Bikers and Brotherhood*
The last post was for all my Japanese biker friends. I apologize to any anglophone readers who weren’t able to read it, but this post is for you. (Yes, both of you!)
Last weekend was the first annual Matsumoto Camp, a new rally sponsored by Heaven & Hell MC, a biker club from Matsumoto city in Nagano Prefecture. I’ve known these guys for years, and we usually meet up a few times a year at other rallies like the Vibes Meeting, the Love & Peace Ride, the Brotherhoods Meeting, and the Hirayu Camp (which is run by SPLENDOR, the club I belong to.)
One thing I love about rallies in Japan is the moment of arrival at the campsite, when the bikers you know all yell out your name and rush up to shake your hand and welcome you. People you’ve maybe only met once before, people you look forward to seeing at every rally, people you haven’t seen in a year or more, bikers of all ages and from all over the country who rode all the way there to see each other—everyone is expressing the same feelings. There’s something we share that can’t be easily articulated—the joy that we’ve reached a place where like-minded people can gather, a place where bikers can be bikers. It’s more than just camaraderie; it’s true brotherhood.
