Owning a motorcycle in Japan. No, owning and riding a motorcycle in Tokyo. It had taken 10 years in Asia to get here and now it was to end.
As my Japanese coworker commented when I showed him my licenses plates after having just returned from the DMV, "Shinagawa, central Tokyo. Not some far out place. Cool"
You see in Japan there are no 東京 区(Tokyo City) Kanji plates. The most legit plates are the 品川区 (Shinagawa City) plates. These mean you live right inside central Tokyo. Not only that I had proper paid parking.
The motorcycle was old and not lacking in eccentricities. However years of riding had prepared me. It was a dream come true. Elevated highways that cut among the buildings. Tunnels that led deep under the city. Narrow roads that went past temples and the original Kanto neighborhoods.
For now, my time was up. I sold the bike back to its original owner, because he had taken such good care of the ¥80,000 motorcycle. His care, diligence, and willingness to negotiate had enabled me to ride a true piece of Japanese art and engineering.
This ride would take the motorcycle back to its owner and me to the completion of a nearly impossible goal.
Nagano, Japan
No comments:
Post a Comment