There were more than a few raised eyebrows and quizzical looks from naysaying friends and acquaintances at a dinner party when it was suggested to them that my wife and I would be embarking on a meticulously planned and plotted road trip through the less-frequently visited parts of Japan. After all, it is almost unheard of to journey to Japan and then sidestep what is arguably the most efficient, reliable, punctual and well-connected railway network in the world — not to mention one of the fastest and most comfortable. “I really can’t see the point,” was one of the more memorable remarks.
But having driven in the country thrice before, and with a week set aside to discover its healing hinterlands,
