Driving a car has always been fun for me, and unless you're stuck in one of the big cities, owning a ride is really essential in Japan. Of course, even in the countryside you could rely on the almost always punctual public transport, but buses and trains have a big disadvantage. They only run on certain routes and you are dependent on the fixed timetable and have to be at a certain place at a certain time in order to get a ride.
With a car it is different, you are independent of any timetables, bus stops or train stations and you can even explore the areas where buses and trains do not dare to go. Especially in the countryside, the network of public transport is often very thin, the more you get away from the big cities, the more you realize that you won't be able to reach the big freedom by bus and train easily.
That's why I'm glad that I've managed to get around independently and in a flexible way since my first visit here in the Land of the Rising Sun, and that I've been able to discover so many wonderful places on my trips across and through the country. Even on my trips to work, which are always different depending on the day of the week, I have driven along so many inviting roads and seen so many great sights. Without my own car, all of this would have been impossible, and I just can't understand why some of my acquaintances still don't have a driver's license even after being here in Japan for many years. Sure the have many excuses, and to each their own. But I am sure they can't even imagine what they have missed out. They will not even have heard of most places I have explored in their own vicinity.
Trips across the countryside always have a charm of their own, and no matter what time of year, there is always something to see and discover. Often it is the more remote, quiet and not so often visited places that attract me, and then unfold their very own appeal. Small shrines and temples at the edge of the forest, green-yellow rice fields, or coastal and mountain roads, from which you have an unobstructed and genuine view of the world. Exactly these moments are so precious to me that I simply don't want to miss them and literally search for such opportunities.
You often don't even need a specific destination, you just have to set off and choose a direction. Maybe I have a good instinct, but my nose always brings me to a wonderful place where I can let my longing run free.
I've already shared with you many of the impressions I've been able to gather here in Japan. Sometimes they were of the popular tourist magnets that all Japan travelers will pass by at one time or another. Other times from less visited cities that were a little off the beaten path. And then I shares those places that only local residents pass by, but which also exude a certain magic that enchanted me deeply.
But sometimes the way is simply the goal and I just drive a big round and let myself drift for a while. And look thoroughly left and right and soak up everything I get to see. Such rides usually show a very undisguised and clear picture of Japan, not necessarily spectacular, but still so important and defining for me. It is exactly this mood that I love about this country and about this life.
Let's do a little round together today, very relaxed and without any goal and let us wander together...
Driving in Japan means going on the left side, which at the beginning took a little time getting used to. Today I enjoy driving on the often quite narrow roads here in the country. The mountains are usually nearby and for most of the year the landscape is wonderfully green and just invites me to keep exploring.
On one of my trips I just followed my nose and drove further and further into the mountains and eventually I came to a stop at one of the many dams. Japan is crisscrossed by rivers, and since there is no shortage of water in this country, people here have to deal with its often unpredictable power, and many places try to make the best of the situation. On the one hand, hydroelectric power plants are used to generate energy, but they can also be used to control floods and torrential rains. And unfortunately, this wonderful country is not lacking in natural disasters. On the contrary, it seems they take a bite of them all.
From up here, I had a nice view back down the valley from which I had come. Japan is full of mountain ranges everywhere and as a result much of the country is often still almost untouched nature. People crowd into the cities on the coast, but have such a great, albeit difficult to access, paradise in the hinterland.
There is no shortage of water here in Japan, it rains a lot throughout the year and in winter and the rainy season there is an extra load of precipitation coming down from the sky. That's why the country is often so green, but also very humid and muggy.
Many rivers are forced into relatively fixed courses, especially in the lowlands, but in the mountains you can often still observe and enjoy the wild and impetuous nature. You just have to allow yourself the time to find and observe all of this beauty. Often it is not so far away from our actual route.
But I also like the cultivated areas, especially the many rice fields. Depending on the season, it always looks quite different here, but as soon as the rice has been planted out, the many fields turn into a green, undulating sea.
In the lowlands, rice paddies usually line up to the horizon, but even in the mountains, people try to use all available land for rice cultivation. This scenery looks even more charming directly at the edge of the forest, and sometimes invites me to dream away for a moment.
I'm actually a big city boy, but over time I've succumbed to the charms of the countryside as well. Even though I live in a city again, I'm still out in the countryside and greenery very often, following my own longing. And when I stop along the way and have such a soothing scene before my own eyes, I immediately feel that I am once again in the right place at the right time.
And then when the shadows are getting longer, the landscape often seems even more charming and mysterious. It doesn't take much for me to go into a frenzy. Often a small, almost lonely railroad crossing is enough to delight me.
And when I then stop directly above the tracks and stare after them until the horizon, I dream about what would be at the end of this scene. I love to drive, but I can't refuse a train ride into the blue either. Everything has its charm, depending on time, desire and mood.
And again a day was over and the sun sinks behind the hills in the distance. The light and also the heat of the day slowly fades away, but I know that both will return tomorrow. Life runs in circles, we can run against them or swing along. I guess there will be the right moment for either, but in the end in the distant future, the sun will set in exactly the same place again. Whether I or then perhaps someone else will stand here and watch it is another question.
I hope my little picture show managed to capture a little bit of the mood that still keeps me here. It does not need much to feel good. Often it is the little and everyday things that warm our hearts and drive us. I wish you all a wonderful day, without stress and trouble, but full of love and joy.
PEACE !
[//]:# (!pinmapple 37.643497 lat 139.293520 long Japans Countryside From A Different Ankle d3scr)