I'm using a 20-year old Japanese frame - a Miyata. I didn't do any especially rough roads on it on my first tour (hopefully one of a few before I upgrade to an LHT), but it held up just find to everything that the trip was able to dish out. I use it as my everything bike around town here, and it's basically bombproof. I don't know much of anything about other 80's Japanese bicycles, but I will warn you that on the Miyata, I've had a bit of a challenge in getting parts to fit, particularly racks and fenders. It's not a clearance problem, it's just that none of the eyelets are the right size - the standard-sized hardware simply doesn't fit, and so getting things installed can sometimes require a rather substantial degree of Yankee ingenuity. This is one of the major reasons that I have my eye on a new LHT in the future. Still, for sheer value and durability, it's hard to beat. The Japanese bike idea is a good one. So is seven speeds - I frankly don't see any good reasons for more than seven cogs for touring or utilitarian purposes.