BEE Japan

I feel like I`ve dropped below the surface of the water. For 3 years I lived above the waves, thinking that most people in Japan were similar – we slept, ate and worked in the flow, keeping our head just above the waterline, a homogeneous school swimming along at the same pace, in the same direction with the same destination in mind.

But when you slip below the waves you discover those who have been brave enough to hold their breath long enough to experience a different life, one where you don`t need to keep your place in line, one where you don`t need to swim the same way as everyone else.

We`ve met so many of these people along the road. In Wakkanai at the rider house we were lucky enough to make the acquaintance of a whole host of travellers who had driven (motorbikes), hitched, walked or cycled all over Japan and who weren`t afraid to do so. Leo was 19, had been on the road for a year and a half, and had no intention of stopping.

At Cape Soya we met the inspirational Daniella from Montreal. She`s been on her bike for 3 years and she just goes where ever she feels.
“There is no reason to worry about the future,” she said. “That way you worry two times – before it happens and when it’s happening.”

And in Tomamae we met a 17 year old who had set off on his mountain bike for 11 days to go the 1000 km from Tomakomai to Cape Soya and back.

Some of us are high school teachers, and we just couldn`t imagine any of our students having the confidence to go off and do something like that, especially in a system which is often described with the proverb, “The nail that sticks out must be hammered down.”

For the past two days we have been riding with another great individual, Chetan Rama, a JET who is traveling from Soya to Sata by bike. He is going solo and has a far more brutal schedule than ours – 6 weeks compared to our 8. Since our routes matched up for a few days we rode together, and it was really fantastic to have him as an honorary member of BEE. Chetan is raising money for Garden Africa. Before he left us we had a chance to have a quick interview so please watch it and it you can donate to his cause at firstgiving.

As we were preparing breakfast (more oatmeal!) we were accosted by the campsite ojisan. BEE seems to have a knack of attracting the misfits – perhaps because we all are misfits – and in Tomamae we made the acquaintance of an elderly man with a bag of ships. Sitting down next to Emi, he proceeded to hand out his origami ships to each of the riders and then explained how he was in fact a wizard by doing some trickery with his ship creations, all the while grinning and joking like it was Christmas. People just can’t believe their luck when they run into a group of foreigners to play with!

The road to Rumoi runs right along the coast and we opted to split into three groups of two people each to change things up a bit, rather than riding in one big group like previous days. All three teams had a great day riding along the relatively flat coast and despite the headwind we made great time arriving in Rumoi at noon.

Our accommodation in Rumoi was the Mitsubachi rider house. These accommodations are scattered all over Japan and provide respite for weary travelers on a budget. However, in Rumoi the rider house is free. From what I could gather from the nervous Okure san who ran the house, the building used to be a furniture factory before the owner made his money and eventually handed it over in the 80`s as a place for bikers, cyclists and walkers to lay their heads. Nostalgia was pinned to the walls in the form of newspapers clippings, photographs, comments from visitors scrawled in marker pen, and in the nick-nacks and trinkets left by appreciative guests over the years.

It was through the rider house that we happened upon our next media appearance. It appears that we have developed quite a following in the motorbike fraternity. Some of our new friends who we met in Wakkanai had driven through Rumoi a few days before us and spread the word about the crazy foreigners in green jerseys. Rumoi being a small town, the local radio station got wind of our trip, and when we arrived in Teshio we were met by a lady from Rumoi “Moeri” FM who asked if we would drop into the radio station when we were in Rumoi.

So, we found ourselves in a radio station for the second time this trip but this time the show was 30 minuntes long and we had a request slot. Unfortunately, everyone was really tired and so we weren`t quite so on the ball as we had been in Wakkanai. Also, we didn`t finish the recording in time so we had to sit in the studio for 30 minutes as a live show on traditional Japanese music was broadcast. The presenter was ecstatic that we were there and he explained to his listeners that Rumoi radio station was now truly international.

Having the use of a kitchen at the rider house meant that Fan could cook up a feast of noodles and vegetables for dinner, and we all went to bed content to be under the waves and out of the mainstream.

Route notes

The road along the coast is flat but exposed to the elements. There is one small climb to a short tunnel which has a sidewalk for bikes on the west side. The rider house in Rumoi is free and is very close to the Rumoi station. It has space for 10 girls and 30 guys. There is a kitchen. No showers but the sento is just round the corner. HIghly recommended.

Day distance: 45km
Distance to date: 243km

View Tomamae to Rumoi in google maps