Author: Grant and Barbara

Beppu is famed for it’s hot water springs (2000 of them), heated via the volcanic activity. Akin to a UK Spa town. We know were the water comes from after today.

Rain waters runs down to the sea,

evaporation makes the clouds so free,

then it comes and rains on me.

(From This World goes round and round by Tom Paxton, but you probably knew that).

A lush ride today in what seemed like temperate rain forest. Accompanied by birds singing their lungs out – more tunefully than I.

Hilly too, some great gradients to get keep the low gears happy. The brakes worked hard too.

You get the impression of it being a tourist area but out of season – most of the few cafes are shut. Just the one did the ticket.

Tomorrow to another island.

Located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, Mount Aso is one of the world’s largest active calderas. “Famous for its dramatic, smoking Nakadake Crater, lush grasslands, and hot springs, the area offers a surreal glimpse into volcanic forces”.

The ancient caldera is massive, measuring roughly 25km x 18km. We got a sense of the scale after we’d cycled up the slope to get to the top. The last eruption was in Oct 2021, sending a plume of ash 3500m into the sky. Respect.

We’re staying in Aso, a town of 24000 people. Two main industries. Tourism and agriculture. The latter was in constant view on a lot of the route. Wheat and carrots in addition to rice.

We were fortunate with the shade offered by the trees on the ascent. Fir interspersed with Japanese chestnut. With the occasional patch of Japanese knotweed, a pernicious weed in UK.

Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) is not a major problem in Japan. While it occasionally grows as a weed on disturbed ground or volcanic ash, it is kept fully in check by its native ecosystem. 

The reasons Japanese knotweed does not take over in Japan include:

• Natural Predators: It is eaten and weakened by native insects (like the psyllid Aphalara itadori) and naturally occurring soil fungi.
• Plant Competition: It is forced to compete with other vigorous native vegetation (such as bamboo and Miscanthus grasses) rather than growing uncontested.
• Extreme Environments: In its native alpine and volcanic habitats, poor soils and volcanic activity naturally stunt its growth.
• Cultural Use: For centuries, locals have utilized it as an edible wild plant and traditional herbal medicine. 

In contrast, Japanese knotweed is considered an aggressively invasive pest in places like Europe and North America because it lacks these natural predators and competitors.

Guess what tomorrow brings. Escape from the volcano going back up the caldera wall. Just how fast we go may depend on the forces of nature…..

Today was a good introduction to Japanese rule following. A 20km crossing by ferry. No, you cannot get on the boat that’s there. It already has 2 bikes more than the 8 allowed. Wait an hour for the next ones. We got on…lots of space. Some left behind for the next ferry. Yup, we’ve pushed the rules to breaking point with another 10 bikes. All done with great politeness and arm waving.

We’re still on the same island of Kyushu as Nagasaki. The flat bit was the ferry ride. The remainder was lumpy – a good volcanic landscape. Maybe that has helped the soil’s fertility. Lots of things being grown everywhere, including potatoes by the chip load and onions.

Getting to grips with the coke stops. Vending machines by the road side. Full, working and very reasonably priced.

Lots of trees today, thankfully offering shade as the temperature nudged to high 20s. The roads are about UK standard, ie mixed. Drivers are very considerate.

Kumamoto is a city of some 750000 people, with another 750k in the wider metropolitan area.. I read the largest motorcycle production facility in the world is in Kumamoto. Mutsibushi Electronics has a 500million UK Pounds semiconductor factory opening about now. Maybe this explains the number of suits we’ve seen.

Glad we’ve got some good low gears, we’re going to need them!

Japan’s oldest stone bridge is no place to make a spectacle of yourself unless you want double vision. Built in 1634 and carefully restored using recovered stone after the 1982 floods – 537mm of rain in 3 days flooded the city killing 299 people. The Spectacle Bridge is a good selfie spot and a fine meader along the 10 river crossings.

We got there after a 5am departure from Busan for a 40 minute flight. Immediately Japan is different, even from the road. Small holdings amid low rise housing and small fields. Lots of products on sale from vending machines. And back to a civilised driving on the left.

Why do Japan drive on the left? For old and new reasons. Samurai warriers were right handed so they carried their swords on the left. To avoid conflict of clashing swords when passing on narrow paths, they grew accustomed to walking on the left. Them British engineers consolidated this when invited in to build Japan’s [railway] infrastructure in the 19C. It was passed into law in 1924.

After a 2hour drive we arrive in the centre of Nagasaki. Founded by the Portugese would you believe in the 16C and then grew as a port between then and the 19C, based on sugar amongst other things. The population is some 400000, so like a large Cardiff.

Of course the reason most of us have heard of it was the plutonium bomb (Fat Boy) of 9 August 1945, killing 35000, about 10% of the population. Rebuilt and reconstructed, it remains an important port.

It also has a high density of temples, many dating to the 17C. Buddhism seems to have many sects. Inscrutable.

Tomorrow bike rebuilding and an explore.