April 2000 YAY JAPAN

If I could have possibly known what was waiting for me in Japan, I would have started my trip here and would have never gone too far. To make long story short - life in this country treats me better than in any other to date. Fellow bikers? Why are there just handful of us that have shipped our bikes here to explore the land of the Rising Sun? And in my opinion there should be more of us.
It was on the 1000th day of my trip to be exact that I landed in Narita. The warm, sunny Monday morning smelled of spring, and was a great change from the hot humidity of Indonesia. Everything was so different, and looking at the weird signs all around me told without doubt I had landed in a totally different world.
...
I am curiously excited about touring Japan, and I am not sure why. It is spring here and still cold. To have a traditional Japanese style bath waiting, not to mention every possible amenity imaginable at the end of the great riding day, was spectacular. As it’s still a little too cold for camping, at least for my old bones, I have no regret whatsoever paying between 40 and 55$ for lodging. This is one of those things you do not want to miss if you are ever in Japan.
Japanese food is one of my favorites, so I had no trouble with all the raw fish and eggs or fluorescent pickles. As a desperate lover of sushi and sashimi, I got deeper into the menu here. . . exploring tempura, soba, seafood, and tofu served in a million ways. In Tokyo, I was introduced to a hidden treasure for pleasurable dining at Mama Fu Fu’s. I would have loved to sit there and feed myself 24 hours a day if time permitted. So that I would remember her and would not be hungry in Thailand she gave me a lovely pair of chopsticks. This simple gesture helped me survive Thai food, which is not my cup of tea.