When prepping for this trip, one of the unknown factors was what Japanese roads would be like to ride on. The condition of the roads, the space available to safely cycle and how Japanese drivers treated cyclists. Well now I know. The roads are all in fantastic shape, there’s usually a dedicated bike path or generous shoulder to ride on, and Japanese drivers give you so much space – at least 2 metres – I sometimes wish they would be a little closer as to avoid hitting oncoming traffic. The tunnels, where there is a path on either side and plenty of space to ride, really shake me up. The echoing noise of even the smallest car, is like a flock of baritone banshees in a blender. The worst are the cars coming the same way as me. Even though I know that I am safe on the path and far out of the way of danger, every cell in my body thinks the sound coming from behind is that of the Langoliers consuming all time and space in the pursuit of my soul. Don’t get me started on what a truck or a bus sounds like.
#2 Sado Tunnel - 2km in length
I’ve had a crack at a haiku about riding on Japanese roads:
convenience stores
are only convenient
when they can be found
and a country song has been floating around in my head these last two days:
There’s only so much lovin’ you can do
In a tent built for one and not two
At least it keeps you safe from swine flu
when you’re sleeping in a tent not built for two
It was only until after I shared this with another English speaker that maybe an inadvertent theme of self-love could be construed from the lyrics.
On Sunday night I said goodbye to Hikaru as he returned to Niigata city for work and to meet up with his girlfriend. I stayed at the family house and spent the night swapping Japanese for English with his mum and dad, who speak no English. Such kind and generous people to stay with who gave me a real insight into normal life in rural Japan. There were moments when I thought mum or dad (i never got to know their actual names), had made a really profound statement. I would nod in agreement, make a noise that implied great personal insight had been achieved and then realise I hadn’t a clue what was just said. When dinner was being ordered, naming the food was really straight forward, but when it came to the chat afterwards, what I thought was a philosophical point on food in Japan turned out to be a lesson in how to say “food delivery person” in Japanese.
On Monday morning I said goodbye to Hikaru’s family and headed for the abandoned Niigata Russian Village theme park. The place went bust about ten years ago and the owners and workers simply walked out and left everything as it was. The complex features a 19 hole golf course, a 3 storey 50 room 5-star hotel, a full size replica Russian Orthodox church (where many a happy Japanese couple were wed), a 20-building full size Russian village (think Sovereign Hill), a micro-brewery, a replica woolly mammoth, 3 entertainment areas… The list goes on. Over the years offices have been overturned, windows broken and in some places there’s some pretty serious vandalism. But there were areas which have remained untouched, giving the place an eerie post-apocalyptic feel. I spent about 4 hours exploring the place and there were a dozen or so rooms in the hotel that had been left untouched. The beds were still made, the soap was still on the sink, the furniture was still neatly arranged, the TV wasn’t stolen. In the church, a harp with a few of its strings still intact, stood next to a drum and a fully functional accordion. In the performance spaces, pretty much all the AV equipment was still there. Lighting, amplifiers, switching desks, rack mounted compressor units…. Easily a quarter of a million dollars worth of gear. There were about 10 commercial kitchens, varying in small and cramped to massive and impressive, all with their fridges, cool rooms, cookers and stainless steel intact. Thankfully someone had the mind to empty them before leaving, but I did find a rubbish shed and house with 200 boxes of dog food which hadn’t been so lucky. I’ll upload the photos soon, but what an amazing place. Easily more interesting than if the place had of been operational.
Today I’m riding to the Ramen capital Kitakata.
