Take 2...

*This was the text that was supposed to come before those pictures from the other day...*


If you had 12 hours to do whatever you wanted, what would it be?
I took a vacation day today and went touring all over Yamaguchi prefecture. I basically did a fly-by of all the places here that I had yet to visit. Twelve hours and 400 kilometers later, I was back home, exhausted. But it was mentally relaxing; just what I was looking for.
Of the 12 hours, probably 8 of them were spent on the motorcycle... that's enough to wear you out! The weather was amazing... I couldn't have ordered it an better. Forgot my sunblock though - but long sleeves and a helmet nearly all day, the burn is minimal. Unfortunately I was about 2 days too late, because all the cherry blossoms had basically fallen to the ground. Early in the morning, though, as I was driving through the woods, they were falling all around me... that made for a pleasant ride! I also hit a bird - never thought that would happen on a motorcycle! And after dark something hit me in the chest, I think it was trying to knock me off the bike ;) It felt big, but I couldn't see it because I was looking into headlights, and it didn't leave any evidence behind... so that one remains a mystery.
So I started off heading up through the mountains to the northern coast, to Hagi and Nagato, on the way to Tsunoshima. Tsunoshima is this amazingly beautiful island off the northwest corner of Yamaguchi prefecture. The bridge across to it is fantastic! After about 3 hours wandering around the island, I headed in the direction of home, by a different route. I came upon Akiyoshidai on the way, which is a vast (for Japan) area of rolling hills covered with small rock formations. Wonderful roads to enjoy on the bike!
One of the best things about the day was that I didn't plan it all out ahead of time. I took a map, but I didn't use it... even though it was my first time going to all these places, I know he geography of Yamaguchi pretty well, so I just relied on the road signs to point me from one town to the next (very few roads here have names or numbers)... because I didn't have to be anywhere specific at any time, it was actually a lot of fun. And I got to see a lot more than if I had mapped it all out to take the fastest route...
I'll leave you with some pictures... then I'm off to bed!

You've Got 12 hours...

The pictures call for explanation...
Here's the beautiful bridge leading to Tsunoshima.










Some random flowers...










You woudn't ever expect to see this in Japan, would you?










Hold your horses... it's actually a bathroom! It used to be a wedding chapel, and was even used in a movie a while ago. It's quite a sight, even if it is a public restroom!










And the lighthouse... made of stone.










Don't forget to dry your seaweed well, or else it might not taste good...










Look at all those windmills! Crazy! (We've got 7 here in Hirao)...










And Akiyoshidai, with the rolling hills.

I think I'm in love...

I can't hardly believe how much fun I'm having on this bike! I mean, I enjoyed riding around at the driving school, but now that I'm out on the 'open road' it's just a whole different world. And seriously, it's just FUN! (Don't worry, safety always comes first...) I just wish now that I'd have taken my SRL camera instead of the dinky one...

Hirao makes up the western side of a peninsula that runs north and south. Even though I've lived here for 2 years and seen signs (well, a sign :))for the Murotsu Skyline running along the mountains down the center of the peninsula, I've never ventured out there before. You know, it's just like growing up outside of DC and not going into town to see the Smithsonian museums, the White House, the Monument or the memorials. Well, now that I have this bike, I've got a reason to run along the skyline... So that's what I did this afternoon. Man, it was so refreshing! The road winds around the mountains, up and down... and there's nobody else out there. It's mostly wooded, but there are some places where you can see out over the sea. Today it was hazy, so the view wasn't great... but it's always beautiful. I love the water here because there are so many islands everywhere. I decided to ride back along the coast... again, simply beautiful - just too quick! :) I can't believe I live less than a half hour from all these natural wonders. God is good!

My New Toy

Perhaps I shouldn't call my new Honda VTR250 a toy... but I've been excited about it all week, just like I would feel in the days leading up to Christmas when I was a little boy. And it's as much fun as I was hoping for.

Last summer while in Okayama I was looking to do something a little, um, out of the ordinary. The result - I ended up going to driving school to get a motorcycle license (school is required here). It was a little expensive, and at first more stressful than fun... but in about a month's time I finished all the classes and even passed the final test. I exchanged my graduation papers for my new license when I returned to Hirao in September.

So in July I started saving up my money, and looking online and in magazines to find my bike... I decided on the Honda VTR250 pretty early on, but wasn't ready to put down the money until now. So a couple of weeks ago I went to Iwakuni with Shobu-san and we looked at the blue VTR we'd found online. No problems with the bike, and they promised to change the battery, tires, brakes, plugs, chain and just about everything else... so I bought it!

This Wednesday I hopped on the train and headed over to the bike shop to pick it up. I was a little nervous on the hour ride home, and the farther I went the more comfortable I felt, and whoa, I was having so much fun!

Each day I've gone out a bit, and I'm getting used to it. Now I've got to plan my first tour! :) There are plenty of great places to go around here with the water and all the mountains... To tell the truth, I'm just looking foward to going back and forth between here and Nijigaoka - following the water much of the way!