Changing landscapes; the joys of road tripping in Japan

One of the reasons I enjoy road trips in Japan so much, or even just driving long distance in Japan, is the variation in the landscape. I am also particularly lucky that in my area of Saitama Prefecture, the highway routes often have a clear view of Mt. Fuji in the distance. So, I don't even have to go further afield to get the special gooey feeling you get when you spot the iconic mountain! 

When you go on a road trip in Japan, you soon appreciate the prevalence of changing landscapes. You can be in a built-up cosmopolitan city one minute and before you know it you are driving through acres of rice paddies. Drive on and all of sudden you are on a narrow street lined with ancient trees or atop a mountain with panoramic views. Moreover, a single tunnel can quite literally take you from neon edges to lush forests, from sea wind to mountain mist. Landscapes shift in minutes. 

Road trips really drill home how Japan is made up of so many different pockets of life too. Fishing towns with bobbing boats, tea-growing villages with neatly trimmed rows, post towns with Edo-era facades, suburban clusters that vanish almost as soon as they appear, just a dot in the rear-view mirror within seconds. Witnessing all these landscapes within just hours of each other is why, even though I get car sick, I love to go on a road trip in Japan!