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| Tommy, Ako, Okamoto, Jim, Atsuko, Bill & I Photo taken in front of Okamoto & Ako's home |
Okamoto contacted Jim and asked him if he could bring two guys from the states over to ride in his parade during the festival. He said, if so, he would furnish the Harleys for the guys to ride. Jim called Bill and Tommy Pickard, (another friend of ours from Seattle), and the plans were laid. Now, take into consideration that Bill and I were in Florida for the winter at the time we received the call. Everything came together so fast that I wasn't even sure my passport was in order, as it was in a lock box in Seattle. We flew back to Seattle the end of May, and as Memorial Day was on the 27th, I had only one day to get my passport out of the lock box and make sure it was in order if I had any hopes at all of making the trip! Thankfully, everything was up to date, which leads me to believe the trip was meant to be.
We flew out of Seattle on May 29th 1996, after being delayed six hours at the airport. Since we had arrived at the airport two hours early, we actually sat around there approximately eight hours, with nothing much to do but eat, drink and be merry. By the time we were allowed to board the plane we were feeling no pain, and Jim said he thought they were going to have to pour us on board!
After approximately 14 hours in flight, we landed in Osaka. Okamoto met us at the beautiful and very clean Kansai airport in Osaka around 10:00 p.m. After loading our luggage into his van we were on our way to Tsuyama. Looking out the window of the van it was as if I was looking at a beautiful piece of Japanese art. The moon was so beautiful shining down over the mountains making the night so clear that you could see the entire surrounding countryside. Eventually, in what seemed like an eternity after MANY toll stops with very high tolls, and a pit stop for delicacies and green tea, we arrived at Okamoto and Ako's home.
By Japanese standards Oakmoto and Ako would be considered wealthy due to the amount of land they own. Their home was large enough to accommodate not only their family, but Ako's parents lived in an apartment on one end of the house and Okamoto's parents lived in one on the other end of the house. This is pretty amazing considering the fact that space in Japan is at such a premium. Their garden was absolutely beautiful thanks to Okamoto's loving care and the fact that he is trained in the art of bonsai.
Once we arrived at their home, they immediately served us tea, at which time we presented them with gifts from each of us. It is Japanese custom to give gifts in odd numbers for good luck, so we gave each of them three gifts. Afterwards, we were shown to our sleeping quarters, which were two adjoining rooms with individual tatami mats and rice pillows. Jim and Atsuko, being the honored guests, had use of the private bedroom while Bill and I shared a room with Tommy. To accommodate these sleeping arrangements I was told I could sleep in a kimono, furnished by Ako, who also gave me a lesson on how to wrap and tie it.
Bill and I, not being familiar with Japanese customs, made many blunders throughout the trip, (even with Atsuko there to translate for us); however, Okamoto and Ako were both very kind and forgiving. A good example was, after leaving my shoes at the front door, (with the toes pointing outward meaning I wasn't going to stay forever), and slipping into shoes given to me by Ako, I stepped up onto the tatami mat with the shoes on. Ako grabbed my arm, laughing and shaking her head, telling me (through interpretation by Atsuko), that I had to slip those shoes off too, before stepping up onto the mat!
The bathroom, which was shared by all five guests, consisted of a small room built specifically around the commode. The room was fairly small, very warm and not well ventilated, and the seat of the commode was covered with an electrical warming device. We were told immediately that if we had to do "#2" we were to fold and place a piece of toilet tissue down in the commode prior to using it in order to protect it from getting dirty. Living out in the country, they did not have city sewer service, but were hooked up to a septic tank. Needless to say, the bathroom was not an area that was occupied for long periods of time!
Bill and I, not being familiar with Japanese customs, made many blunders throughout the trip, (even with Atsuko there to translate for us); however, Okamoto and Ako were both very kind and forgiving. A good example was, after leaving my shoes at the front door, (with the toes pointing outward meaning I wasn't going to stay forever), and slipping into shoes given to me by Ako, I stepped up onto the tatami mat with the shoes on. Ako grabbed my arm, laughing and shaking her head, telling me (through interpretation by Atsuko), that I had to slip those shoes off too, before stepping up onto the mat!
The bathroom, which was shared by all five guests, consisted of a small room built specifically around the commode. The room was fairly small, very warm and not well ventilated, and the seat of the commode was covered with an electrical warming device. We were told immediately that if we had to do "#2" we were to fold and place a piece of toilet tissue down in the commode prior to using it in order to protect it from getting dirty. Living out in the country, they did not have city sewer service, but were hooked up to a septic tank. Needless to say, the bathroom was not an area that was occupied for long periods of time!
The bathing area was in two adjoining rooms nearby. The first room housed a sink, towels, robes, etc., and the second room had a shower for rinsing off prior to entering into a tub of very warm, sanitized water. It was not bathing as accustomed to in the states, but more a ritual geared toward relaxing. When not in use, the tub was covered to keep the water warm for the next bather. Once we had all "bathed" we headed to our mats for a much needed night of rest.
The next morning Okamoto took us to his motorcycle dealership to meet his staff. One of the men kept grinning and looking at me, then said something in Japanese. I asked Atsuko what he said. She looked a little uncomfortable, then said, "Oh, he say, it hot day!" Bill looked at her and said "Right!" He then told Atsuko she was a diplomat. To this day I still don't know what the man said.
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| Tatami mat prior to being rolled out |
The next morning Okamoto took us to his motorcycle dealership to meet his staff. One of the men kept grinning and looking at me, then said something in Japanese. I asked Atsuko what he said. She looked a little uncomfortable, then said, "Oh, he say, it hot day!" Bill looked at her and said "Right!" He then told Atsuko she was a diplomat. To this day I still don't know what the man said.
The guys picked out their bikes, with all three choosing lowered ones. After installing a US flag on the rear of the lead bike, ridden by Okamoto with Atsuko in the side car, we were off to ride through the Japanese countryside on our way to Yunogo. Jim and Tommy rode solo while Bill and I rode double, covering about sixty kilometers before reaching Yunogo. Not only were the roads narrow and very curvy, but I constantly felt as if we were on the wrong side of the road as the Japanese drive on the left-hand side!
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| Bill and I at Okomoto's motorcycle dealership |
Once inside Yunogo, in every direction, American flags were hanging from light poles, which was a very welcoming sight, (so much so that it brought tears to my eyes and made me proud to be an American). We were the only Americans there, except for a GI contingent of about six or eight men and women from Yokoto Air Base, who had stopped by for a brief visit, so we felt very special, and as we were the honored guests of the organizer of the event, we were absolutely the center of attention! It was as if the event had been designed specifically for us and the great American Harley!
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| Here we're posing with some of the GI contingent from Yokoto Air Base |
One of the highlights of the day, for me though, was meeting a Buddhist monk, known as the "Gan Fighter." He was traveling around the country rallying support in the fight against cancer and raising funds in that effort.
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| Visiting with the "Gan Fighter' |
We led all the parades that day, were interviewed by all the local TV and radio stations and were photographed by all the local newspapers...then there were requests for our autographs from the locals, who also wanted to pose with us for photos. By the end of the day the five of us were exhausted, but we felt "almost famous!"
When we returned to Okamoto and Ako's home that night, Okamoto's father said that while they were taking a break from tending their rice paddies earlier in the day they had seen us on TV and were impressed. Later our photo appeared in Hog Tails magazine, and Vibes, 1996 8 vol.34, H-D Life Magazine for Bikers, one of Japan's leading biker magazines.
Thus ended the first day of our "biker trip" to Japan.
