THE SIX OLD KILNS OF JAPAN
In the box Ready… Set… GO!
Our crew sent us off with a great deal of love and fun.
With wings on!
In Tokyo!
Welcomed by 36 degree heat and steamy humidity… We unleashed the wheels outside the National Museum of Western Art out the front of Ueno station. It took us all day to figure out how to get the bike boxes to a friend’s place and had some fabulous encounters; A woman who fell off her bike in front of Xavier who then fixed her bike. A police officer worried about us setting up camp in front of the museum. A woman spreading the word about “oneness”. The lifesaver who lent us a trolley to get the boxes to Andrea’s place. It was a 12 hour performance. Finally made it to our hostel with the help of an old lady on bike that led us to the front door. Very kind and generous with time. We finished the day by riding by Shinobazu Pond with its majestic lotus garden. We loved the diversity of experiences in Ueno, from the formal gardens, to the vibrant street markets along the railway line to the discreet but clearly red light area to the south in which we got lost, much to the boys pleasure! Kawai!
Echizen Yaki : the first stage
Getting to Echizen by train from Tokyo with 5 bikes was a massive challenge. While the Japanese might love the idea of bikes, they certainly don’t accommodate for them on public transport. Not only did we have to dismount the bikes but we also had to wrap them. We changed trains at least eight times with only a few minutes to get on and off. We took off at 6am and got to Echizen by 9pm. By the time we got to Echizen we had our first hissy fit powered by the unknown, fear and fatigue. The pure innocence in the face of the experience made for an intensely beautiful moment in itself. We got to Natsukashiya, the name of the charming old house that Tannan radio rented us. We were greeted by the lovely Barry San. The following day we started our travels with a visit to the local shrine – a safe place to start and asked for safe passage. We were guided through the treasures of the shrine which were so incredibly old that it was hard to fathom. The keepers were beautifully generous. They gave us time, respite, iced green tea and “Gambaté” – courage. We rode on to Echizen Yaki – the ceramic heart of the Fukui prefecture. After visiting the local arts and crafts store, ceramics school and museum, we went to have hand made soba at a restaurant that Barry San suggested. We had two rounds! Oshi! Barry San’s friend, the owner of the soba restaurant gave us directions to get to kilns in the area. As we were on our way, he drove up alongside us and led the way to his friend’s place, also a ceramic artist, living next to a local quarry. After visiting the studio, Xavier quarried some clay, planning to fire it on the slope of Mount Fuji. We saw several sublime ceramic pieces in the museum including these soba cups. Most amazing was the heavy silk strands of hair on the assistant at the front desk of the museum. She came outside with us to direct us to the soba restaurant and with every movement of her head, her hair moved like black mirror plates. The best hair ever seen! When we returned to our place, we were greeted by Ito San, the owner of the house and Tannan FM. He invited us to a bar called Shiratori where we met Daké, the lady of the house. Another excellent spot of magic in this already incredibly charming town.
The west coast ride and into the mountains
What a trip … Can’t imagine what it would have been like if we hadn’t gone to the shrine in Echizen first! We had to embrace nerves of steel to ride on the main roads but most importantly through the tunnels … We were almost wiped out in the first tunnel with a truck missing our bikes by less than a meter. We had to get off our bikes and quickly drag them as close to the kerb as possible to avoid having them taken out. So goddam scary. From that point on however the attitude changed! Now we take the entire lane as we do in Sydney otherwise, we simply won’t live to tell the tale. We climbed for most of the day out of Echizen before we hit the west coast of Japan and from there it was pretty much downhill and/or flat. A very nice ride but not before we had out first crash. Lisa came off her bike with nothing more than a few bruises and scratches. We had our first bull ant bite, met a guy walking all the way to Hokkaido from the south of Japan! We continued to ride on to Tsuruga, which was like a retirement village. We met Marina and Diego from Spain. They were already 8 months into their riding trip from Bangkok, heading back to Spain via Central Asia, Iran and into Pakistan. Home was on the beach in Mihama for that night. No one was in the water. It was a very different experience to the seaside in Australia.The next day we set off headed for Takahama via Obama, where we stopped for lunch in the remains of the Obama castle. We had a wacky beach experience in Takahama. Something where Jacques Tati meets manga pop … We camped that night perched on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. The manholes in Takahama were very distinct, bursting with colour and looking very Hawaiian. The prefecture specific manholes is something we’ll watch out for for the rest of the trip.
The next day, we rode 70ks from Takahama to Kuroi – from the sea into the mountains – and indeed there was nothing greater. The scenery was exquisite, the climbs gentle but unrelenting, the sun outright sizzling and the mosquito bites we collected over the last few days were wholeheartedly maddening.
We arrived at a deserted campsite- Tari Kuei Higoaoku – which was somewhat spooky to begin with. We couldn’t understand why such fabulous facilities had no one there. We stayed on to enjoy a night time refreshing dip in the cold running stream and topped up again in the morning with a massage thanks to the waterfall. The best onsen so far! We left the campsite headed further into the hills only to be stopped rather serendipitously by honey! We had already climbed a way up the mountain and only had 3kms to go before reaching the summit when we stopped at this cute little roadside shop. Turns out they were selling honey. Despite our limited Japanese and most people’s limited English we managed to have a good exchange. An important exchange. We were told that we couldn’t continue along our road because of road works. We had to turn back which was somewhat gut wrenching. Before we left however we were offered deer meat hunted from the hills!
Tanba-Tashikui Yaki: the second stage
By nightfall, we had our second hissy fit. Not knowing where we were going to sleep that night, a long day riding, the humidity, the heat, those goddamn mosquito bites… It all just got way too much. It was a moment to ponder the purity of “pleasure and comfort” and debate Hermann Hesse’s wisdom. We went to sleep to the sound of deer, knowing we were sharing the forest with the bear and cub Xavier had seen earlier that evening. That morning we enjoyed bathing in the natural running stream amidst postcard scenery. Primally beautiful. We packed up and rode on to Tanba-Tachikui – Yaki where we found exquisite contemporary Japanese ceramics. We stopped at the first studio/store and were dazzled by the mastery of glaze. En route, we made offerings to the sacred and oldest Chinese oak tree in Japan. That night we slept next to a dam in Sanda – a beautiful one at that. It was so hideously hot during the night which is probably why a massive storm broke in the morning just before we left. We collected 3 bottles of rain water which was a god send and Xavier sprained his ankle. Despite being drenched, we rode to the nearest station to get on the train to Bizen.
Bizen-Inbe Yaki: the third stage
After the painful demounting, wrapping and mounting of bikes, we got to Bizen desperate to find a hotel to hit the reset button but the more we looked the less likely it seemed we would find anything. Then we had another god send. His name was Yosuke Shindo. He was guiding a group of American kids, which he sent off for half an hour. We took the opportunity to ask him if he knew of anywhere around town where we could sleep. Within 20 minutes he called his friend and organised one of our best accommodation experiences so far in a little seaside town called Hinase. We rode the 10ks with gusto! We were so desperate for the basics. Hinase was a picturesque little town and reminded us of a little Italian fishing seaside town. The next morning we woke afresh, rode back to Bizen and visited the ceramics museum and kilns. On the way back to the ryokan we met the local tatami mat maker. A great workshop drenched in history. Our friend is a third generation tatami maker
Kyomizu Yaki: Kyoto
We left the lovely little village of Hinase and caught the train headed for Kyoto. That night we went to a ‘campsite’ we saw on the map but didn’t exist so we ended up sleeping on the roadside. We could hear the bells of the monastery from up the mountain and the hunters probably shooting deer as we went to sleep. We rode to downtown Kyoto the next morning but that wasn’t before stopping at a park where we met this lovely Japanese woman who started wiping down the boys who had drenched themselves because it was so hot. So nice to experience that level of care from a complete stranger, and do away with political correctness. We eventually made it into what is certainly the most refined city in Japan – Kyoto. Already you could could a sense of the importance to detail in the train. The way people dressed, wore makeup and the general layout and relative cleanliness of the town. One of the things we have found most surprising is the chaos in Japan. We have always been told about how ordered Japan is, but we have found quite the opposite, in Tokyo as well as smaller towns. We saw the most exquisite ceramic pieces by contemporary Japanese artists, at the Kyoto Ceramic Art Association. We continued on and spent the night in what we’re calling the bullet train park. An uncomfortable place but after our Sento (public bath) it got dark very quickly and we needed to sleep. The mosquitos were so voracious that we had to get in to the tent ASAP. It was so hot in the tent all night long. An awful nights sleep.
Shigaraki Yaki: the fourth stage
We were out of there pronto the next morning and kept heading in the direction of Shigaraki Yaki. We bathed in a beautiful river along the way. Arriving into Shigaraki Yaki area was very marked with the Tanuki figurative ceramic statues everywhere. You see the Tanuki – Japanese raccoon dog – with oversized bollocks everywhere in Japan, used like garden gnomes. The ceramics coming out of Shigaraki seems pretty average, with its extensive focus on figurines. That night we camped by a lakeside, clearly popular with fisherman. The symmetry of the landscape that became apparent through the photos was unique. No digital manipulation here…
Ugakei: The Saro Paradise
Blood sweat and tears today. It was a constant climb in searing heat but boy oh boy! What a reward. We reached paradise, otherwise known as the Ugakei campground, just before sunset and went for a deeply refreshing dip. The water streaming from the mountains was sensationally purifying. Before we got there however we could see on the map we had a 4km long tunnel ahead which made us all very nervous given our previous experiences. We were hoping that there would be a footpath as there had been in three previous tunnels which made it so incredibly easy and stress free. No such luck this time we had the worst of the worst scenario – long and no foot/bike path. We were not even confronted with a choice. This was the only way to get to our destination for the night. After contemplating the width of the narrow path in the tunnel, we decided that at worst, we could walk it but that we would start by riding on the narrow path. Bad choice. The first vehicles came through at lightning speed and were only about 80cms away. The boys panicked, our stress levels were acute and we were all absolutely petrified with no alternative. We got off our bikes and started walking alongside our bikes which was a very tight fit. As we made our way further and further into the mouth of this monster, the roaring ripping commotion of the trucks, motorbikes and cars using it was violating every iota of our already confused beings. After having reached a dark, dirty pocket of space within the tunnel we stopped to decide that we had to take flight. Nothing to fight. We had to scream. Couldn’t hear ourselves think. The plan was – Get on the road and pedal as fast as we possibly could to get out of this nightmare scenario. So we got ready – emotionally and psychologically – and then plunged. So good to fly but then we heard them coming. I signalled with my hand to lower speed while the other hand held onto the handle bar of a bike that was going about 40ks, thankfully downhill. As we continued and I kept looking back to gauge the situation, I realised that we had behind us a god send, a middle aged, nicely groomed man who had slowed right down, kept his distance and was protecting us from the traffic behind him. After what felt like ages, we saw the light at the end of the tunnel and if I could have got off my bike to bow to him, I would have. I hope he understood how grateful we were. Ugakei was so beautiful that we decided to stay for two nights to recharge. The place was crawling with Saro – Japanese macaque. They were hanging in the branches just over the tent the first night. The next morning they were just hanging out in the morning sun and while the boys were splashing in the water, they were confidently getting closer but never came too close. The most glorious experience here however was the light of the full moon on the deep greenery of the mountains and the moonlight on the rock pools. So beautiful. Just sublime. We invited Akira, a ceramicist and leatherworker, for a camp side dinner the second night. Akira worked at the campsite and looked after us while we were there. A very special exchange. After our farewells, we descended from heaven to hell. Nagoya is the pits of the pits. No pictures here … It was a ride through a constant and serious industrial wasteland. Even 1k out from the centre and there were only cars, trucks, expressways and very few people. Couldn’t get out of Nagoya fast enough but there was only so far and fast we could ride. We had to endure another city sleep in a park that night. Again, the mosquitoes insatiable and the heat deranging! We stopped for a sento beforehand which was the only respite. Looking forward to leaving.
Tokoname Yaki: the fifth stage
éWe rode out of Nagoya – fast – and eventually made it to Tokoname Yaki, the most charming of all the ceramic centres we’ve been to so far. What’s more, we went a little nuts on the shopping front. We bought so many pieces of beautiful ceramic pieces that were so reasonably priced. Total shopping therapy. The streets are lined with ceramic shipping containers manufactured by an important freighting family in the 1800’s. Léon found the most exquisitely coloured skink as we roamed too. Reminded me of the moonlight’s reflection in Ugakei. Found a fabulous moment of ceramic public art. Thousands of triangle forms against a wall coloured differently on each face to produce different patterns depending on the direction travelled. The local museum was profoundly educational and had on display the best footage about ceramic making we’ve seen so far. That night we rode out another 10ks to another ryokan which must have been glorious in the 80’s but completely rundown today. Posters of Modern Masters exhibitions that took place in the 80s were still up … We were the only guests in the hotel which was again another bizarre experience. The hostess was very nice and on leaving the next morning she gave us biscuits to see us to the next town. In fact, every time we come across someone, they provide gifts of some sort, whether it be fruit, biscuits, drink, origami, wallets, sake cups, fans … it seems there is almost a tradition of offering gifts to travellers.
Seto Yaki: the sixth stage
We rode out of Tokoname, headed for Seto Yaki which was a day or two away. We rode and we rode and we rode and once again, it was an unrelenting climb for hours … We thought we were heading for another fabulous campground but it didn’t exist. We went from on road climbing to dirt track climbing and that was when Mama San became unhinged. It was her first ever exorcism like moment where she turned into a crying, foaming she devil. It was getting late, the heat and the sound of those god damned eerie cicadas that start up around 4:30pm meant breaking point. Poor Oreste ran away screaming in pure fright! This day is now known to us as the Sanage Exorcism. We camped amongst bears again that night. The following morning, feeling exhausted from the emotional, physical and psychological intensity of the day before, we rode all the way down the mountain. What took us two and a half hours to climb took only 20 minutes to come down. Yes, we did make the most of it and made sure we were almost flying – the only recompense! We’ve made it to our final Yaki of the six. Seto Yaki. We visited the area, the local quarry, the shops but most importantly the kiln. The inside of the walls of many of the kilns we saw were works of art in themselves. The thickness of the glaze gave a powerful sense of the heat, the frequency and consistency of the many, many firings endured by these relics. Powerfully beautiful. As it seems to be the tradition in many of these yaki centres, the streets were lined with once functional ceramic objects. In the Seto case, it was the objects used to make shelves in the the kilns. After a good nights sleep in the only hotel in Seto, we got on the train and headed for Fuji.
Fuji San: Tenshi-No-Mori Gama
We arrived late, had a bite to eat and then started riding again. We rode uphill for about two hours. We arrived at the wonderful Tenshi no Mori campground at 8pm. Not that we could see anything at that hour. The sun goes down quite early in Japan in the summer. The road into the national park was pitch black and we sometimes had the feeling that we weren’t the only ones there. There was a sensational moment when we were riding through the blackness and the most beautiful perfume hung in the air. A tree? A flower? Not sure but it was ever so sweet. Another very special ephemeral moment. We woke up in the morning and it was gorgeous. So many beautiful insects, amongst amazing mountains, fresh water stream and wonderful facilities. We went up to Lake Tanuki to see if we could get a glimpse of mount Fuji. But no such luck it seemed. It was very cloudy. We kept cycling around the lake had a bite to eat and then – there it was Fuji San had allowed us to see its peak. Only. It was a great way to get a sense of the size of Mount Fuji. The summit towered over what already seemed very high clouds. An awesome sight. We got back to the campsite and Xavier started working the clay that he quarried during our very first Yaki visit in Echizen. The aim: to make a bowl and fire it here as a ceramic field exercise. We ended up staying here for 5 days to catch our breath. The third day it rained all day so we read, slept, read and slept some more before dinner. We had fabulous dinners and lunches, including with Seiji Nakamura San, the owner of the campground and his right hand man Ishigawa San who we learnt is a very good cook. He made us a fabulous soba lunch. The boys adopted Seiji San, despite not being able to communicate. Seiji San took them fishing for rainbow trout which they gutted and cooked with Seiji San. We ate them that night and they were absolutely delicious. On the fourth morning we ended up in a hot air balloon! What a trip. A first for all of us. Magical to be able to see over the area we were staying in. How so wonderfully strange an experience. The next afternoon, the firing for the bowl started with dinner. We had our Tenshi no Mori Yakimono festival. Fireworks and sparklers provided by Senji San. A six and a half hour firing resulting in one of our most expensive ceramic pieces yet! The following morning, the sky was crystal clear so we bolted out of the tent got on our bikes and knew that Fuji San was waiting for us in all its glory. We weren’t disappointed. We got to Lake Tanuki and there it was sitting proud, in the morning sunrise. We had a small breakfast with Fuji San before saying our goodbyes to Seiji San and Ishigawa San too. We then had a glorious 25km downhill ride to Fuji station where we got on the train for Tokyo.
Final Days: Tokyo and Mashiko Yaki
Little did we know that we were heading into Tokyo on one of the busiest days in the Japanese summer calendar. Fireworks were scheduled in Akasaka that evening and the closer we got to Tokyo the more packed the trains became. People weren’t too happy about our bikes. They made that clear – Japanese style. We got out at Ueno Station, where our adventures began what seemed like a very long time ago. We mounted our bikes, went and had sushi for dinner at our favourite sushi train place and then went to the hostel. It was late when we arrived and all we wanted to do was sleep. The place was completely disheveled. It looked like a construction site. I had to double check to see if we weren’t mistaken. Alas we weren’t the lady of the house proceeded to take us through this rabbit warren of a place filled with stale air and and totally messy. Couldn’t see any of the touristy Japan in here! We got to the room and golly! What a sight. After being invited to watch the fireworks on the rooftop, we went to shower in a dysfunctional bathroom where Leon burnt himself. We got out of there very early in the morning after an awful nights sleep, looking forward to our new hotel and meeting up with Joni Walker San. We spent an excellent day with Joni and Bogey. The boys fell in love instantly with both. Joni drove us two hours north of Tokyo to visit the contemporary ceramic centre of Mashiko. Joni, not surprisingly was treated like the returning son/brother. We were introduced to the son of the great Hamada Sensei, Shinsaku Hamada, visited the local galleries and finished the trip with a studio visit to one of Japan’s most recognised laquerware makers, Sensei Tohru Matsuzaki. The studio was filled with various perfumes and textures. We were incredibly lucky and thankful. After dinner, Joni took us to the Park Hyatt Tokyo for the best view in Tokyo of the never ending sea of lights. The boys were enchanted by the recognition of the jazz singer in the bar who waved at them on entering and on leaving. They definitely got a taste of the high life that night which seemed surreal after all we’ve experienced. The next two days we visited more of Tokyo by bike. A great way to get around and experience the city. Last day in Japan and we feel we’ve experienced the true Japan, not the marketed version. We experienced the Japan where not everything is perfectly ordered or clean, where people are people. We woke up at the crack of dawn on the day of departure to make sure we had enough time to ride to the closest monorail station to the international airport, collect the bike boxes from Toshi, who delivered them in his racy little red alfa romeo, demount the bikes, pack the boxes and travel to the airport. Jam packed. We managed with about an hour to spare before our 10pm flight which didn’t leave until 11pm.
Touch Downunder!
Smooth landing at 9am. The quarantine guy reminded that we were definitely back in Australia. His bubbly, can do, she’ll be right attitude as he squashed a little spider that ran out of on of the bike boxes. It was such a welcomed attitude after the pretty heavy police presence at Haneda airport – plain and clothed police. Maybe we were just too tired and hyper sensitive … We were trying to figure out how to get home and then remembered …. we’ve just spent the last month cycling in Japan. We could probably manage another ride to Randwick via Alexandria for pizza! As is the tradition, after such adventures. We got to Fratelli Fresh, sat down and we were all buzzing. Exhilarated, exhausted, relieved. Life. Living felt so god damn rich! Then we saw there was no Calzone pizza on the menu! Such a disappointment overcame Xavier. We all thought he was going to shed a tear. The lovely waitress Stef, spoke with the pizzaoilo who very happily made Xavier his Calzone. Clearly overcome by gratitude, happiness and pleasure!