AM20: The Japan Journals

Day 67

June 6th

Every adventure has its ebbs and flows. Like a moving river downstream, the current of your trip could vary. The last week and a half have been more of lean flow, as the rural regions of Chugoku and Shikoku have been more scenic. I knew that every stop wouldn't resemble Tokyo, but the sparse scenery of these regions has really hit that point home.

I'll be honest, days like today are a bit of a bore. Like a dollar store cologne, The romanticism of a trip tends to wear. There are times where I just want the comfort of my bed and daily routine. Small, tedious maintenance tasks on the bike only emphasize that desire to be home. With that said, days like this are where your mettle is tested.

The agenda for today was to ride down to Kochi, one of the bigger cities in southern Japan. Along the way, I rode beside the Yoshino River. The symbolism behind today's thoughts isn't a coincidence, as the view of the passing river only provoked said thoughts.

There are days where I'm tired, hungry, and quite frankly, frugal with my money. There are moments where you just want to sell everything for a moment of comfort. The ragged, dingy shade of clothes reflects the hard-fought miles traveled. It's times like these where you want to give up, but if you keep a level head, it's also the perfect time to double down on your mission statement. Every adventure, in my opinion, is worthwhile. You just have to remember that doesn't necessarily mean being comfortable.

With miles being accumulated on the dash, I begin to ponder the final stretch of this trip. What have I learned about myself, through these last 10 weeks? The answer could be subjective, relative to my environment. This is my first adventure motorcycle trip and the pounding miles on the pavement have injected so many moral lessons into my conscience. The zigs and zags of each route are paralleled by the choices I've made.

The reminder I was given by the nice Kiwi couple yesterday rings even more true right now, as each choice I've made on this trip has had its own set of results.

Good, bad, or indifferent, the decisions I've made here have been a direct response to your well-crafted itineraries. It's like a kid's coloring book. Your itinerary gave me the shapes, I just picked the colors to fill in the space. I just had to make sure I didn't mix brown with orange lol.

As I was winding my way around the river, I saw some groups rafting the rushing rapids. I can imagine that kind of adrenaline rush being one with a shade of fear, as the undercurrent could suck you right into the rocks. I'm a thrill-seeker, myself, but that's just not my brand of fun. I'll keep my fun, on land. I'd rather ride by the fisher, than swim with them lol.

After the bulk of my morning is spent cruising along the river, I made my way to the outer reaches of Kochi. I booked a hostel for my stop here, as my pockets are feeling skinny. By the time I had checked in, I was done for the day.

I wish I could provide a more enthusiastic entry, but as I alluded to earlier, today was a bit of a valley. Every ounce of energy left in my day went to some revolving melodies on my guitar. I haven't forgotten my half of the promise, as I've been getting my daily session in on the ax.

Today was simply one of mundane, rural travel. It was a day for me to confront, and recollect my mission statement. This trip is almost over, and it's becoming more evident that I need to use my energy to finish this trip with its utmost potential. While fatigue has gotten the better of me today, it's only an outlier on an otherwise uplifting adventure.

Tomorrow, I'll reverse course by seeing the best of what Kochi has to offer.

Thanks and I'll see you soon!

-Ayden