Turning Inland

Matthew Lautenbach
Jul 9
4 min read

Having completed the ride up the west coast of Japan, I headed inland. There were subtle shifts in the weather, the terrain and my mood. The two days riding from Akita, famous for the dogs that share their name, to Aomori were perhaps my favorite so far. Because my time on Kyushu was coming to an end, I seemed to be soaking in a bit more, taking joy in the ride and embracing the time it would take.

The ride from Akita to Odate was full of rolling hills. It wasn’t a rainy day, but it wasn’t exactly dry either. The temperature was cool, and there were things to see around every corner and over every hill. There was more climbing than most of my days had featured since early in the trip, but this felt more manageable, shorter climbs of rolling hills that were hidden by the mist of clouds. There was a feeling that I was someplace that I would probably never get back to, exploring places that not that many people get to see, certainly few that live there.

The hills ticked by and filled the day. While feeling good, I didn’t want to overdo it and exhaust the legs too much, knowing there was one more day to go on Kyushu. My bike was lighter, though, having found even more items to send forward ahead of me, which probably helped the mood and the feeling that the kilometers were passing quickly. The pattern of tunnels and lunch at convenience stores continued, with the frequency of options starting to become sparse. This too would be good training for the days riding on Hokkaido, where there was less development than on the other islands. Finishing up the day, I arrived in Odate, with a long uphill into town that wasn’t the best way to finish the day, but the climb was soon forgotten as I found a great local Izakaya for dinner to warm up and prepare for the last day on Kyushu.

Waking up the next morning, I was greeted by blue skies and just the hint of a tailwind. The humidity was noticeably less, an all-around perfect day for riding. Packing my bags for the last time on Kyushu, I set out earlier than usual, knowing that I had a train and a ferry to catch to get me to Hokkaido. The ride to Aomori was similar to the day before, rolling hills with stunning views around each corner. There were also some wonderful long descents as I came back down to sea level. The top of Kyushu also represented a bit of a change in crop, as this area is the main apple-growing region in Japan. I spent a good portion of the day winding my way through orchards, interspersed with rice paddies, a scene that I don’t ever see in Michigan.

Arriving in Aomori, I found an onsen to get the grit and grime off of me before catching a train. I have written the last few time about the joy of a hot spring bath, but having the option to get a quick shower, soak and freshen up before getting on a train was wonderful. Heading to the train station, I packed my bag back into the rinko bag, hopefully for the last time. While not difficult, it also isn’t that easy with the gear and size of my bike. More than that, though, fitting the bike into smaller luggage areas on the trains isn’t great if others need the space as well. This time, I was the only one who had a big item, making the short train ride stress-free. The train connected me from Aomori to Hachinohe, where I would catch the ferry to Hokkaido. In my original plans, I was going to take the overnight ferry, arriving at 6:00 am in Hokkaido and just riding on from there. I changed that up to catch the earlier ferry, arriving into Tomakomai at 1:30 am. It all worked out in the end, but I probably should have stuck with the original plan.

The ferry was massive, with two decks for cars and trucks. There were a few motorcyclists making the same journey. We had a short conversation about where we were going and where we had come from. This trip gave me a new perspective and appreciation for anyone who travels on two wheels. I had a bed on the ferry, and after a vending machine dinner of ramen, nuts, ice cream, pork cutlet sandwich and beer, I got what sleep I could, knowing that I didn’t have a hotel reservation for when I arrived. The sleep was not the best rest I had on the trip, but it was something. Before I knew it, the ferry was docking and I made my way downstairs to gear up, and slowly ride in the pitch blackness of night to the center of the city where I planned to check as many hotels as I needed to before I got a room for the night. I was in Hokkaido, the last of the four main islands and nearing the end of the trip. Like almost everything else on the trip, things went smoothly and in the end, it took just one stop, and I had a bed. It took me a while to fall back asleep to refill my battery for the short ride into the Sapporo suburbs.