Jim Adam - The Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Dec 22, 2009

Motorcyclists embrace the spirit of Christmas

For the kids at Elizabeth Sanders Home in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, Dec. 13 was a day they won't forget anytime soon. On that Sunday nearly 80 motorcycles came rolling into their compound carrying more than 150 presents.

LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD

Nov 16, 2008

The Griso 8V can walk the walk

Many motorcycle manufacturers are larger than Moto Guzzi, but few have as rich a heritage. Founded in 1921, the legendary Italian marquee has been continuously producing motorcycles longer than any other European maker.

LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD

Jul 13, 2008

Honda makes more than a scooter, with not enough scoot

With gasoline prices skyrocketing, car drivers are increasingly turning to two wheels to lower their fuel bills. New riders often start out on scooters because, unlike motorcycles, they have automatic transmissions, making them a cinch to operate. The DN-01 is a bold attempt by Honda to bridge the gap between the two genres, blending the convenience of an automatic transmission with the full-size wheels and long suspension of a motorcycle.

LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD

May 4, 2008

Take a royal ride on the Yamaha Majesty

If scooters could talk, they'd probably spout the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield's line about not getting any respect. No one casts admiring glances their way. In fact, some bikers even seem to sneer at them, but that hasn't stopped sales from rocketing through the roof.

LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD

Feb 10, 2008

BMW's elegant hooligan

Renowned for its high- performance cars, BMW has long had trouble shaking the image that it's a builder of slightly quirky but sensible motorcycles for wealthy, bearded men.

LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD

Dec 23, 2007

Triumph Tiger comes out of the wild

Triumph Motorcycles is a rare success story in the British motor industry. Rescued from the abyss of bankruptcy in 1983 by property developer and self-made millionaire John Bloor, this company with roots reaching back to the 19th century is now producing some of the best bikes around.

LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD

Nov 4, 2007

A thoroughly modern retro classic

1903 was an amazing year for motorized vehicles in America. Henry Ford started producing his first Model A, the Wright Brothers made the world's first successful powered flight — and Bill Harley and Arthur Davidson began building motorcycles.

COMMUNITY

Oct 19, 2005

Tomorrow's bikes on display today at Makuhari

With 133 motorbikes and scooters on display from Japan's four major manufacturers, and 57 more from eight overseas makers, eye candy abounds at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. This year's show features 29 world premiers and 37 Japan premiers. Here are just a few of the many highlights.

CULTURE / Books

Dec 15, 2002

Bookbites

MITFORD'S JAPAN: Memories & Recollections 1866-1906, edited and introduced by Hugh Cortazzi. Japan Library, 2002 (revised edition), 307 pp., paper ($33) "I jumped out of my palanquin more quickly than I ever in my life jumped out of anything, and rushed forward. There were pools of blood in the street, and I saw the murderer coming at me, by this time himself wounded, but not seriously, and full of fight. His sword was dripping and his face bleeding. I knew enough of Japanese swordsmanship to be aware that it was no use to try and avoid his blow so I rushed underneath his guard and wrenched the bleeding sword out of his grip."

CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF

Nov 25, 2001

Book Bites

TOKYO CONFIDENTIAL: Titillating Tales From Japan's Wild Weeklies, edited by Mark Schreiber. The East Publications, 2001, 257 pp., 1,400 yen (paper) Grown men in diapers? Couples going all the way in the back seats of Tokyo taxi cabs? Mothers stalking their daughters? Companies that rent out wedding guests? It's a side of Japan you won't read about in the sanitized pages of the country's daily newspapers, but it's standard fare in the weekly newsmagazines eagerly consumed by the Japanese public.

COMMUNITY

Nov 4, 2001

It's a paradise for bikers in Japan

Maybe I'm losing it. With temperatures dropping and the first frost just around the corner, thoughts of winter sports and steaming cups of hot chocolate are starting to dance through most people's minds. But I've still got motorcycles wheelying through mine.

COMMUNITY

Nov 4, 2001

Getting geared up for the open road

Getting a license If you already have a motorbike license from another country, you can be issued with an equivalent Japanese one. If you have a Japanese car license, you can ride a scooter or a motorbike up to 50cc. If you have an international bike license, you can ride a bike of any size.

LIFE

Oct 29, 2001

A 'Stich in time saves nine

Riding defensively minimizes the chance of a motorcycle accident but unfortunately sometimes a get-off can't be avoided. That's when good riding gear can make the difference between a trip to the hospital or just a few aches.

LIFE

Oct 29, 2001

Revolution and evolution mark motorcycle lineup at Tokyo Motor Show

Tired of being jammed into a packed train every morning? Sick of being stuck in the city every weekend? Bummed out because high parking fees rule out owning a car? If you answered yes to these questions, you might want to consider buying a motorcycle. They're affordable, running costs are reasonable and -- thanks to pork-barrel politics -- the roads lacing Japan's beautiful countryside are second to none.

CULTURE / Books

Aug 26, 2001

Engine of a nation's modernization

A HISTORY OF JAPANESE RAILWAYS: 1872-1999, by Eiichi Aoki, Mitsuhide Imashiro, Shinichi Kato and Yasuo Wakuda. Tokyo: East Japan Railway Culture Foundation, 2000, 256 pp., 5,000 yen (cloth). Few industries have a more illustrious history than that of the railroad. From its birth in the 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, the railway industry helped transform developing nations into industrial powers. Though now often overshadowed by the automobile and passenger jet, rail transport still plays a vital role at the dawn of the 21st century.

CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF

Aug 12, 2001

Book bites

LETTERS FROM THE END OF THE WORLD: A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF THE BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA, by Toyofumi Ogura. Kodansha, 198 pp., 2,000 yen. The first eyewitness account ever published of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, "The End of the World" is a devastating record of the horrors history professor Toyofumi Ogura witnessed in the aftermath of the explosion. Written in the form of imaginary letters to his wife, who died from radiation sickness two weeks after the bombing, describing his experiences was a way for him both to cope with his grief and to try to make sense of the unimaginable death and destruction which had suddenly engulfed his world.

CULTURE / Books

Feb 20, 2001

Britain and America's struggle for Asia

INTELLIGENCE AND THE WAR AGAINST JAPAN: Britain, America and the Politics of Secret Service, by Richard J. Aldrich. Cambridge University Press, April 2000, 500 pp., 22.95 British pounds (cloth). "Foreign secretary. What do you say? I am lukewarm and therefore looking for guidance. On the whole I incline against another SOE-OSS duel, on grounds too favorable for that dirty Donovan." -- Winston Churchill to Anthony Eden, April 1945

CULTURE / Books

Dec 13, 2000

Okinawa's Ota makes a case for redress

ESSAYS ON OKINAWA PROBLEMS, by Masahide Ota. Gushikawa City, Okinawa: Yui Shuppan Co., 2000, 302 pp., 1,600 yen (paper). Okinawa's history is essentially that of a poor ethnic group at Japan's southern extremity. The island has been continually exploited and abused for the interest and convenience of the Japanese government, whose chief beneficiary has been the industrialized areas of the home islands to the north. -- Masahide Ota, former governor of Okinawa

CULTURE / Books

Oct 31, 2000

Just the facts, ma'am

FACTS AND FIGURES OF JAPAN, 2000 edition. Tokyo: Foreign Press Center, 116 pp., 1,300 yen. SOCIAL SECURITY IN JAPAN, by Go Miyatake. Tokyo: Foreign Press Center, 80 pp., 1,800 yen (paper). CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE RELIGION, by Nobutaka Inoue. Tokyo: Foreign Press Center, 73 pp., 1,000 yen (paper). For people who need quick access to English information on Japan, the Foreign Press Center has an excellent solution in its annual Facts and Figures of Japan" booklet and "About Japan" series.

CULTURE / Books

Jun 27, 2000

For domestic help, it's the same old world order

HOME AND HEGEMONY: Domestic Service and Identity Politics in South and Southeast Asia, edited by Kathleen M. Adams and Sara Dickey. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, 2000, 307 pp., $49.50 (cloth). Dirty? Maybe. Degrading and dangerous? Certainly not what you'd expect to be part of a servant's job description in these supposedly enlightened times, but that's the reality thousands of domestic helpers still face in developing countries.

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