Pictures from the road

All of these pictures were taken from the road as we traveled around Kyushu. Though the destinations were all great, getting there was half of the fun. These are some of the passing moments that we witnessed on our road trip, complete with commentary.

A old horse in Yufuin pulls an endless procession of tourists around town. This is some tired basashi.

The JSDF and other Jeep enthusiasts regularly drive their vehicles in the mountains of Kumamoto and Oita. In these areas, you can really put an ORV to the test.

The “Mika” sits in front of a massive ship on the coast of Oita.

Japanese construction workers dress like the Beastie Boys in their video for “Intergalactic”. Or maybe it’s the other way around.

Many of the bridges have fish on them. This one looks like a sardine.

“Kick his ass, Sea Bass.”. At least, I think this one is a sea bass.

If my little sister or younger cousins owned a storage container, they would probably do something like this to it.

Work is constantly being done on the two lane highways, and they use timed stoplights to direct traffic through parts where one lane is closed off. This is a good idea, except when you get stuck at one of these and have to wait a few minutes to proceed, even if there is no one else on the road. Sometimes people get impatient and go on a red. If you have the green, this can be a problem.

We barely made it across this narrow bridge. It was only just wide enough to accommodate our car.

Three motorcycle cops bust this guy on the stretch of expressway leading into the SeaGaia resort in Miyazaki. If you are traveling down this road, watch your speed. There are a bunch of speed traps, and an abundance of police officers riding bikes.

Driving through Miyazaki reminds me of home, with the beautiful beaches lined with tall palm trees.

Swans guard the coastline of a volcanic lake in the countryside of Miyazaki.

This would be a great bridge to take pictures of an old RX-7, hachiroku, or NSX. Having none of these handy, the Familia has to make do.

This antique pump is still in use. Sometimes, a word or simple phrase in Japanese is so much easier to convey one’s sentiments than in English. In this case, that would be “monomochigaii”.

Sometimes tunnels will focus the signal given off from radar guns positioned just outside of tunnels. Often times, speed traps are set just outside of the tunnels and around a bend, so it is wise to watch your speed when you come out.

Tonkatsu? Shabu shabu? Yakiniku? These are the questions that go through my mind as we pass a truck carrying some pigs.

I love these animatronic dummies that pose as construction workers and cops. Often I have had the impulse to take one home for my living room, but have always exercised self-control.

Whenever I drive by a truck carrying petroleum products, I imagine what would happen if it got hit by a car, a carefully placed bullet, or a missile, and how much it would suck to be in close proximity to it if this happened.

Here’s a picture of my former residence that I took while driving through Ubuyama. It still looks the same.

A fire k-car. There are smaller fire vehicles, but this one is pretty compact. These firefighters were taking a break on Daikanbo, eating soft serve and enjoying the sweeping view of the caldera.

I think it’s kind of cool that this motorcycle group has boy’s day decorations on their bikes. Friendly bikers are so much more pleasant than scary ones. Only in Aso…