Day 77

June 16th

Mornings like this are never easy to embrace. Today was the start of a 20+ hour trek to Okinawa.  I’ll be covering a lot of land by sea (sorry, DZed) and be gifted a vault of downtime on the ferry.    In the maiden moments of dawn, I saddled up the DZed for a cross-region trip to Kagoshima.  The day was divided into 2 segments.  First, the jaunt to Kagoshima (which was roughly a few hour route).  Crisscrossing the highways here has become a familiar territory, as I can predict when the speed limit changes.  

As a motorcycle rider, you’re always hypervigilant to your surroundings.  That sense is heightened in Japan, as there’s such an array of changing terrain.  I’ve made note of this before, but it blows my mind how many types of land I can see in a day’s drive here.  A morning on the beach can quickly blow into an afternoon at elevation.  If I lived here, I’d never take that for granted.

I rolled into the city of Kagoshima around mid-morning and had just enough time to see glimpses of the city before the Ferry ride.  Amongst the things to do in Kagoshima, the most appealing place for me to visit was the Senganen Landscape Garden.  Before you assume that I found some zen reason to walk on the premises, allow me to elaborate on this decision.  Within peeking distance of the garden is a view out of an adventure novel.

Neighboring the Garden is Sakurajima, one of the most active volcanoes in Japan.  This is across a stretch of water, which is shared with Kagoshima Bay.  Looking at this view conjures up a primal, powerful emotion.  It’s like watching the beginning of a monster (or what you guys call a “Kaiju”) movie.  The volcano is the perfect backdrop for a gigantic beast to arise and terrorize the city.  Little did I know, this volcano does serve a modest threat to the citizens of Kagoshima. 

Because of its active state, Sakurajima serves as a persistent threat to its neighbors.  With daily smoke signals and mini-eruptions, it forcefully sculpted the landscape of the area.  For centuries, the volcano was on an island. It wasn’t until a major eruption last century in which its lava flow connected the island with the city,  creating a small peninsula on the east side of Kagoshima.  

Seeing massive landmarks like this never ceases to amaze me.  The enormity of what lies in front of me only scratches the surface of my curiosity beneath the steaming mass of molten rock. 

As for the garden, it had a unique collection of water, plant life, and shrines.  Perhaps the most unique part of the garden was a gigantic, abandoned building in the middle of it.  The building is from an old mill, known for creating textiles and producing iron.  In a way, the industrial revolution during the Meiji Restoration can be tied to this site.  

I was told of the various things were made here and quite frankly, it’s humbling.  The ancestor of today’s modern sprawl can be traced to a place like this. Without this abandoned site, much of the country wounldn’t have been modernized.  

It’s a stark contradiction, on these lands.  It’s a marriage of carefully manicured shrubbery with decrepit, eroding textile buildings.  Each has their own unique beauty, accenting Sakurajima in the distance.  

I spent the an hour or two observing the tranquil view. Shortly after lunch, I shifted down to the harbor where the ferry is located and secured the DZed for the overnight sail.  No matter how many times I go through this process, giving the bike away to handlers is never re-assuring.  

After passing the bike onto the ferry handlers, I found my room for the night and allowed my conscience to float.  Days like this are never glamorous to journal.  It’s a boring day, filled with hundreds of passing miles.  It’s in moments like these where you can get lost in your thoughts, tending to overreflect on your plight in life.  

The last eleven weeks have provided plenty of moments to grow. Each region presented its set of adventures, and challenges.  I’ve long since admired the legendary explorers of yesteryear. The idea of immersing yourself into the unknown, and returning home to share stories of excess, was an intoxicating trait.  

Living your boldest life is something we should all strive for.  Our existence should be spent striving for more, even if the goals are modest.   This trip has been a testament to my ambitions, as it has crossed multiple goals off of my list.  Being able to visit a place so influential during my adolescence, and traverse it on a motorcycle, has lived up to every ounce of my expectations.  

With sundown receding into the distance, I move up to the deck of the ferry to get one final peek of light.  With the water slowly overtaking the glistening sun, I continue to reflect on what I’ve accomplished.  

It hasn’t been perfect (or cheap), but this trip has reaffirmed my sense of adventure.  No matter what comes from this, I know that my will to explore and diligence to do so will never diminish.  Only thing left to do (well, aside from seeing you) is to complete the final round of the Supermoto Series.  

The unexpected wrinkle in our itinerary should be a fun way to punctuate this journey.  We’ll see if it matches the high of a moto race, but being able to end the trip with fulfilling a bucket list opportunity is all too sweet.  Before I can experience that, I ofcourse have a visit to pay you.  I can’t wait to be reunited tomorrow and to hit the final stretch of this journey on a high note.  

Thanks and I’ll see you tomrrow!

-Ayden