Solo Japan Ride Ep. 3 ā Chiran Peace Museum & Lake Ikeda Sunset in Kagoshima | Project 47
Japan is a unique country made up of 47 prefectures. My goal is to ride them all. This is project 47. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] H good morning guys. As you can see got cold last night. I got a little bit of a late start, waiting for that morning cold to burn off as the sun rose. It was time to head towards Kagoshima City. I’m not really much for riding in the city, so maybe I’m getting too old, but the noise and the traffic always kind of stresses me out. But it was part of the journey. So off I went. As the countryside gave way to the city and the traffic, I thought I’d take a short break and look at Sakurajima from this side of the bay. [Music] It was still spewing ash into the sky. Yet from this side of the bay with the morning sunlight, it looks so serene. [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] Like I said, I’m not much for the cities, but Kagoshima is kind of a pretty one. Using the bypass, it took about an hour to get through the city. I was glad to see it in the rearview mirror. Was time to get back on some country roads, feel the bike turning underneath me, and see what I could find. There was a uh peace museum from World War II. I’ve been meaning to check out for a while. And the road there looked pretty fun. We’re fine. sort of peace parks like this all around Japan. With Kagoshima, it’s particularly potent because Kagoshima Bay was where they uh practiced and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor. You know, it’s it’s what brought America into the war and uh you know, changed the course of history in many ways. The Chiron Peace Museum is built upon the actual airfield where the Japanese army special attack base was located towards the end of the Pacific War. Built in 1975, the museum commemorates the lives of the pilots and documents their patriotic efforts for peace. [Music] While I wasn’t permitted to film within the actual museum, as it’s more of a muscle to the 1,036 pilots who lost their lives, it is well worth taking an hour or two to check out. Inside, amongst other artifacts, you can see the photos of the pilots arranged in the order in which they died. Amongst other recovered aircraft located inside, you can find the iconic zero. It’s impossible to imagine what those young men felt as they climbed into the aircraft, knowing this was a one-way trip. Back on the road, I headed south towards the beautiful and iconic Lakey Kada. The road peeled out before me through what seemed like endless fields of green tea farms. Finally, Kaimondake, an almost perfectly symmetrical volcano, honed into view, signaling that I wasn’t far from the lake. I pulled up at a parkland to enjoy the view for a moment, but I’d heard that just up the road there were some golden Tory gates. And I knew with a view like this and those gates must be spectacular. So I decided to head along the road a little further and figure I’d take a break there. The lake and the Tory gates were an epic combination. The clouds that had hung so heavy all day long broke and the beginnings of an amazing sunset formed before me. And then to my surprise, I saw a sign that said camping. Now, I had planned to camp at the ocean that night, but with a view like this, who wouldn’t? [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]
Japan is made up of 47 prefectures ā and Iām riding them all. šļøšÆšµ
This is Project 47, my solo motorcycle journey across Japan.
š Episode #3 takes me from the busy streets of Kagoshima City to the quiet countryside, where history and beauty collide. I visit the Chiran Peace Museum, a poignant reminder of the young kamikaze pilots of WWII, before chasing open roads towards Lake Ikeda and the golden torii gates with a backdrop of Kaimondake volcano. The day closes with a surprise ā finding a campsite right at the lake as the sky turned into one of the most stunning sunsets of the trip.
āØ Highlights in this episode:
Morning ride through Kagoshima City š¦
Serene views of Sakurajima š
Visiting the Chiran Peace Museum (WWII history) šļø
Tea farm roads leading to Lake Ikeda š
Golden torii gates with epic volcano views ā©ļø
Sunset camp by the lake š āŗ
š Watch the full Kagoshima journey here ā https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmfZhaoecyj7cmIPW3d5RVHgljlKch4H
ā”ļø Subscribe to follow the entire Project 47 journey as I ride all 47 prefectures of Japan, one episode at a time.
šø Follow the journey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RideThruJapan/
š¬ Support the ride: Join Team Riders for just Ā„140 / $1 a month ā https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7QUavyzNZwmN69oLfZxsUQ/join
š Filmed in: Kagoshima, Japan
š Bike: Honda GB350s (2024 model)
#Japan #MotorcycleTravel #Project47 #Kagoshima
1 Comment
That museum is incredible! I love Pacific Front WWII history. My grandfather fought on Iwo Jima, took part in the occupation of Kyushu, and helped build the US military base in Sasebo. You mention the mentality of the pilots going on a one way trip, and I think about that a lot. They actually used that for part of the premise of Godzilla Minus One and I think it made for a fascinating character story.
Good lord the views of the lake and volcano at sunset are incredible. You did an amazing job capturing that. I wonder why the gold color for the gates? Also, hey I have that same mini-grill.