Diary & Travel Reports by Simon Milward

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Wed, 16 May 2001 16:16:55 -0000
From: simon @ millennium-ride.com
To: sponsors @ millennium-ride.com

Konnichi wa (Good Afternoon)

Each day I find out new Japanese things - this country is certainly the most different to what I'm used to. But what am I used to? There have been so many cultures. Someone asked me if I miss home. "The world is my home" came my automatic answer which then struck me as the most profound thing I've said for a long time. Of course I miss family, friends, colleagues and Belgian chocolates, but that's as far as it goes.

Yesterday I could ride at 100kmh through Tokyo, on the city centre expressways which snake their way round mid levels of office towers. I felt like a pilot. They are not cheap though, if you opt to pay (some riders don't eh Mika?) I forgot to mention the heated furry toilet seats last time and other washroom appliances give a distinct Star Trek feel. On the downside it took me four days to find a visa card machine that would accept my new plastic - but at least they work!

MOTORCYCLING in Japan is fascinating. Many riders appear to pick a motorcycle image and then dress up for the part and live it. From the 1950s style cafe racers with dropped bars and chrome fuel tanks carrying a pudding basin helmeted rider with studded leather jacket, to the Amercian style Harley riders and 'beanie' helmets hanging someway behind their heads. It's almost like living in a fantasy world. The Bosozoku are the 'gangs'. They have rebelled against society and roar around on bikes with straight-through exhausts making the biggest noise imaginable. I passed 30 of them going the other way as I rode down from the mountains one evening and hope to have a chance to talk to some of them before I leave. They have been known for violence and robbery but the police leave them alone.

That's quite surprising in Japan because the government certainly keeps things in control. Political demonstrations of left or right-wing groups are staged for appearances sake. Society has developed a 'government will always look after us' psyche. This fits well with the work ethic: that you live for the company which looks after you until you die.

But it doesn't fit so well with the need for bikers to defend their rights. That's why I've been so busy and this email is late! The concept of individuals trying to change laws is totally alien to most riders. Riders complain only to themselves about not being able to take their partners for a ride to the country using the expressway, or paying the same as cars for using them. "Government knows best" of course. Well, perhaps the new city centre road pricing plan to charge bikes the same as cars will motivate them. Road pricing is designed to reduce congestion. Increased use of two wheelers has a positive influence on this. The only sensible policy is to let bikes go free then. But sadly motorcycle legislation is often far from sensible.

Not one to be put off by all this we circulated my message in Japanese to many riders, clubs and internet groups. My presentation to the sidecar meeting went very well thanks to interpretation by Ken Omoto, though there were a few comments like "but our government will never allow that to happen". I got some help so before I go to Russia I will have been interviewed by over half a dozen national bike magazines.

But the best news is that some riders understand the issue and want to start an organisation! Great eh? It's early days and nothing is guaranteed, they will take it step by step. The first is to create a website and translation network to communicate with riders. To this end, please would all riders' rights organisations everywhere put Mr Akira HASIMOTO (LDF01045@nifty.ne.jp) on their emailing news lists. All languages are OK.

Furthermore in the first political activity of its kind WIMA Japan (the national branch of the Womens International Motorcycle Association) may ask their members to write to their locally elected politicans about one of the current national issues. (You made my day, Captain Yuko.)

Representatives of the four motorcycle producers in the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) listened with great interest to my presentation of FEMA. Discussion of the issues affecting the motorcycle community revealed few surprises and agreement so we can look forward to even closer working together. JAMA do not feel in a position right now to donate to the Flores Project though, bit of a shame really.

Therefore CHARITY FUNDRAISING has only amounted to 132,000 Yen (US$1,200) so far in Japan. 'Who you know' counts for a great deal here and I have not been able to get the right contacts. Not yet anyway, but I met some teachers (Wendy and Mark Cherley) who are helping me get that total upped before I leave. Several meetings are usually needed with sponsors and it is best to drink vast quantities of alcohol with them. (Japanese consume more than Australians I'm sure: beer, sake - rice wine -, whisky, anything goes.)
I was hoping that the Japanese would have done a little better than this, maybe I should just work harder, or drink more alcohol!

Dealing with Showa-Shell was interesting. Not wishing to lose face by simply saying 'Sorry no', the lady said "We find it hard to reach a decision." "Does that mean 'No'?", I asked. "Certainly not, we are not saying 'No'. We are saying it is too difficult to come to a decision." Hmmm, I see.

But no such disappointment in Illinois, USA. South Suburban ABATE held a fundraiser and raised $1881. This is fantastic, imagine, it is nearly one fifthieth of the $100,000 target. Thank you Marcia & Ed and your hard working team very very much. They included a raffle of some things I had sent them like some Malaysian Harley T shirts, my broken screen and videos of TV news coverage. If any other group would like to do something like this, I'll fall off and break my new screen then send it to you!

I met a jazz musican from San Franciso the other day when being interviewed for the Daily Yomiuri newspaper near the Imperial Palace. He offered his band to play a free charity gig for us in Frisco in 3 or 4 months time. Wonderful.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Food Fair put on by the Parents Teachers Students Association of the Yokohama International School (www.yis.ac.jp). The full day of performing arts and erotic dancing by dads was fun, plus they donated 50,000 Yen. The event was to raise funds for their own charity work, building schools in Cambodia and Nepal and paying a wage to local teachers. What a great idea, Schools for Schools. I crashed out at Tim the drama teacher`s place, himself an old hand at travelling. Yesterday I gave talks to six classes ranging from 6 to 14 year olds and thoroughly enjoyed it. Julian, teaching class 5W, paid over \2000 after which 3 or 4 young students followed suit!

www.netriders.co.jp, which is a service to the motorcycle community in Japan, also kindly donated 50,000 Yen and are helping to get my message out to the biking world.

Other helpful organisations include Arai who have offered a new Motox helmet with removable chin piece. Some kids yesterday told me my Lazer item was stinking inside as they ran around the playground with it, whilst my gloves prompted a boxing fight. The sports organisation Motorcycle Federation of Japan got me the helmet commenting that my Lazer item looked too bashed to be of any use. I`m going to dump it unless someone wants to buy it for charity... I'm hoping that MFJ will come forward with a charity donation too.

All the activity has been possible thanks among others to Seiho Publishing who let me use their office facilities (also as a bedroom!) and Masako, a kind girl I met in Singapore who gave me a mobile phone to use! With her sister we went to the national musuem last Sunday.

Don't mention the war though. It is not discussed at all here really and there are few museums covering it. Many countries commit atrocities during these evil events and Japan is no exception in wanting to forget this part in its history. The Koreans complain that Japan attempted to rewrite history in their new school textbooks.

ENJOYMENT has been plenty. I get enormous pleasure from attaining the goals of this world ride, such is sense of achievement. But I've also been out riding round Japan for a week.

I went to the Superbike races in Sugo circuit near Sendai where we stayed with Akira's uncle who is a general manager for the Miyagi Prefecture traffic police. His wife dressed me in the traditional Montsuki and Hakama clothing (she's a professional) complete with Katana sword - what a special feeling! We rode further north to the town of Kessenomer on the coast where we stayed with his Mum and Dad. The temparature had dropped to 6 degrees C.

We saw the Valley of the Boars Nose, an underground waterfall, an ancient village and had a seafood BBQ with Akira's many aunts and uncles. There were squids and shellfish on the grill and the sea urchin were very tasty. 'Natto' is rotten soybeans, delicious Akira's Grandad gave me a silver ring and Kokeshi (wooden doll) and was the most drunk of everyone. We became great friends and sang to the rest of the merry throng (he did some Japanese folk song whilst I relied on American folk, of course, Dylans 'Blowing in the Wind' ha ha.) We made a trip to the Pachinko amusement hall where I blew 1000\. Tremendously popular in Japan this is a gambling game rather like a British slot machine where your coin drops from the top and you hope it pushes out more coins at the bottom. Pachinko requires some skill though because you have some control and you do it with steel balls. I got about 100 balls for my money. But some players had big boxes full of shining balls stacked up behind them!

I then took off on my own up the mountains, oh how I miss them it was magic. At one stage the road was blocked with snow but I thoroughly enjoyed camping out.

THE BIKE has behaved very well, though I had a couple of flat rear tyres since the tube (which has done 65,000km) was kinked when refitted in Darwin.
Metzeler's new nobblies will be fitted anyday now along with new tubes, it will be the sixth rear and fifth front. My rear brake packed up once due to vibration and the clutch cable snapped. I'm a little worried about the rocker covers because I've stripped the threads on the head where the retaining bolts go in - but it should get me to California where I'll get something done. I've only got two oil filters left to last me until then!

Carrozzeria, the Ohlins suspension distributors, may give me a new set of shock absorbers: I decided that my Malaysian 'twin monos' will be too hard for the Siberian bumps. If not then Showa might help. Failing that Netriders contacts at Daytona may have some for me. Otherwise I'll be standing up going through Russia!

THE RUSSIA visa is not arranged yet, I'm still waiting for my invitation letter, costing $90 from an agency. There is a boat going to Vladivostock on 24 May which I'm aiming for, if the visa is ready. Today's great news is that Magadan Air will give me a free ticket to fly from Magadan to Anchorage in Alaska in July. That will be about a US$1,800 saving. Just fantastic eh? Oh happy happy days.

MONEY: I seem to have about 13,000 pounds left of my own money. Just to make it clear to you, the money that I raise during the ride is ALL going to charity. Either Medecins Sans Frontieres or our new Health for All motorcycle charity project in Flores. Donators can choose.

I decided in the beginning that half the money raised would go to the fuel bill, and half to charity. When the fuel bill was covered, all goes to charity. I reached this stage before departure. The fuel bill is budgeted at US$4500. We've raised now about US$23,000 in total for charity, the target is US$100,000.

All other costs are paid by me personally or depend on my ability to scrounge. I'm prepared to blow my life savings anyway, I think it is well worth it. BMW Bikes magazine here insisted on making a donation to me personally, which I accepted, but as a rule all donations go to charity. Fundraising telephone bills are covered by me personally when I cannot scrounge the use of someone else`s phone.

The HEALTH FOR ALL project in Flores will last for three years and cost a total of US$150,000. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the international aid budget of US$100,000,000,000 ($100 billion). Most of this is used as a foreign policy instrument by donator governments who assign most of it to companies from their own country. So the gravy train rolls on and the poverty gap widens. Anyway Health for All will benefit some of the most needy in Asia. Its special brand of motorcycle health delivery will be a unique example to health departments throughout the region.

I agreed with Wili to find the funds to buy the 12 bikes we need along with spare parts, fuel and oil, helmets and clothing for the three years. As a start anyway. That totals about US$36,000. Wili has some other contacts to help get some more funds together, and Riders for Health have also offered assistance in this area.

Each bike will cost about US$1,500. So South Suburban ABATE`s $1881 will buy one bike and keep it supplied with fuel and oil for one year. How many lives will that save? We shall be able to tell you since effective monitoring is part of the project plan. You`ll find the updated project plan, budget and schedule at www.millennium-ride.com, see `Groups`.

SATELLITE TRACKING
I'm determined to get this working again properly. So that if I disappear into a Siberian swamp or get eaten alive by mosquitos, you will be able to know where it happened! I'll tell you if/when it comes on line again.

Kampai (Cheers, prost, salut, nasdrovia)

Simon Milward