RIDER HOUSES
A rider house is, simply put, a house for
riders. Some are bed & breakfasts, some are log cabins, some are regular houses,some are simple shacks, and some are
shops that let you use their floor after
business hours. They are dirt cheap, usually
between 300 and 1000 yen ($3-$10.) They are
great places to meet other riders and trade
information on cool places to go in the surrounding
area.
The "Autohouse" near Sapporo, was our first rider house experience. It's graffiti covered A-frame with a bonfire pit and a goemon-buro bath (a large metal pot of water heated by a wood fire--makes you feel like food for cannibals.)
Furai in Shosanbetsu is run by a nice young
rider couple and their dog, Tabi.
Ponto at Kutcharo-ko is the cleanest rider
house we've ever seen. It's a coffee shop/restaurant
with rooms upstairs, run by a nice old lady.
Hachi-ju-hachi-ban, a ramen shop that lets
riders sleep on their floor, got mixed reviews
from other riders because of the brusque
attitude of the owner, but we loved it. Maeda-san
may seem harsh and scary as a first impression,
but he's actually a really nice guy. Unfortunately,
Hachi-ju-hachi-ban closed down last year
because the Maedas moved.
Chirorin Mura is a nice wooden rider house
near Mount Daisetsu.
Esashi YOU in Esashi on the Sea of Okhotsk
is too cool for words. It's owned by Harley
riders Yoshiko-neesan and Tengu-sama and
run by a bunch of motocross racers who practice
for the Enduro on local tracks during the
day and handle the business of the rider
house at night.
Akan-ko Ainu Kotan Rider House is falling
apart, but a lot of fun. The owner is an
old Ainu dude who has been named a living
national treasure. He looks like a gnome
and sits around talking with and making fun
of the riders staying there, punctuating
his cutting remarks with cute little belches
and a demonic grin.
