Well, I'm sitting in the airport lounge here in PDX after a couple weeks in J-land, where I spent two days on a Yamaha R6 on a coastal run from Tokyo to Osaka and back. The R6 is no VFR when it comes to ergos- and with temps ranging from 7-13 C on the trip, the lack of heated grips wasn't much fun either. My non-perf Vansons, balaclava, and Underarmour Cold Gear got a workout. Thankfully it was nice and sunny most of the time. Photos and trip report up later this week.
I got to ride around Mount Fuji on my RVF 400, so I know you were having loads of fun. post up a map, maybe I'll get the chance to ride their some more......
It was not too congested once we got away from Tokyo, and Japanese cagers are generally excellent- though I did see a female truck driver (!) who was smoking, talking on the phone, AND watching TV... in heavy traffic! Lane sharing is done very sensibly there. One interesting/disconcerting thing was the presence of motorcycle specific warning signs in chartreuse on some roads- with a graphic image of a rider being thrown from the bike! I think it was an edge trap warning, but I honestly didn't spot the actual hazard. I will say, cage time is MANDATORY before you try to ride there- left hand traffic takes a bit of "quick wit" and your normal habits can get you killed. Another thing I noticed was that there are actually very few big-bore bikes- lots of 250 class motos and ZILLIONS of scooters, but very few big ones compared to what we have here. Exception was Osaka which seems to have a big street bike scene. A few wannabee-scary guys wearing Japanese imperial flags, but generally very nice riders. The R6 is, honestly, a pig for distance, though- at least compared to a VFR. I couldn't stand up straight after the first hundred miles, and my right wrist is killing me. Couple other things I have noticed there (I have been there 8 times this year)- lots of solar-powered cordless radar detectors, and the GPS rigs in cages- which are pretty much universal- are absolutely the best in the world. Downside is the toll roads nickle and dime you to death- I think it was about 90 dollars one way on a particular stretch. Riding past tea fields in Shizuoka was absolutely sublime. Edited to add- taxi drivers are deadly. Avoid at all costs!
Keep in mind, it's hardly peak riding season over there. But honestly, I saw very few Hondas of any kind- lots of Kawasakis and Suzukis, quite a lot of Yamahas, even a couple Ducatis, but most of the Hondas were... scooters. OK, BIG scooters. But scooters nonetheless. And yes, I was hoping to see a motorcycle cop, but nary a one. Oh, and on the last night, I had dinner with a buddy who is in the Japan Self-Defense Force. He showed up wearing a Honda wing knit hat. So naturally I pulled out my camera with photos of my VFR on various rides, and I was surprised by how impressed he and his wife were- seems it's a big-deal bike in Japan, at least among Honda fans. When I consider how many smaller displacement bikes I saw I guess it's not surprising.
Did you happen to make it to Ueno and do any shopping :biggrin: . I can't wait to get back there with a stack of yen....... The US needs a place like that for sure!
I have a good friend who has a well-known archery shop in Ueno. However, I didn't get there this time around- I didn't manage to get a later flight as planned, I would have been coming back today if it had worked out but outbound flights were packed for the holiday. I'll be in Ueno in March. I do most of my shopping in Shinjuku, where I normally stay. Honestly I never thought of Ueno as a shopping mecca, but I seem to spend most of my disposable cash at various Yodobashi... though, my ex-girlfriend had a taste for the Ginza district... Bulgari and Ferragamo junkie- I should have know to expect that from a Kansai girl... :tongue:
I was making a reference to doing some motorcycle related shopping on Bike Street, which is right near the JR Ueno station. If you are not familiar with it, I hope you are, you ought to spend an afternoon and go check it out. It has anything and everything you could possibly imagine when it comes to bikes. It is a must do. I am kind of partial to the Shibuya area myself..........................
Is it still really hard to get a motorcycle license for bikes over 400cc there? Do you speak Japanese? I went to Japan a dozen times in the late eighties and early nineties; sometimes for a month at a time. Other than the basic pleasantries I don't speak the language. I got around ok but it sure would have been easier and more fun with better communication.
NorCal, No, I didn't know that about Ueno! I definitely will do that when I go back in March. Thanks for the tip! Actually I have never gotten off at Ueno station, always JR Okachimaki the dozen or so times I have visited there. Walking distance to my friend's place. What's the actual name of the street? Shoe, Yes, I hear there is much more to it than the standard MSF course. I used my US M endorsed license with a notarized translation and a AAA issued International permit. This actually allows you to ride any size bike in Japan (but is only good for one year, then you have to leave the country for three months before you can re-use it.) If one were to move to Japan one could convert a US M endorsement to a mid-class Japanese license, but not a 400CC + license. My Japanese is acceptable for basic communication: shopping, eating, mild cursing, business meetings, and arguments with certain women...:tongue: Apparently I speak with a standard accent, because 1) people always seem to comment on my proper Kanto accent and 2) every time I open my mouth I get a machine-gun paragraph from people who seem to assume I am fluent. Not always so! And I can hear the general regional accents- I can tell someone from Kansai or Kyushu regions from someone from Kanto region. But I am hard pressed to hear the difference between Osaka and Kyoto natives, though it seems most Japanese I know can instantly tell one from the other. Unfortunately I am completely illiterate when it comes to Kanji and most Hiragana and Katakana. Very humbling trying to learn. But even a little language makes it much, much easier.
