The Prophet

Just an FYI for all (that would be 3) of my loyal readers, and faithful companions - I am off to Japan this coming Sunday, January 17th, back in the States February 3rd.

I will try to log on from time to time, but I know I'm going to be extremely busy, and although I'm sure the Hotels in Tokyo and Matsuyama have free internet, not so sure about my final, and longest stay, destination. The further you get from the big, urban areas, the more laid back and old-timey it gets, which is cool.

A factory and office building I had designed earlier last year is 99.9% complete, and they have cordially asked me to come over for the ceremonial opening. It will be a ton of fun. These guys just LOVE to party and celibrate as you know. I also have other folks to visit and catch up with, so I'll try to see 'em all on this trip.

Great, polite, ultra-courteous people, great country and scenery, pretty gals.

Can't beat that.

Anyway, if you don't hear from me for a few days, you'll know why.

Ride Safe!

Bob

__________________

• A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu
• Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions.
• Saying what we think gives us a wider conversational range than saying what we know. ~ Cullen Hightower

Speedtrip

I'm jealous, have wanted to go to Japan for years. Do you like sushi? Have fun!

__________________
-Shaun-

The Prophet

Sushi I've had, and it's OK. Tofu is one dish I don't care for. Some kind of soy-based paste best left for gluing things together I'd suggest.

On a positve note, with my new, improved 2010 diet, I can get into seafood much more, and try some of the wierd offers. In the past, I always longed for a good, juicy beefsteak, which I now avoid.

You can never beat a good, authentic "Kobe" steak, unbelievable - but I'll have to muster up the courage to pass on it!

It not all fun and games, lot's of work to be done, meetings, socialising and late hours, but in the end it's a great experience, and as noted before, the Japanese are a great people. Note as well that they are facing almost identical challenges economically as we are right now, so we have much in common.

I looked online for Motorcycle Museums, of which Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki have in Japan, but sadly nowhere near where I will be. We'll see. I DO know that there is a Triumph dealer in Tokyo that we pass from time to time, maybe I'll stop in this trip.

Mostly though it's students and entry level style young workers on step-throughs and scooters, plus a lot of bicycles. You never see a Harley or cruiser type bike, and also rarely a big, say 750 plus cc - bike. Once in a while, but not often. Heck, most of the CARS are <1000 cc, seriously! Gas is expensive, like $6.50 or so a gallon, so folks are frugal.

See ya',

Ride Safe!

Bob

__________________

• A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu
• Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions.
• Saying what we think gives us a wider conversational range than saying what we know. ~ Cullen Hightower

Jamie

If you have a moment to spare, you may want to a pay a visit to the Japanese Rocket III forum:

ROCKET III CLUB - ロケットスリー乗りのためのコミュ� �ティサイト

Great guys. Incredibly enthusiastic. A bit wild, at times, but what do I know?

I got in touch with a couple of members when I created the RCE (franco-swiss "Rocket Club de l'Est") years ago.

Evangelism had begun

Farewell Bob.

Jamie

The Prophet

Jamie,

I'll try to snap a photo if I happen to see a Rocket III. This will be my 8th trip this year alone to Japan, and I've been going there since around '94. Can't say I've ever seen a Rocket. I have seen one Sportster at a tollway reststop, and a few crotchrockets, but 99.9% are tiny little commuter bikes.

Good to know that they are keeping the marque alive though.

Ride Safe!

Bob

__________________

• A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu
• Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions.
• Saying what we think gives us a wider conversational range than saying what we know. ~ Cullen Hightower

The Prophet

Greetings from Japan!

It's 5:30 am here on Thursday. Weather is good, about 55, crystal clear and Sunny. What a nice relief from northern Illinois weather lately - more like -15, a foot of snow and grey!!

No drama's on the flight over, smooth as silk (ANA Airlines).

I'm in southwest Japan, where the local industry is mainly fishing and Orange groves.

Anyway, motorcycle-wise, a bit of a dissapointment. 99.99% tiny mopeds, scoots and step throughs. Haven't even seen anything other than singles!!! I did see a young lady on a scooter, and again the weather is roughly 55 degrees, but she was dressed as if headed for the Arctic Circle!! Wierd set of big, padded - almost like a boxing glove - mittens, but with fingers underneath the back of the hand mitten part. Hard to explain.

On the other hand, cage - wise, a LOT of tiny, roughly 600-700 CC cars, sort of like the new Fiat 500 in appearance. Small pick-up trucks and delivery vans as well. In short.... everything is downsized! Obviously the focus is on efficiency and economic running Vs style and/or "bigger is better". I'd say these guys are about a decade ahead of everyone else.

Gotta go, busy day ahead. Look forward to getting back though, miss my bike!!!.... oh yeah, and the wife too!!


Ride Safe!

Bob

__________________

• A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu
• Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions.
• Saying what we think gives us a wider conversational range than saying what we know. ~ Cullen Hightower

The Prophet

Greetings from the "Temporary" MI Correspondent from Japan!

Still here, I was requested to stay on a little longer (11 days) to meet with some new potential customers (word of mouth is the BEST advertising!!). Will be back in the good ol' USA on February 10th.

Weather is great (compared to frosty Illinois), around 55-60, and sunny. Thus far, the trip has been an absolute success, and the folks are all happy, which is what it's all about. Went to a Karaoke Bar last night. What a riot. Actually these guys are pretty good singers, and the women even better! Too bad I don't have a clue what the songs are about... they all seem to be super sad, and the singers really get into the emotional thing. Great.

Last night at dinner we did a "Korean Barbecue" thing. Basically a charcoal Hibachi in the center of the table, paper thin sliced meat (and meat by products!), and an assortment of veggies as well. Each person "barbecues" their own meat and veggies, and it's fantastic. We should have this in the States, but something tells me some moron would eventually burn himself and file a lawsuit. At any rate, you could certainly do it at home, which I am going to attempt.

Once again, I must report zero bikes sighted over say 250 CC's, and virtually all singles. No idea where any of the bigger bikes are, but this is the ultimate riding weather AND geography - this terrain is what we dream of in the States - Mountains, oceanside roads, twisties and challenges galore. I did see two riders at a highway rest stop. Both where in full Honda red and white leathers, and both had the hole gamut of gear - FF Helemts, gloves boots, etc. I watched them leave on miniature Ninja's, 250CC I believe, but good looking bikes regardless. Actually, everyone I've seen riding wears a helmet, so either its a nation-wide law, or these riders are just plain intelligent.

That was it. What I do see is scoots galore, step-throughs, and one ATV that had License Plates, and was legally (I asked) cruising down the main street.

Roads here are modern and very well maintained, Traffic here (Yawatahama) is light, and the drivers extremely courteous. In the end, Japan could be a great motorcycling vacation destination, if you could work out a rental thing.

Anyway, doing ok, a little worn out, but the folks here are super nice, and work very, very hard as well. I've been drinking tons of green tea, eating lots of fish and veggies, and doing a lot of walking, so maybe I'll shed a few pounds while I'm at it.

Regards, and ride safe,

Bob

__________________

• A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu
• Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions.
• Saying what we think gives us a wider conversational range than saying what we know. ~ Cullen Hightower

Speedtrip

Sounds like a great time Bob. I've seen a motorcycle tour of Japan advertised before.

__________________
-Shaun-

The Prophet

I just took a quick search/look, and found this...

Motorcycle Rentals Japan - Japan Bike Rentals

One of many.

Price-wise, 100 Yen is roughly $1.00 US currency, so just eliminate the final two digits in the listed "yen" column. That said, it's about $200/day for the big Beemers, which would be fantastic. Japan is roughly the size of California, and you would definitely want to steer clear of Tokyo or Osaka for example, as the traffic in these huge cities is... huge. Otherwise, once in the countryside, especially along the coastal roads, it's a riders dream.

Ride Safe!

Bob

__________________

• A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu
• Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions.
• Saying what we think gives us a wider conversational range than saying what we know. ~ Cullen Hightower

Jamie

Always good to read from you Bob.

Cheer up!, veggies and green tea notwithstanding .

Jamie