Day 6

April 6th

  I had the best night of sleep at the Ryokan last night. I’m sure part of this could be my body finally adjusting to the time change, but the arrangements in my room provided me with the best night sleep in ages.  I envy people who can adjust to different time zones easily, as this kind of travel is not for the faint of heart.  

	On the agenda for today is to visit the “Unkai Terrace” to see the Sea of Clouds.  Unkai is the japanese term for Sea of Clouds.  I don’t fully understand the phenomena that creates this kind of view but I’m excited to get to elevation and check it out, in person.  

	According to my GPS, I have roughly a 2 hour ride to the terrace.  It’s located on a popular ski resort, which makes plenty of sense.  One issue I might l have with the bike today is the current jetting compared to the climate I’m riding into.  

I know you’re not a motorcycle person, so in lamens terms, jetting refers to the amount of air that is taken in by the engine and used in conjunction with fuel to run the bike.  You need to have a proper air to fuel ratio in the carburetor of your bike  for it to run at its best.  When you change elevation or climate, your bike might run differently. Seeing as I’m going to be driving up into elevation today, it’s something that I’ll have to keep in mind.  

Onto the ride… The route takes me straight south, with a hook around the latter half. Judging by the distance, I should be able to get me there on one tank of gas.  

As I slowly rise to an incline, I haven’t noticed a change in the DZed’s performance. Granted, elevation at the resort is less than a mile above sea level, but it’s still nice not see the bike effected.  

As I reach the entrance to the resort, it’s become quite clear that something’s off.  Despite the popular attraction being open in the spring, it appears that the weather this spring has not been ideal for the attraction and they aren’t opening the terrace until May.  So much for this drive... 

	Fortunately, there’s a handful of other places in Japan to witness these phenomena so I can find a “Plan B” later on.  As for the rest of the day, the sudden change of plans has left me with a blank itinerary.  The resort is far out of my price range, so I’m not sticking around this establishment.  With Mt. Hakodate on the agenda for tomorrow, I figured I’d get a headstart and head towards tha part of the prefecture.  

	The ride from here is over 5 hours, so it looks as though today is going to be strictly a ride day.  I know the knobbie tires are going to come in handy, at some point, but days like today definitely remind you of their presence.  I know the DZed comes in a Supermoto package, so there’s potential to modify this bike for better street use.  

	As the hours pass and obligatory fuel stop out of the way, I began to look for a campsite to use for the night.  The plan is to hike Mt. (or as much of it as possible) tomorrow, so I don’t want to spend too much time riding.  

I eventually stumble upon a camping site about an hour from Mt. Hakodate.  The coverage isn’t great at this site, but it’s in a good location and gives me a good route, for tomorrow.  With camp set up and supper bubbling over the fire, I took the time to inspect the bike and make sure everything’s ok.  

The oil level and filter look good. Tires, despite the 50/50 mix, look to be fairly fresh.  There’s no leaking from the radiator or fuel line.  The initial inspection looks good.  That shouldn’t be surprising, as the recommended service intervals on this bike are a few thousands kilometers.  Since the current jetting of the bike didn’t give me a difference in performance today, I’m not going to worry about that, for tomorrow. 

As the cloudy sky begins to break up and provide a glimpse of the moon, I took the opportunity to pull out my guitar.  With the first week in Japan coming to a close, I haven’t lost sight of what you wanted me to do.  

In return for you providing the itinerary, I have to provide this daily journal…. And write some melodies.  Quite frankly, I don’t see the significance of the latter. Strapping a guitar to my already limited luggage rack is definitely not the most practical thing in the world.  Regardless, I’ll do my best to fulfill my end of the bargain. 

I brought along a double cutaway, electric-acoustic with 23 frets.  I wanted a guitar with a longer range neck, so I could comfortably play those higher octaves.  

Minutes of noodling turned into an hour of melodic exploration.  I’m gravitating towards some Major 7th chords, at the moment.  Perhaps it mirrors the sights of Hokkaido but there’s a very surreal tonal quality about those chord shapes.  

With a few ideas in mind, I decided to let my dreaming do the rest and call it a night. Tomorrow, I’m wrapping up my week in Hokkaido with a  hike around Mt. Hakodate. I’ll be sure to finish that melody and send a recording to you before I leave the prefecture.

Have a good night and I’ll see you soon!

-Ayden