Motorcycles

The following day includes a planned street ride to the Motegi circuit. This was the moment we were looking forward to the most, yet oddly enough blasting around the countryside proved the most familiar experience of our entire trip. Although riders must use the “wrong” i.e. left side of the road in Japan, the scenery and sensation of bike and road feels just like home. As we pile on the miles, some of the Kanji characters even begin looking familiar after seeing them repeatedly on highway signs.

Arriving at the Motegi circuit, empty thanks to the 2010 Japanese GP being cancelled due to that pesky Icelandic volcano, we have free reign in the Honda Collection Hall. The Honda facility houses beautifully kept racing motorcycles and cars from the marque's past. Yet another must visit for racing fans.

Afterward we push back the way we came. The ride to Motegi was fun, but leaves me wanting a quintessential Japanese riding experience. Retracing our steps the lead rider takes a detour. Within minutes our group climbs a curvy mountain path and we’re suddenly speeding through tight corners and long sweepers. Tree blossoms fall on the road from overhanging branches, then swirl in the wake of the bike ahead. The road is narrow, but there are no other cars. The only people we see are elderly gardeners, tending thick beds of onions and cabbages - the manicured gardens of their country homes set off with stone gates. Our road winds on, the blossoms falling… This is it, that Zen moment I was looking for.

Returning to Utsunomiya we follow identical industrial roads to our hotel. The riding portion of the trip over, it’s time for celebration, sushi, sake, karaoke… The next day is our final hurrah in Tokyo