Perhaps the crash changed something in the motor for the good. Fingers crossed,

It sounds as if you have the perfect place to enjoy your rain delay. I have always loved the cozy feeling of being warm and dry inside and watching it storm outside. And, of course it helps to be so well fed!

Agree!

Indeed.
We certainly agree with the philosophy of owning the lane, especially where we live. However this road was a different beast with freight trucks too big for the road going full tilt and the rain complicating things. Anyway he is ok and on we go. Thanks for your comment and thoughts.

Thanks Steve. I am relieved as well. It looked bad at a distance but a few bruises and a dented pride can be overcome.

Good that Barry was not seriously hurt.
Must have been quite a drop off the edge of the road to roll his trike.
Difficult to know the exact circumstances and traffic loads but "owning the lane" in future might be a suggestion.

Very lucky it was not more serious. Dirt washes off and shock wears off. We are glad Barry is not damaged and your usual spirits are intact!

Good to hear from you Scott. Despite our grumbling about the hills, we absolutely love everything about our time here. The people we meet, the drivers..patient and always respectful..our true exercise daily is waving to cars full of people all of who are hanging out window, including the driver! We have found a route across Kyushu to a port on the east side of Kyushu and will take a ferry to Kobe and once and for all deal with the motor. We are ok with that as we will be exploring a new region and not backtracking. Stay tuned.

This really makes me want to return to Japan. We discussed returning many times, on an itinerary quite similar to yours starting in Kagoshima and heading up the west coast.

So frustrating about the motor failure. Hopefully you’ll get it resolved sooner than later.

Thanks Rich. We appreciate that. Despite the frustration, we are travelling again, so why complain?

It sure looked like fun…and the little guy almost couldn’t see past the hard hat.

I want to do that!!

You two have such positive attitudes! I can imagine the frustration about the motor. Kudos to you for moving forward and not letting it ruin your experience.

You’re not kidding. E assist is fabulous, especially as we get older and like Dodie, I have serious knee issues. Every day he usually gets it for a while but not always. We are thinking of returning to,Osaka before heading up to Hokkaido. Frustrating but we continue to move forward.

Well, we developed confidence riding on Saltspring the past 3 years during the pandemic. Some guys in trucks love to goose the engine and spew their exhaust at us, and some yell at us, but mostly it has been ok. It has certainly improved. We like to think that we are slowly educating them!
We each have high poles with flags, flashing lights on the flagpoles, mirrors on each side, obnoxious bright neon clothing etc. A plus about our trikes is that they have 20” wheels and it is very stable. If we are forced off the road or feel concerned we can quickly veer off the road and maintain stability.
In Japan the drivers are extremely courteous and patient. Today we got stuck in a downpour and had to take to the road at times. We were ok.
We both think that it helps to look so odd and conspicuous.
Anyway, so far, so good.