[Adventurer & Touring Journalist: Takashi Kasori]
Travelling Through 313 Offroad Trails
The “Travelling Around Japan on Offroad Trails” tour began on 12th May 2010. My buddy was a SUZUKI DR-Z400S. I split the tour into 2 blocks, “Western Japan” and “Eastern Japan” and it took me 28,208 kilometers and 78 days to compete the whole tour.
During the tour, I rode through 313 offroad trails and the distance on unpaved trail was 2283.4 kilometers. This distance is equivalent travelling traversal through Japan with nearly 10 percent of the total travelling distance unpaved.
I think I did a good job! I believe I’m the only one who can do this because I’m a beast for offroad trails.
I say this because it’s not easy travelling on offroad trails. Most trails aren’t charted so you have to find them and also find a way to get there by yourselves.
You can’t tell whether it’s an open road till you actually run through it. Sometimes they are blocked due to broken bridges, rock falls and fallen trees.
The Joy of Travelling through Offroad Trails
During this “Travelling Around Japan on Offroad Trails” tour, I rode through 15 offroad trails at the most in a day which was only possible because I travel offroad trials on a routine basis.
It is natural for Offroad Trails to be blocked or obstructed.
That’s what makes it difficult to plan “Offroad Trail Tours”. If you happen to face an offroad trail that you can’t get through , you have to change all your schedules or often have to cancel them. You can’t book a hotel till the afternoon or till sunset.
It ‘s a sport that doesn’t suit people who prefer to be organized. You have to think in a flexible way and be able to correspond to all sorts of situations which is actually another pleasure of offroad trail tours.
Offroad Trails are Usually Tough and Rigid
To travel through a offroad trails, you need a offroad motorcycle or a dual purpose motorcycle, correct equipment and driving techniques.
Offroad tTrails are usually tough and crucial and there is no one else but yourself to rely on. If you face trouble in a situation like that you have to help yourself out. On “Offroad Trail Tours” your ability is often tested.
During Offroad Trail Tours you must be careful of collapsing. I collapsed three times during the tour.
The most largest damage that I had to face occurred in the mountains of Shikoku. The moment I turned at a left corner, there was a huge stone in the middle of the road blocking half the passage. I had to stop suddenly collapsed the moment I stopped.
I hit the left side of my body and it hurt so much I couldn’t move for a moment. When the pain on my left ankle slightly relieved I got up and tottered to get back on the motorcycle. I’m really glad I didn’t fall down a deep valley.
The DR has outstanding rigidity and was hardly damaged which allowed me to continue my tour.
Encounters on Offroad Trails
On Offroad Trails, you can meet many wild animals. You will often see monkeys and deers. Once I saw a bear crossing the road about 10m apart from me when I was travelling through the Konakashinchi Offroad Trail in Gunma Prefecture.
There is no need to feel worried or terrified if you run into a bear when you’re on a motorcycle. Bbecause the bear will be terrified of you and run away as fast as he can.
I can’t forget the shiny black fur he had.
At Kusakura Offroad Trail in Iwate Prefecture, I met a Nihon Kamoshika (Japanese Deer) family. The mother deer made a run for the bush but the baby deer continued running in the direction I was heading and jumped into the bush when he had enough distance from me.
I saw another Nihon Kamoshika (Japanese Deer) after that and it was the first time to meet deers twice at one trail. I also saw wild boars as well. Some where large and some were together with a herd of baby boars. The baby boars were adorable, the trail seemed to be their play ground.
Last Day Felt Like Trouble
「The last trail was the Okuseibu Offroad Trail located in the southern part of Fukushima prefecture. I approached it from Futamata Spring.
The Honnamuro Offroad Trail is a gentle trail but there, I accidently ran over a snake. It thought it was a branch. During the tour I’d avoided running over them several times, but on the very last day I failed.
I knew from experience that something bad would happen if you run over a snake.
From Okuseibu Offroad Trail, I continued travelling the Seibu Offroad Trail and ended my trip at Kashi Offroad Trail and Kamafusa Offroad Trail. I approached from Kashi Hill on old Route 289. Which ended up to be an incredibly narrow and difficult trail.
I drove down the rocky trail with closet contact with DR-Z400S. After a 13.2km ride through the unpaved trail, my arms were stiff like logs.
I challenged the most difficult offroad trail on the last day of the tour and couldn’t resist striking a victory pose.
The Haunt
After I travelled through Kashi Offroad Trail and Kamafusa Offroad Trail, I went to “Chapo Land Saigo”; one of the hot springs at Shin Kashi. It was awesome to relax myself in a hot spring and view the mountains peaks of Nasu. After the hot spring was supper time.
I had curry for dinner but it was so hot it was difficult for me to swallow. “This might be…” I thought… the haunt of the snake!
I entered the Tohoku Highway from Shirakawa Tollgate and headed back to Tokyo. I arrived at Nihonbashi Tokyo at 10:30pm on the 10th September 2010. This was my goal for the “Travelling Around Japan on Offroad Trails” tour.