TokyoCory
07-04-01, 02:08 AM
Looking for people who are living or touring japan. Is there anyone out there. Has anyone ever cycled across Japan?
General Cycling Discussion - Anyone in Japan
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mike
07-04-01, 11:46 AM
I used to live in Japan on a mountainside that looked over the Pacific ocean. That was in the early 1980's.
I had a bike that my blind neighbor gave to me. He was a Japanese WWII veteran who had gone blind shortly after returning from war. We spent a lot of time together and became good friends.
One day he asked me how I got around. I told him by foot and by train. He then told me to look by the fence that ran alongside our house. "My old bike should still be there. It's a real beauty", he said and offered to let me use it.
The fence was overgrown with weeds, but underneath the growth, sure enough, there was an ancient looking black bike.
The rusty old chain snapped with just a little effort and I had to literally dig the tires out of the dirt.
With just a little work, the bike became an important part of my life in Japan. It was quite a sight to see a young American zipping around the streets of Japan on a pre-war Japanese bike and it always opened the doors for plenty of conversation.
Anyway, I still travel to Japan at least four times per year and bicycle there whenever possible. In March of this year, I circled Ibaragi and Chiba prefectures on an old borrowed three speed. It was way too small for me, but I was glad to be bicycling in Japan.
Let me know what questions you have. Maybe I can help or give you some pointers.
Mike
I had a bike that my blind neighbor gave to me. He was a Japanese WWII veteran who had gone blind shortly after returning from war. We spent a lot of time together and became good friends.
One day he asked me how I got around. I told him by foot and by train. He then told me to look by the fence that ran alongside our house. "My old bike should still be there. It's a real beauty", he said and offered to let me use it.
The fence was overgrown with weeds, but underneath the growth, sure enough, there was an ancient looking black bike.
The rusty old chain snapped with just a little effort and I had to literally dig the tires out of the dirt.
With just a little work, the bike became an important part of my life in Japan. It was quite a sight to see a young American zipping around the streets of Japan on a pre-war Japanese bike and it always opened the doors for plenty of conversation.
Anyway, I still travel to Japan at least four times per year and bicycle there whenever possible. In March of this year, I circled Ibaragi and Chiba prefectures on an old borrowed three speed. It was way too small for me, but I was glad to be bicycling in Japan.
Let me know what questions you have. Maybe I can help or give you some pointers.
Mike