A short intro to a long post: Seeing as how I’ve laid out most of the background for this tale already, I’ll keep this pretty short. Going to stick to the need to know if you catch my drift. Even if you don’t, that is what is going to happen. Probably. If I can stay focused…

You, intrepid (you must intrepid if you’re reading this) reader know that at this point in our story I’ve left my job, and am destined to set off on an epic adventure to somewhere. What you don’t know are some of the particulars, which I shall share with you momentarily.

You should also know that pt.i will begin on May 21st, 2019. This is just after giving notice at Mazda, and just before officially leaving. It should provide a good base for the story. I think we’ll carry it through day 2 on the road, too.

There were a few weeks of ‘prep’ in between my last day in the office and my first day on the road, so we won’t immediately set off, but patience will reward you, friends. We’ll get rocking, and once we do… OH BOY! We ain’t stoppin’! I hope that isn’t overselling things.

Oh, one other thing that I feel worth sharing. Just before solidifying the decision to depart I got LASIK! While I was only wearing glasses at night, it was enough of a hassle to me, plus glasses on long trips inside helmets suck! So I am happy to admit I have just over 20/20 vision, and don’t wear glasses at night now. I also urge you to do LASIK if you’re even remotely on the fence about it. One of the best decisions I’ve made, even if it wasn’t the least expensive decision I’ve made. GO GET YOU SOME LASER EYES!

Wait a darn second… one other other thing… I’m going to actually share parts of my personal journal, which isn’t something I’ve shared anywhere, or with anyone, in the past. It feels like the right time, and the right story, to do so. It won’t be with every post, but where I think it works (they’ll be in italics like the extra commentary usually is).

Alright, I think those are the things that needed to be shared before we head out… so… ready? Let’s go!

May 23, 2019

Now that it’s officially out there… I did a thing recently. I made a huge choice….

I officially decided that my time with Mazda is up, and gave my notice. I’m here until the end of the month, after which my plan involves riding to Prudhoe Bay, AK followed by… I’m not sure.

The only thing I am sure about is this: I’m taking three months to myself to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. To figure out what is next for me, and what adventures I want to pursue.

Well, hello there! I think we’re almost ready to jump into more recent events, as promised back in August, but there are a few more things I want to catch you up on first. Assuming there is a ‘you’ actually reading this. Fair warning, the below jumps around a bit due to my brain being severely ADD today.

After Patagonia, I actually went to Southern France/Northern Spain for a birthday trip with my family before heading to Japan. There was even a guest appearance by a great friend from Germany. Because it was a family trip, and not exactly a normal adventure I’ve left it out, but it’s a thing that happened. It was a great trip filled with wine, food, cooking, hiking, exploring… not a bad way to start my last year in my 30s.

I happened to be in France when Anthony Bourdain died, which hit me pretty hard. Bourdain had a large influence on how I view life, my writing, my travel, my love of food and cooking, and was generally fascinating to watch. The no bullshit style suited me, showing me that there was room for people like myself in the world. Part of what really fascinated me was how he jumped right in the middle of the culture of where he visited. He really showed that people are people, and food can unite nations. Miss the guy daily.

Between then and now, in addition to the stuff I’ve posted about thus far, I’ve seen a lot of bands, plenty of hockey games (including one in Calgary), ridden motorcycles, broken my arm, and so many other things. Nothing that we need to get crazy into detail after the fact over, but still a lot of more ‘normal’ stuff. In order to spare you the details, I’m gonna hit some highlights for ya… all the way back to 2017! Yikes.

In March of 2017 I took a job with Mazda that would send me back to Irvine, CA to be in charge of Fixed Operations training. Bittersweet leaving Oregon (more than just bittersweet, to be honest… freakin’ love Portland), but it was great coming home to family, and getting to see nieces & nephews all the time.

Immediately after moving home I went and broke my arm. When I say immediately, I mean it. The first weekend back. I went on a dirt bike ride, had a small off, and fractured my arm in two places. My first cast only took 37 years to get. Would not actually recommend to anyone. Even so, it’s a funny story.

The job was really fun. I got to do a lot of cool things with training, including help launch two vehicles. It was a great learning experience working very closely with my sales counterpart, and a fantastic setup to what would come next.

What came next was a promotion to oversee all dealership training, both sales and service! Such a rad opportunity that perfectly capped my Japan trip. From August of 2018 to May 2019 I got to work for the best boss I had at Mazda, push training in new directions, directly influence the launch of the new Mazda3, star in some trainings (yeah, for real), and develop some amazing projects. Certainly some of my best work of my career. I was in my creative element, and making a difference.

The unfortunate reality (or counterpoint, I suppose), however, was that I was mostly unhappy. While the work itself was great, I was burning out, mentally frustrated, and ready for a break. A break I decided would take me on another motorcycle trip, then return to work ready to rock again. At least that would have been the plan if I hadn’t been mulling something over in my head for nearly 6 months. So I called an audible, and took a near 90-degree right turn.

What was the right turn, you ask? Give notice, quit my job, and take a nearly two-month trip instead. Yup! I left Mazda at the end of May, celebrated my 40th birthday in June, jumped on my motorcycle, and didn’t come back until August 8th (for a very special reason). This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I really couldn’t pass up.

It isn’t every day that the stars align, you’re in the right position, and you have the option to do something crazy like this. So when it does… jump at the chance. I did, and I don’t have a single regret. Best thing I’ve ever done.

So that basically catches us up to the point where you know the important highlights. It catches us up enough that I can share the story of my grand adventure, something I am super excited to do. After that you’ll get to find out what else I’m up to.

My plan is to do much the same as I’ve done with the previous ‘trip reports’, and basically repost from other places. This time, though, I’m also going to add additional commentary where it is warranted. I’m sure I’ll have additional details to share. I might even ask some others to contribute.

First installment drops this Wednesday. Bye for now!

 

Aug. 9, 2018

The final countdown for Japan. My last real day, and I made it a nerdy one!

I got up early enough that I would arrive at Gundam Station Tokyo as it was opening. So amazing to see all the Gundam models. Some are absolutely stunning, and it all brought back wonderful memories of watching Gundam anime as a youth.

They have an actual, life size Gundam! It’s in front of the mall, and it’s huge. I think it’s 166 feet tall. Oh, and it transforms! How awesome.

From there I wandered around Odaiba, a man made island on the waterfront. An island that has a Statue of Liberty. You read that right. It’s a thing.

It’s apparently a high tech entertainment district, but it also has a bunch of shopping. Oh, and Rainbow Bridge is a main access… does that make it… Rainbow Road? See what I did there? Maybe?

I found Toys R Us. They’re not all gone everywhere.

Someone suggested I check out Mega Web Toyota City, but I burned too much time being aimless. I wanted to see another area before the baseball game. Will be adding it to my next time list.

There is this really cool building that has a massive sphere nestled inside. I found out it is an observation deck, and of course I wanted in. Sadly there was some… festival I guess happening and they wanted too much money. Dumb.

I jumped on the monorail off the island, caught a different train, and landed myself in Akihabara.

Yeah, this was where I wanted to go. So many awesome shops of anime figures, video games, and anything else you might fancy. Nerd heaven. Highly recommend Super Potato, but be warned… you’ll lose hours of your life.

Akihabara is so fun to just walk around. I really liked it, and wish I could have spent more time, but I really wanted to drop my backpack before the baseball game.

Made it back to my hotel with enough time to leave my backpack, and head right back to the train station.

The Meiji Jingu Stadium, home of the Yakult Swallows was a quick subway ride away. It was easy to find, too. Just had to follow the people obviously heading to a baseball game.

The game was so much fun. The fans on both sides are so into it. They even have bands. Every player has their own cheer. Madness. One of the most fun baseball games I’ve ever been to.

Final score 11-3 Swallows. They’re currently in 3rd place in the Central League. There were at least 4 HRs, and some really offensive baseball. Good stuff.

So many people were heading for the train, and I was starving so I ducked into a ramen place. Vending machine style, which is sometimes hard, but it was really good.

After that the crowds had died down so I hopped on the subway back to Shibuya, where I was able to get a time lapse of the crazy crossing. Still neat.

This bar by my hotel has been closed every time I’ve passed at every hour. It was finally open. I went in because it promised craft beer, and it delivered. Two Japanese craft beers, both really good.

After that I ended up back at my hotel to start packing. Tomorrow is basically just heading to the airport, which I didn’t realize is a 2 hour commute. That’s neat.

Japan has been really cool, and I wish I could explore more, but… I’m ready to be home.

Additional comments from the present (Sep. 11, 2019): The next day it was time to come home. I didn’t do much, other than head to the airport. I’m glad I did, too. I had the wrong ticket, a train was cancelled, it was frustrating. I ended up having to take the slow train across Tokyo, which was fine, but… slow. Glad I left early enough. The flight home was great, and it was certainly weird arriving six hours before leaving. To celebrate I went directly to Del Taco. I really hope I get to go back to Japan some day. It is a seriously amazing place, and the people are fantastically friendly.  

Aug. 8, 2018

Today was slightly sad. Leaving Kyoto was a bummer. Heading into a typhoon can’t have been the best course of action, but no choice was given. So… Shinkansen time!

This time I was on a different train. Not quite as nice, and not quite as fast. Still, it was fast. The ride from Kyoto to Tokyo wasn’t quite 2 hours I don’t believe.

 

I actually took a later train by an hour so I could sit on the Mt. Fuji side of the train. That turned out to be a bust. Because of the weather low clouds obscured most of it. Oh well, next time.

When I arrived in Tokyo my room wasn’t ready as usual so I checked a bag and wandered around. Had a burger for lunch at the first place NOT TGI Friday’s that was open (yeah, they have those here). It was pretty decent, actually. I was plenty hungry, though. Maybe it wasn’t so good?

The rain was coming down pretty decent so I wandered around a shorter period of time than normal before heading back to get my room.

Incidentally, I arrived at Shibuya Station, and unknowingly walked across Shibuya crossing a few times before knowing that it is THE famous scramble crossing. It’s also as chaotic as it seems, but in a highly organized manner somehow.

Back to the day… my room. It’s… there is a bed, and a bathroom. But you can sit and shower at the same time, basically. The room is big enough for a bed. The picture I attached is taken standing in the main hotel hallway. I sorta dig it, just wish I could open my suitcase fully (a 20” roller). Ah, yes… the aircon is fabulous!

After watching some weather, and baseball on tv, mostly on a whim, I ended up buying a ticket to the Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku. It was interesting. Not sure what I expected, but not sure I expected what I got. I was also super let down at the lack of food included with the ticket. Pretty lame, honestly.

The lady sitting next to me was another by themselves, and nice enough, but sorta odd. She did do me a solid by telling me where to see Godzilla. That was neat.

After seeing the giant lizard trying to eat a building I went into Taito Game Station, and it was SO FUN! I played a mech game that is one of the coolest ever. You sit inside a cockpit with a screen that takes up your whole view. I got first place both games I played. Probably because… I have no idea why. The players linked were apparently a different level of bad. Also watched people playing Chunithm, an insanely complicated version of Guitar Hero minus the guitar. Mesmerizing to watch, for sure.

I was starving at this point so walked back into the red light district looking for food. Didn’t realize all the awkward solicitations I’d get. I’m pretty comfortable in most situations, but this was aggressive.

Anyhow, settled on a Japanese bbq place. You know the type, they bring meat that you cook, yet somehow it costs more than usual. No matter, as it was delicious. Another great meal in Japan.

Pretty much headed home from there. The rain is picking up, and I’m not into being out all night tonight. It’s an early one for me. The trains aren’t exactly reliable right now either.

Oh, one other thing… my shoes are soaked. They’re going to be nasty (I’m justifying here…). So, there is an Onitsuka Tiger store down the street from my hotel. Might need a pair of kicks to wear on the plane so I can retire my current ones. They gonna stink, and we all know I like an excuse for new sneakers.

Alright, early night for me. And yes, I slacked on my walking today. Gimme a break.

Added P.S. you would think the rain would cool things off. You’d be wrong. Wow.

Aug. 7, 2018

Today was pretty awesome. Kyoto is amazing.

My first stop was the Manga Museum, but I didn’t go straight there. I wandered around trying to find a place to eat, the okonomiyaki place I wanted to try was closed, so… I visited the museum on an empty stomach.

So much manga everywhere. The museum is more like a library, which is cool. I wish there were more actual exhibits. The ones they had were super interesting, though.

There was a sort of live version of manga aimed at children, but I admit to standing around at least half an hour watching. Super entertaining.

After wandering the museum for a while I decided I needed to answer my rumbling stomach. This is where I started to really fall in love with Kyoto. I had NO idea where to eat, so I wandered the side roads and alleys until stumbling into a tiny place. The amazing things to discover just wandering around off the main drag are what really started to draw me in.

The place I ate had no English menu, and I understood juuuuust enough to know what I wanted of the four choices. The food was outstanding, and the whole staff was excited over my tattoos. That was unexpected and cool.

After lunch I walked a few blocks to the Nijō castle. I won’t give the whole history here, but know parts are insanely old and date back to the Edo period. Pretty insane.

Unfortunately, only the gardens were open, but it was still neat to wander around the outside. It was crazy crowded, however. That part was annoying.

After the castle things went bus-t (this bad pun sponsored by Jacob Brown). I took the wrong bus, which led to a decent detour, but also the discovery of a Buddhist temple. So, that was neat in the end.

I didn’t do more than take a quick peek, and a few photos. I really wanted to make it to Kinkaku-ji, which is a Zen Buddhist temple. Another crowded destination, but absolutely beautiful and worth the visit anyhow. If you can tune out the noise of the crowds it’s a pretty serene place. I bet it is absolutely stunning first thing in the morning.

My last place I really wanted to check out was the Gion district, and I’m so happy I did. Absolutely cemented my love of Kyoto. Gion is the older part of town, and known for it’s geisha. Absolutely the best part of Kyoto in my opinion.

Part of what makes it rad are the seemingly endless tiny streets and alleys to explore. I wandered for a few hours, stopping twice for coffees before deciding it was dinner time.

I chose a shabu shabu place, and I was not disappointed. Shoes off, upstairs in a private room. Impeccable service. Amazingly tasty food. Again, the meat quality here is insane.

Sated, and happy I was let loose to wander Gion more. I had a beer in a pub, but otherwise just explored.

Eventually, I headed back towards my hotel and Loft. Loft is a Japanese store I wanted to check out. Some cool stuff, but nothing I had to have.

Instead of main roads back to the hotel I again went off the beaten path. I again was happy I did. I accidentally came across M4 Shooting Bar! I’d actually heard of this place. It’s an airsoft bar, and you know I had to try it.

It’s sort of hokey, but still fun. Weirdly empty, which meant four people were waiting on me. That was overkill to say the least. Apparently there were fireworks tonight, which I was not aware of.

After the airsoft experience I headed back to the hotel. A semi-early night. I’m pretty beat, honestly. Today was another 10 mile day. Not sure how I walked that much with all the time I spent on busses.

Off to Tokyo tomorrow. There is a typhoon incoming. Ugh.

Additional comments from the present (Sep. 6, 2019): This was originally posted in two entries because of the number of images. I’ve combined both entries into one.

Aug. 6, 2018

1/2 because there are a few more pictures…

Woke up in Osaka this morning ready to go. It was neat, but didn’t pull at me much.

I made my way to the train station, and discovered an amazing place seemingly from yesteryear. The line I needed for Kyoto was a special one for sure. The station was spotless. The trains had an old charm that was punctuated once you got in. Absolutely fantastic.

I also appreciated the mild AC. Heaven forbid you over or under chill anyone.

Took just about an hour to get to Kyoto. I jumped off the train, and found my hotel. I knew the room wouldn’t be ready, but I really wanted to not drag my luggage around. So… I left it with the hotel.

At this point it was also an odd time of day. I had yet to eat breakfast, but we were in solid brunch territory. I settled on a cheeseburger from Micky D’s. I’m as disappointed as you are.

After my shame I knew I needed to get out and explore, so explore I did.

I jumped on a few trains and ended up in Arashiyama. It’s a district on the western end of Kyoto along the river Ōi. Absolutely stunning area.

I was there to see monkeys, though. And see them I did. But not after a pretty damn steep hike. Know how to make a guy with a bad knee nervous? Show him a ton of stairs. Even so, I made it. My knee is pretty mad, but it happened.

Anyhow, the monkey park. You climb nearly 103 meters above sea level (you start at zero on this one) to a sanctuary for some monkeys. Monkeys you aren’t allowed to look in the eyes, feed directly, take overt pictures of… but you get to see monkeys.

Side note: still insanely hot and humid in Japan!

The thing that I did like about it was seeing the babies. They’re pretty damn cute, and I don’t care who knows it. The second thing (I can add things) I like is I actually made it up. My knee was screaming, but I pushed past that.

After that I wandered around the area for quite a bit. I was famished, as you can imagine. My first three choices were closed, so I grabbed soba and tempura at a random spot. It wasn’t bad at all.

While eating I debated visiting the Zen temple, gardens, and bamboo grove. Eventually settled on skipping it in favor of heading to check in to my hotel.

Along the way, though, I got distracted. My hotel is very close to a big shopping district, so of course I popped in and out of the various stores before I actually went to my hotel.

I managed to relax a bit once I got in the room, but the room is TINY! One of those spots that has juuuust enough space. Cozy, again.

I went out for dinner around six, and that ended up being something special. I had heard of Hafuu, but wasn’t sure where it was, so off I went on a mission.

A walk, a city bus ride, and another walk, and I missed it. It’s hard to find, so I backtracked and finally found it. Hafuu is actually wedged between two houses in a very quiet residential area. It also isn’t marked in English.

The food was top shelf. Some of the nicest beef I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. Fantastic.

That’s part 1… part 2 in a few.

2/2 title not needed

After leaving the restaurant I wandered along more of the shopping street. It was ok. Saw some neat houses. Saw some neat cars.

I started to get bored so made my way to a bar a coworker told me about; Bar Rocking Horse. Such a rad bar. Dark, and intimate. Cocktails only, no beer.

Aug. 5, 2018

Well, today didn’t start great. As you know from my earlier post I got a late start. Even so, I made up for it. Two minutes to midnight and I’m just getting back to my hotel. Glad I got out and explored.

The Shinkansen is rad. So fast, and yet so smooth. The video isn’t sped up, and that is a speed app on my phone. Pretty amazing.

I had to eat something so grabbed food in the Osaka station. Some form of ground beef patty with cheese. It was ok. There was a lot of concern about me puncturing the foil properly. Somehow people mess that up?

Additional comments from the present (Sep. 3, 2019): This will cover two days, as the entries were fairly short. 

Aug. 3, 2018

I’m back, and I’ll have to cover the end of day one while I do days 2 and 3. It actually won’t be a long one, because a lot happened I can’t really speak about in detail (and I’m exhausted). So, here we go…

When last I wrote I was going off to find dinner. I ended up at an okonomiyaki restaurant at the train station across from the hotel. It was awesome.

Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake with a bunch of stuff made on a grill. Mine had pork, shrimp, cabbage, noodle… seriously awesome. So awesome. I nearly licked the plate clean.