The continuing adventures of a couple of American bikers
in the Land of the Rising Sun

Saturday we had a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party in a local park. I swung by the day before to check conditions and take some bike art pictures.

Evolution and sakura.

The flowers had just hit full bloom the day before, so Saturday was perfect timing—just as the full blossoms start shedding their petals.

Shots of the party itself after the fold.


Stinger went by the night before and claimed us a great spot, and the weather was warm with just enough wind to give us flurries of pink stuff.

Food and drink taste better in a setting like this.

Kickass biker babe Yuuko took my daugher Lin for a walk. Lin had a great time all day running around and playing. More kid hanami pictures on Lin’s blog.

As the day wore on, the tranquility was periodically broken by the sound of V-twins arriving and leaving. Most of us went by bicycle or train or designated driver, but it’s nice to have bikes to look at while drinking.

I climbed up a tree to get some more artistic pictures of the gathering…

Only to be joined by other gaijin returning to our primate roots.

Good beer, good wine, good food, and good friends, under a beautiful reminder of the transience of life and the importance of enjoying the moment. Sunday we had a spring rainstorm and now the flowers are mostly gone, but the memories stay with us.