INTENTIONAL RIDING IN JAPAN RAIN OR SHINE

We’ve been back in California for a week now, but part of me is still very much in Japan. I used to think people were a little dramatic when they said a place can change you. Now I get it. A week-plus on choppers exploring a new country has that effect. My best friend Becky and I planned the trip of a lifetime and Harley-Davidson asked us to recount the ride.

“Intentional” is the first word that comes mind when I think about Japanese culture.

The cleanliness stands out immediately, but it’s more than that. There’s a subtle sense of respect in how people live their daily lives, how they treat one another, and how they all seem to care about contributing to the greater good.

Everyone is doing their part, and it results in a place that feels incredibly calm (aside from the trains) and easy to simply exist in.

I could go on about that, but let’s get onto the trip.

We landed the evening of April 9 after a long travel day from LAX to Honolulu, then on to Haneda. From there, we jumped straight into navigating the hour-long train ride to Kamakura. Luckily, my travel partner Becky had been to Japan a few times before and handled it like a pro.

We arrived in the sleepy beachside town around 8 p.m. and by 9 p.m. we were settled into our rental and were sitting down to some of the freshest sushi we’ve ever had. By 9:40 p.m., I was having my long-awaited first Japanese 7-Eleven experience.

The following morning we trekked through the rain with our suitcases to Beetle Rider (@beetlerider_japan) to pick up our rental choppers. We were soaked but excited because we knew we were about to do something we’d been looking forward to for months!

The plan was to start riding toward Nagoya for the Joints show, but the weather had other ideas. Instead, we loaded the bikes into the van and hit the road with the Beetle Rider crew, who were also heading to the show.

Cold rain and low clouds followed us along us along what they described as the Japanese version of the PCH. Our first stop was conveyor belt sushi. After checking into a tiny hotel room, we ended up at a spot called Mister Gyoza, where we were introduced to lemon sours, which quickly became our favorite drink of the trip.

Sunday morning started early. By the time we got to the venue, the parking lot was already packed with bikes and a massive line had formed outside the entrance. The scale of the show was overwhelming in the best possible way.

Every bike, car, and detail felt intentional and dialed in. The level of craftsmanship and style on display was unreal. Micki, the founder of Joints, was incredibly welcoming and even asked me to do a “Paradise Road Show Pick,” which gave me the perfect excuse to wander deeper into the show and take it all in.

After the show wrapped up, we stopped at a dumpling spot then found ourselves back at the five-story arcade we had visited the night before. It felt like the perfect way to spend our last night in Nagoya.

This was one of our longest riding days. We rode through stretches of small town, farmland, mountains, and city. Since we were down to one phone mount, I took over navigation duties, which forced me to stay fully aware of where we were instead of just following a screen. I ended up loving that part of it.

We made our way toward Mt. Fuji, stopping at a look out for photos with the mountain in the background. Easily one of my top moments from the trip. From there, more onsens, hole in the wall food spots, and wandering into places we never planned on finding, including Dinos, an American diner-themed bar. Who would have thought?

Heading out the next morning, our bikes were not happy with the elevation. At first, my bike was giving us trouble, but minutes later, Becky’s had us pulled over in a lot. Long story short, her spark plugs were toast.

Unfortunately, the spare set of plugs was in the tool roll on my previous bike, so I went off on a solo wild goose chase to a few auto parts stores, armed with the old spark plug in one hand and Google Translate in the other. Somehow, less than an hour later, we were back on the road.

We rode through beautiful mountain roads over to Hakone, made some photo pitstops, and checked into a hotel for the night. By sheer luck, it had underground parking, which came in clutch with the overnight rain in the forecast.