Why Japan?
A little background: Japan is an volcanic
archipelago with a combined land mass of
about the size of the state of California.
Almost 75% of this land is mountains, which
is bad news for agriculture, but for the
biker it means an endless supply of fiercely
beautiful mountain roads.
This is combined with an economic prosperity
that results in those roads being well-maintained,
and a generally polite and friendly populace
making one feel welcome wherever one ends
up at the end of the ride.
Old & New
Something that you'll find mentioned in any
book about Japan is the "paradox"
of modern life coexisting with ancient tradition.
One of the great things about riding in this
country can be the direct experience of the
thousands of years of history. In the countryside
you sometimes find yourself riding through
old towns straight out of a Kurosawa film
that haven't changed significantly since
before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Or
you park your bike by a castle moat and climb
up endless steps, sweating in your leather
as the samurai sweated in their armor, to
look out from the castle parapets over the
modern cityscape below.
We rode our modern machines up cobbled streets
in the ancient capital of Kyoto to the ryokan, or traditional inn, where we spent the
night.
On a run with the local Harley Owners Group,
Stinger and all 40 of his fellow bikers got
their bikes blessed by a Buddhist monk.
On one level, Japan is one of the most modernized
countries in the world, and the high pace
of Tokyo city life can wear down the spirit,
but the biker doesn't have to go far to find
a connection to something deeper and more
timeless.
Japanese Riders
The sense of brotherhood is something that
riders around the world share, but there
are some interesting differences here. Posing
is possibly even more widespread here than
in the states, as the Japanese put a lot
of emphasis on appearances, but this does
not include the negative attitude that one
expects from posers in America. The rider
brotherhood here is inclusive rather than
exclusive in nature. "I don't wave to
[insert type of bike here]" is not an
issue here. Nor is "I'm a real biker,
you're not." And the sheer size of the
biker population means that you can find
friends wherever you travel.
Onsen
The volcanic nature of these islands has
created onsen, or hot springs, in every corner of the
country. After a long day of riding, even
if you're staying in a deserted campground
in the middle of nowhere, you can expect
a warm, relaxing bath at the end of the day
to clear off the road dust and relax the
muscles.
Women
Need I say more?
Cars
It's hard for us to say nice things about
cagers, and the good things we have to say
are only relative. Because there are more
bikes here, cagers are at least dimly aware
that there might be a bike next to them,
and are therefore slightly less likely to
kill you. And most cages will move out of
your way to let you between lanes in traffic
if you rev your engine at them (though this
is almost never true of Benz or Beamers).
