Samurai BIKE warriors
Story and photos by Aaron Whitfield
Two alumni pedal the land of cherry blossoms
and
soothing hot springs
Photographer
Aaron Whitfield (BCS’02) and his friend, Reid McCord
(BFA’97) recently completed a bicycle tour of Japan. Whitfield,
who has returned to Calgary to pursue a career in photography, captured
his journey in images and offers U readers an account of his travels.
Rice Fields From
north to south, the rice fields were one thread that remained constant.
The Japanese take great pride in their rice. After
seeing the labour that goes into it, I can understand why.
A baby Japanese Snow Monkey (Macaque Fuscata) peeks over a railing
at the Jigokudani Monkey Park, located in the northern part of the Nagano
prefecture. Getting to see the monkeys first hand was special, as it
was one
of the iconic images of Japan I had in my mind before my visit.
Burning Tree Festival Japan is full of all kinds of interesting and
bizarre festivals. We attended this annual festival in Kochi-ken on the
island
of Shikoku. Starting at midnight and going until dawn, this large burning
tree was paraded by hundreds of people into the centre of town, where
a battle
of huge drums took place.
Elder Lady with Candy
bowl The generosity and hospitality
of the Japanese people is unsurpassed in my travels of the world. Here
an elderly lady made the special effort to get
our attention and give us some candy to energize us on our mountainous
ride.
Reid
McCord (right) and I relax in a rotemburo in the
onsen
village of Kurokawa in Kumamoto-Ken on Japan’s southern main island
of Kyushu. The Kanji word for “onsen” translates to natural
hot springs, which are known for their healing qualities. A rotemburo
is an outdoor onsen. There are thousands of these thermally heated springs
throughout the volcanic archipelago. Onsens were our paradise after a
hard day of riding. We could go in, cool off, warm up, dry off, (depending
on the weather) get cleaned up and have a long soak in the
mineral waters. We could also recharge our electronics and rest in the
relax rooms. Since
we camped the whole way, the onsens were an invaluable luxury.
Rickshaw runner The small city of Takayama, located in Gifu-ken on
the main island of Honshu, has managed to retain its traditional charm.
Rickshaws are still used to carry people around the narrow streets
and give guided tours.
A
pilgrim's shirt is already soaked in sweat as he
heads out on the road in search of enlightenment on the 88-temple
pilgrimage around the island of Shikoku. This is the 116th time this
man has done the spiritual journey. The pilgrims travel clockwise
and traditionally wear white. The pilgrimage is a tradition over
1,000 years old and has pilgrims travel approximately 1,650 kilometres
following the footsteps of Kobo Daichi.
Golden Pavilion Kyoto is filled with many historic and culturally
significant landmarks. Pictured is the Golden Pavilion, which is a
well touristed
site. It is one of 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kyoto.
Tunnel We developed a sort of love/hate relationship with tunnels
along our ride. Love in the sense that a tunnel saved us the effort
of climbing
over the top of the mountain. Hate in the sense that they
were dark, dirty, and dangerous. The majority of tunnels were narrow
and did not have a shoulder or sidewalks. This particular tunnel
was like a vision in a dream. We were riding a rural coastal road and
the
light at the end of the tunnel was almost poetic. I knew it was a
moment that had to be captured.
Visit photographer Aaron Whitfield’s website at aaronwhitfield.com for more photos of his adventure.
U
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