Sheonagh Ravensdale wrote the report: We decided to include this event in the rallies section as it was an important occasion for WIMA International, that brought WIMA members from Europe and the USA to meet and ride together with a group of Japanese riders in their own home country, for the first time. Yuko Sugeta, Japanese test rider, international bike journalist and editor of Lady’s Bike Magazine in Japan, had attended the WIMA rally in Wales in 1994, and had brought a group of Japanese riders with her to the Swedish rally in 1995. I was running my own travel company at the time in London, and had the relevant licences and experience, and Yuko had top level motorcycle contacts in Japan, so we decided to organise this visit between us with the help of a ground agent in Tokyo.
A total of 28 (including three male partners) flew out to Japan together: 11 Germans, six Swiss, nine from UK and two from the USA. After three nights in Tokyo, sightseeing by coach and boat, and sampling local food such as okonomiyaki, we boarded the Shinkansen bullet train (with a bento box for lunch) and sped fleetingly past Mt. Fuji to Kyoto.
Here we stayed at the temple Gesshin-In run by an eccentric Japanese monk with a passion for monkey bikes on which he would career round the temple grounds. Our first experience of tatami floors, sliding screens and communal baths and where we learned the hard way not to tamper with the settings of the sophisticated toilets… It was cold so we were given electric blankets to share as we slept together on futons on the floor – unfortunately they were very old and sparked alarmingly! First proper Japanese breakfast of seaweed, fish, miso soup and tea to fortify us for exploring the city. Guided tours introduced us to major temples and cultural activities such as Tea Ceremony, Koto Music, Kyogen (comic play), Kyomai (dance) and Bunraku (puppet play).
And finally, motorcycles – another Shinkansen to Hamamatsu where Yuko gave us a choice of visiting either the Honda or Yamaha factory. Then back to Tokyo with time to visit the Tokyo Motorcycle Show or Ueno Bike Town.
The highlight of the trip was dividing into four groups including about 20 Japanese riders to lead us and choosing from a wide selection of sponsored bikes from all four major Japanese manufacturers. We set off in heavy traffic west from Tokyo to the hill town of Shuzenji in Izu Peninsula, famous for its onsens or hot springs and another traditional hotel, serving only Japanese food and slept communally on tatami mats. Naturally we all sampled an onsen.
In the morning, we rode with our Japanese escorts up the iconic Izu Skyline, meeting for a group photo at the top of Hakone Mountain where we could also swap bikes. We were under strict instruction not to overtake each other on the mountain – which was totally disregarded by Ellen Pfeiffer who took off like a rocket and overtook everybody! Riding back to Tokyo, we sadly gave the bikes back. (I’d fallen in love with the brand-new Suzuki Bandit and ordered one as soon as they became available in the UK and kept it for 22 years.) On our last night, we had a final Japanese meal all together (with a huge fish head on each plate which challenged some of us!) and the exciting announcement that WIMA Japan was to be formed.
