Japan - August 2009
Just back from some great driving in Japan with Karyn as my enduring navigator. This country is a delight, with so much good quality motoring.
Arrived into Fukuoka, Kyushu, in the southern island to first collect the MG, and then away as quick as possible being as I am, impatient to see the drives of Japan.
First stop Nagasaki. Not a charming city, in contrast to the amazing charisma of say, Kyoto, but maybe more fascinating and certainly deserves a full day with the sad history of the atomic bomb, ground zero, and the most astonishing museum to Nagasaki’s horrendous attack.
Museums are built to tell a story; in most cases the story is from start to finish. Here in Nagasaki the museum tells the narrative, not only of the horrific act on the city on 9th August 1945, but also the continuing story of atom and nuclear power and weaponry. Somehow the museum leaves you with only half a story; the impression is the remaining story of nuclear weapons is yet to be told. You leave with horrific thoughts and challenging opinions.
Nevertheless I came for the drives, and the first great drive of Japan is not far from Nagasaki. The Shimabara Peninsular, to the east of Nagasaki, climbs high and around the active volcano of Mt Unzen. As with many of Japan’s mountain tops, this volcano is still active and exploding.
Mt Unzen, on this very prominent peninsular, has quite an amazing loop around the pine forests to the very top peak via the Nita Pass at 4480 ft.
The Nita Pass road has a grand driving feel as it lightly switchbacks around the volcano. The corners are not too tight and wind well along the hill side around the peak; rather than hairpins following hairpins.
And so the live Mt Unzen is the first of the Great Drives from Japan which you can see here on ROARRtv.
The volcanic activity in Japan is quite frightening. Karyn & I experienced our first earthquake, shaken from our futons, followed a few days later by our first volcanic evacuation. Mt Aso, the largest active volcano in the world, a staggering 114km in circumference, is 5223 ft high, and suddenly, and with no warning, started to threaten more smoking sulphur than the authorities judged as safe and so quickly evacuated the mountain! We had driven and filmed the ascent to Mt Aso and the warning came as we looked deep into the crater!
As I have said before, one of the great delights of Japan is to become involved in her culture and this Karyn and I tried to do to the full. In India we stay at the delightful converted old palaces, in Japan her inns are equally charming, quite unique, certainly one of a kind in all my travels.
Ryokens or onsens enable the traveller to experience the way the Japanese rest and enjoy life. That said, Ryoken life and her ways can be, to us westerners, difficult and awkward - but is great! In the first Ryoken Karyn and I stayed for 5 days with no en-suite. But before a day was out I had fallen into the easy habit of enjoying the communal baths and chatting as best I could with my new found friends in the hot springs or hot tub.
It is social, agreeable, a pleasant way to chit and chat. After a day on the road I can see us drivers all enjoying a hot communal bath together! Saying that I could only take maybe 10 minutes of the hot waters. Here in Japan the locals will spend quite some time for each soak, and up to three soaks a day; they certainly enjoy to the full the hot spring waters.
The other great delight is the easy way it is to eat in Japan. The country is full of small restaurants, not dissimilar to Spanish tapas bars, many family run, but always the cooking is at the bar, the choice wide and the taste excellent. To be able to wander out from the hotel and pick a restaurant at random is just great fun. Many are hidden behind diminutive closed doors, so you cannot see in, but open and experience!
Over the next few months I will bring to you on ROARRtv a selection of the Great Drives of Japan. To date the selection is very diverse, Senomoto Plateau, volcanic Mt Aso, hidden Iya Valley, and the very interesting Nakasendo Road; a splendid story of a traveller, writer & poet, Matsuo Basho.
The dilemma is that Japan is a country offering so many choices that the recce will be more complex than say India, for very different reasons. The choice of drives, hotels, national parks, and historic sights needs to be narrowed down, and not all Japan roads give great driving experiences, so to create a wonderful journey the country roads need joining up with the sights of Japan and this will take quite an involved recce.
I return next month to drive into the northern lands.
For now we at ROARR are preparing for Patagonia. Pleased to say only 5 places left. This will be so very different to Japan or India and the Alfa will soon be on her way. Can’t wait to be driving the Routa 40 experiencing the glaciers, and then the mighty road - Carretera Austral.....
Jim’s Land Rover is due for preparation this month and will be shipped out in late August ready for a long and challenging survey from September onwards.
Below is a letter from Leah Pattison on the land purchase for the new hospital on Nagpur, India funded by the Great Arc participants. I am pleased our funding is having such an effect in bringing this hospital to fruition. As always I will keep you informed of the building as it becomes reality.
10th June 2009
Dear Conrad,
First of all, I would like to acknowledge receipt of the money transferred to our charity account. These are significant sums of money and it goes without saying that your contribution to the development of our hospital/health centre is invaluable.
Regarding the land, well I am due to arrive back in Nagpur next Tuesday and have a two acre area of land ready to look at and proceed with purchasing. A token gesture deposit has been put down in my absence by our trustees and our lawyer has approved the paper work so fingers crossed this should all be quite straight forward. Once I get this cleared then planning permission will be the next hurdle and looking on the optimistic side, it could be all systems go for the construction. I will keep you posted and look forward to seeing the bricks and mortar! We already have a couple of volunteers from the London school of tropical medicine who wish to spend time with us once the hospital is functioning which will help to improve our standard of care towards the women who need it most.
Hope you are well. Thank you again for all that you do.
Best wishes, Leah
All for now; just need five more eccentric drivers to join me in Patagonia! Also for Japan any expressions of interest?
All the best Conrad Birch
