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On the road in Japan · Our travelling companions
Japan offers volcanoes, geysers and roads that make a rider so happy he almost forgets to get off. But sometimes the most interesting landscapes are sitting on the other motorcycles. Everyone brings a story. Some bring an entire library of journeys.
We are a small international society on two wheels, with different accents, life stories and ideas about who ought to ride at the front. On that last point, at least one of us has admirable clarity.
Our guide: limited English, unlimited warmth
Our motorcycle guide leads the way. He is a racing rider, and you can tell how completely at home he feels on a bike. His English is limited. His laugh needs neither translation nor subtitles. A laugh can be so warm that even a language barrier begins to look rather silly.
He enjoys the fact that I can keep up quite well on my BMW R 1300 GS. I am 76. Fortunately, the machine has not noticed. To the bike, I seem simply to be the man sitting on top, occasionally looking rather pleased. We understand each other.
Mr. L and the natural order of the convoy
I affectionately call one of our German companions Mr. L. He is two years older than I am and an exceptionally experienced motorcyclist. Tibet, Pakistan, all over the world: his travel experience would probably fill several passports and a medium-sized map department.
Mr. L knows a lot. A very great deal. Ask him, and that assessment can expand considerably. He likes to ride at the front. The front is his place, his view and, I sometimes suspect, a small component of the world order. Occasionally, I overtake him anyway. Even world orders need a little movement.
I mean this affectionately. Characters like these bring a group journey to life. Who would want to spend twenty days riding exclusively with people who always agree?
From Switzerland via Naples to Hua Hin
Then there is a lovely Swiss couple. They have packed up their life in Switzerland and now live in Hua Hin, Thailand. Both are enthusiastic motorcyclists. He was born near Naples in Italy and brings the corresponding temperament. Swiss history, Italian energy, a home in Thailand: even the brief introduction becomes a little journey.
Lovely people. And a fine example of how life can acquire a completely different address, even later on.
A professor takes time for himself
An American professor has flown in especially for this tour. He loves motorcycling and is enjoying a stage of life that belongs to him. He has carried considerable responsibility and raised his children. Now there is time for new encounters, travel and enjoying his own life.
He is wonderfully cheerful. His planning seems to consist less of obligations and more of possibilities these days. An approach I can certainly appreciate.
A former English entrepreneur and his French wife are also riding with us. Our group alone disproves the idea that all motorcyclists are cut from the same cloth. If they are, that cloth must have come from an astonishing number of countries.
What a helmet does not tell you
There are also stories that make humour take a step back. One companion has suffered a serious personal loss and found renewed steadiness in motorcycling. No helmet tells you these things. You get to know someone and gradually understand what they are carrying beyond their luggage.
Sadly, there were falls early in the journey. Four travellers were affected; two had to return home because of their injuries and could not continue. That touched us all. An honest travel story includes these moments too.
Our Scottish companion Ian has ridden his way into my heart. With his unflinching expression and dry humour, he needs no grand stage. A Scotsman does not complain, he says; he grits his teeth. Behind that stoic manner is a very warm-hearted person. I like him enormously. Some travel friendships last longer than the road.
Two guides and a remarkably varied Japan
Alongside our motorcycle guide, a second guide accompanies us in the van. He looks after the luggage, speaks excellent English and keeps the group organised. One shows us the way; the other makes sure the rest of our travelling life reaches the destination too. A reassuring division of labour.
And then there is Japan itself. I never imagined how varied this island chain would be: volcanoes, geysers, coasts, mountains and wonderfully quiet, almost empty roads. A rider’s paradise. The guidebook provides the thread; along the way it acquires faces, voices and our guide’s unmistakable laugh.
In the end, everyone rides with their own story. Mine currently includes 76 years, a BMW and considerable delight in the next bend.
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