia

"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany

Lots more comments here!



Five books by Graham Field!

Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook

"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.



Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!

Your ad could be here, on EVERY page of the HUBB, or the whole website, or as many as you like!

New to Horizons Unlimited?

New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!

Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.

Susan and Grant Johnson Read more about Grant & Susan's story

Membership - help keep us going!

Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.

You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:08.

Contact Us - Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Website - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top