| Author | Message | ||
     Dr_greg |
I had a presentation in a robotics conference in Kobe, JAPAN, and I decided to bring my oldest son (fluent in Japanese) along and stay for two weeks. No Uly content (yet), but just decided to say hello. Conference was in Kobe, we've now been in Kyoto for several days, then on to Tokyo for three days, then Kinosaki (great natural hot springs), then Osaka, then back to New Mexico, USA. No Ulys over here (yet...did see a well-used Sportster), but there are some, um, interesting two-wheelers. I may upload some pics tonight. Boy, everyone is sure NICE over here, even though half the folks are wearing flu masks. What a joke. As someone who has been very parochial (grew up in small town USA to poorish parents) I have sure found in recent years that international travel is very broadening. I find it nice to see that there are many ways of living and getting along. My dad (WWII Army Air Corps tail gunner in Pacific theater) never had a bad thing to say about the Japanese (which I find remarkable) and ALWAYS wanted to tour Japan after he got out. Well, I guess I'm livin' the old man's dream. I'll try to do him proud. You folks take care. Back in USA on May 26. --Doc | ||
| Florida_lime |
Dr. Greg - I'd love to be in the position to enjoy such a trip. Lots of large motorcycle gear stores.  Saw on the news tonight about how the flu is hitting them harder than some areas. Correction: the panic is hitting them hard, not the actual flu - only one confirmed case as of now. Enjoy your trip ! (Message edited by florida_lime on May 18, 2009) | ||
| Froggy |
Do they have deer in Japan, or just giant Hello Kitty's that jump out in front of you?  | ||
| Jphish |
Hey Doc - Actually the PNW and SW have the most confirmed cases of N1H1 (as were now calling the swine/avian/human variant of this novel flu - which is also mixed in with normal seasonal flu - pretty late for that to be popping up in the Northern hemisphere. Anyway... for now, you're safer over there - unless of course things change. And your right - the masks don't help much - just need to wash hands frequently. Enjoy the Island - Havent been back since 68' in my USMC days. 40 years has yielded many changes I'm sure, but the people were great and knew how to endure / thrive in hardship conditions... and build some pretty fine motorcycles. I know they used to have deer in Japan, but the HelloKitty's are alot softer. j | ||
| Conchop |
I was stationed there in the 70's. Sure is different. Loved Lake Towada and the Mutsu Bay. It will change you if you let it. Very good work ethic and sense of respect for life, death, and property. Ancient society, culture, and history. I call it "Japanese Soul". Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there again. Nonetheless, a most excellent place. | ||
| Mad_doctor |
Ohayo gozaimas! I hope you are going to be the next Dr. Demming, Japan already put us to shame because of our post WWII attitude. The Japanese are pretty nice people, with quite a nice culture difference. (it IS VERY different from our way of thinking/Learning. Have fun, teach them in the ways of the ULY, "oh SENSAI". | ||
| Glenn |
Well another Uly owner is in Japan now too! I've been here 5 or 6 times in the last couple of years since I'm working with Toshiba on new design nuke plants. I'm here for about two weeks this trip with a return this Thursday. I really like the work ethic and efficiency here. The Japanese that I work with are great people and I enjoy it although the very long hours are wearing me down .. no time for sight seeing at all. A good mix of bikes on the road. I saw a Harley with a side car on one of my previous trips. Not as many bikes as I thought I would see. Glenn M | ||
| Rotorhead |
Hey Doc, If you get the jones for home food believe it or not there is a great Mexican place 30 min by train outside of Tokyo. Near Machida on the Odakyu Endoshima line, Higashi Rinkan station the cross the street headed east stay on the south side tracks 300 meters. Joe's is a great eats and the local bar feel for the Army and Navy in the area. Take that same line to the coast and go see the Buddha at Kamakura its really big! When you got to the hot springs they may try to get you to eat a black egg?!?!?! They say it 1 egg makes you one year younger. It doesn't. I ate 3 and they taste not so good but rice wine and hot baths will make you eat weird stuff. Roppongi area in Tokyo is a must see and the Akihabara area is the technogeek town, cell phones for 100YEN ($1) and all the coolest stuff they won't send to the states. Enjoy the land of the rising sun. I did for 3 years. My first son was born in Yokosuka. GOOD TIMES!!! | ||
| Darthane |
There are deer EVERYWHERE on Miyajima near Hiroshima, Froggy. The damned things beg worse than dogs! Greg, if you get the chance, climb Fuji! It's worth the effort. ...and given the opportunity, EVERYONE should visit Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. People need to see what we're capable of. | ||
| Hangetsu |
Nice to hear of your travels Doc. I also lived in Japan for a number of years and I go back for either business or pleasure frequently. Enjoy the food, because unless you live in a large coastal city here, you'll never find real Japanese food in the US. Sushi doesn't count. And don't spend too much effort looking for an Uly. Buell only exports the XT to Japan and even that's a stretch for the average Japanese male to get a leg over. Harleys on the other hand are quite popular. Enjoy the rest of your trip. A- | ||
| Dr_greg |
Hey guys, thanks for all the tips. My son has been taking me to some authentic Japanese restaurants. Last night to a conveyor-belt sushi place; before that to some "working-class" place for some breaded pork thing for lunch, etc. My chopstick skills are definitely getting honed. The trains here are amazing. This is heaven for a fan of "precision engineering." To stand at a train station and see the Sinkansen Series N700 come hauling through at a buck eighty is an experience. And the Shinkansen (we have JapanRail pass, so we ride them a lot) is SO SMOOTH. Like a jetliner with more leg room  Today we go to Tokyo and perhaps the world's largest train station (?)...Shin-Juku (sp?) My son is a little worried about finding the right way out but I'm sure we'll find our hotel. Yes, there are fewer bikes/scooters than one might think, but the public transit is so good, why bother. And people do walk a lot more over here. Work ethic for sure. Paul (my son) said he'd probably not want to work in Japan since (especially as a new guy) you never want to be the first guy to leave the office in the evening. We did see a classic Harley chopper yesterday: loud, big, etc. Paul remarked that the rider paid a pretty penny for that baby. Oddly, it didn't seem that out of place, since there's such a mix of bikes around. Here are a few bike pics I've taken: 1. I'll bet you could get some awesome lean angles on this little mini-supermoto bike.  And it's a 2-stroke!  2. I don't think they'd let me park THIS scooter for free on campus...  Oh, well. That's enough for now. I don't know about internet access from here on so it may be a while. --Doc | ||
| Hangetsu |
Hey Doc, Nice bike pix. The scooter was a great and typical example of what you'll see a lot of over there. There are two or three levels of MC license over there, graded by engine size. I forget the breakdown, but an open class license requires a hefty amount of class time at the tune of $$$$ and there may be an age limit as well. The result is, you will see a lot of very hot-rodded small displacement bikes on the road. That and young Japanese love to customize their vehicles; much more so than the average American youth. Makes for interesting roadside viewing. Glad you're having a good time. It's almost impossible not to in that country. Oh, and if the standard Japanese beers are a little too light for you, try any of he beers from "Ebisu". They're not that popular among the Japanese because they're a little heavy, but if you like the flavor of a good German pilsner or a dark lager, Ebisu is the ticket. Cheers. A- | ||
| Riding_tall |
Enjoy Japan. Bringing your oldest son with you is .. well great beyond words. I bet he is finding that school japanese and street japanese are very different. There is no better way to experience the wonderful difference of other cultures than to be in them. (Message edited by riding_tall on May 21, 2009) | ||
| Dr_greg |
Yes, indeed. He has been mistaken over the phone for a native speaker, and boy has that been handy. He's noticed that the "Tokyo lack of accent" is strange...it's like the Japanese they teach on language tapes. He's used to the "provincial accents" they speak in the rural areas. And both my oldest sons (30 and 28) have had a rough couple of years...they've BOTH: 1. Been divorced. In both cases their wives wanted out; they both wanted to keep their marriages together (luckily no kids in either case). 2. Lost their jobs. 3. The second son also sold his house. They both moved back in with me and Mrs. Greg. They're "regrouping" for a while. I sure love those guys. Having Paul (eldest) along is a joy for sure. Man, I'm sure gonna go home in better shape than I came...lotsa walking! Thanksfully tomorrow we take Shinkansen to Kyoto, then another (regular) train to Kinosake, where there are legendary "onsen" (hot springs). Time to relax and soak in the hot springs! Ahhh....I may not wanna come home And +1 on the cultures thing...it's a smaller world these days and it's sure nice to see some more of it. Take care, guys. I have another robotics conference in Seattle at the end of June and I'm gonna do a Uly road trip out to CA and up to WA, then back through MT, etc. I'll prolly post a RR to ADV for that one. --Doc | ||
| Choyashi |
There must be Uly's some where! My replacement mirror from Chicago Harley has "objects appear closer then you think" written in Japanese on it! | ||
| Dr_greg |
Hah! Well, I'm keepin' my eyes open. Today we're headin' out to Kinosaki (more rural; hot springs) so maybe closer to the Uly's natural environment one will show up. My son tells me there is a Buell owner's group in Japan; probably mostly a bunch of tricked-out tubers Later, --Doc | ||
| Choyashi |
What time is it there? Are you up real early? | ||
| Riding_tall |
Doc .. wow rough year for your older son's .. sounds like he needed the break. Spent 5 years in Okinawa with the Air Force. It was very different at first. My first night in Japan stared with me getting in very late/early and having to get a hotel outside the base. 3am - I just got through a loooong flight where my then 2 year old puked on me so many times during the flight I ran out of shirts for him and mine was err nasty, I'm holding my vary cranky 2year old son and ended up playing a 20 min. game of charades with the kid at the night desk just to get a room. had 3 typhoons hit in the first 2 weeks while still in the hotel. It was an experience. Grew to really love Japan. As I am typing this I'm munching on some nori, the seaweed wrapper on sushi. Learned to enjoy it kinda like popcorn. Forgot most, if not all the Japanese I learned. Trying to learn to read Japanese was the hardiest. It still amazes me to see someone be able to read the very complicated kanji characters as thy scroll by on a a subtitle or CNN type banner on a TV screen Choyashi - Japan is about 12 hours ( give or take ) from the US. Makes it a little difficult at times. Doc - Enjoy. I would love a chance to bring any of my now grown son's back to Japan. | ||
| Jphish |
Doc - When are you doing the road trip thru CA, WA, MT ? I'll be in CA till July 2nd so will likely miss you @ the Seattle Conference. Then on Uly road trip July 12th - 24th. Will be Somewhere in Northern tier of western US (OR, ID, MT, WY UT) Depending on schedule perhaps we can hook up & share a beer (AFTER ride of course). I'll have my fly rod and be where the rivers are. A Uly & GS riding together. You can choose your friends...but not their bikes. When I was in Japan Eric Burtons 'House of the rising sun' was pretty popular - I assume they've moved on. j | ||
| Riding_tall |
Jphish - total hijack of the thread ( sorry Doc ) but how do you carry your rod with you when your on the bike ? I'm getting back into fly fishing after a long hiatias. I've never found a 4 piece rod I like the feel of. I've been thinking just a PVC tube might work if I can figure a way to attach it to the bike. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Well, the Seattle conference ends July 1, so I'll be leaving Seattle the morning of July 2. Expect to spend a few days riding from there down to New Mexico. Looks like our paths won't quite meet. --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
This evening I'm in a beautiful hotel in Osaka. Spent the last two nights at a Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) at Kinosaki-Onsen. It was a memorable experience, that's for sure. I don't feel up to it tonight, but after I get home (tomorrow) I'll perhaps post a picture of one of our dinner spreads (served in our room). Unbelievable! Breakfast was equally amazing... And the onsen (natural hot spring baths) at Kinosaki are legendary. We visited a bunch of them, the hottest at 109F, which is pretty hot. And BOY did they feel good. Would be the perfect end to a hard day's ride. So tomorrow is a long day; from Kansai airport to Tokyo Narita airport, then Narita to DFW, then to Albuquerque, NM. I'm just getting used to Japan time, then I leave. Humph. Wonderful time with Paul (my son). He has been heroic in navigating the labyrinth of train stations, etc. Not to mention being fluent in Japanese... Fewer motorcycles than one might expect. Lots of small cars in the rural areas (and NOT ONE pickup or SUV). ***ON SOAPBOX*** Not to offend anyone, but I hate SUV's. I commute by bicycle or motorcycle, and take family camping vacations with a 50 mpg little diesel car. No one needs a 6,000-lb truck to haul their sorry (carc)ass around. ***OFF SOAPBOX*** It'll be good to be back. Lookin' forward to my first ride of the year into northern New Mexico next weekend. You guys take care! --Doc | ||
| Crusty |
***ON SOAPBOX*** Not to offend anyone, but I hate SUV's. I commute by bicycle or motorcycle, and take family camping vacations with a 50 mpg little diesel car. No one needs a 6,000-lb truck to haul their sorry (carc)ass around. ***OFF SOAPBOX***  | ||
| Bienhoabob |
I seem to remember someones bike breaking down and someones wife driving their 'pickup' to go and help out.  | ||
| Riding_tall |
Have a safe trip and thanks for sharing. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Hmm, that couldn't have been me...I ride a Uly, and they never break down... Touche. Anyway, goodbye from JAPAN. Hop on a plane in an hour and I'm "back in the USA." This has been an excellent trip and it was good to hear from so many of you regarding Japan. --Doc |
