"After victory, tighten your helmet cord." - Old Japanese saying
The land of anime, funny English translations and countless two wheeled innovations doesn't always offer up proverbs that actually make sense, but the above quote is spot on-especially when applied to the Bridgestone Motorsport Company.
In Japan, where humility is embraced, the meteoric rise of Bridgestone in MotoGP could be viewed as something of an anomaly. You could say it's because the firm hasn't rested on its laurels after its 2007 MotoGP title with Casey Stoner's Bridgestone-shod Ducati. With that win, one might say the chord was tightened for 2008.
So when SR offered to send me on a tour of Bridgestone's facilities in Japan (including a stop in Motegi for the Japanese GP), I perked right up. It sounded too good to be true. Raconteur and all-round good guy Bob Graham-Bridgestone's Senior Manager of Motorcycle Products, North America-had extended the invitation to cruise around Tokyo (fully chaperoned, of course), then check out the black art of tire making at Bridgestone's facility in Nasu. The icing on the cake would be a chance to recline at the firm's VIP hospitality suite for the Japanese Grand Prix at Honda's renowned Motegi circuit.
To add drama to the mix, the MotoGP title chase between Rossi and Stoner had heated up in the last few rounds. The Japanese tire firm had a chance to lock up its second consecutive MotoGP title (on home turf, no less), with the help of Rossi, who had switched to Bridgestone rubber for the 2008 season and was leading the points race.
So I didn't have to think long before making my decision-I'd never been to an Asian GP and my passport was begging for that stamp from Japan. Bring on the sashimi.
Tokyo Rocks
12 hours later, I was on Asian soil. If I forgot to pack any essential supplies, I needn't have worried-the vending machines tucked into the corners of Narita airport Tokyo would answer any need. The tidy metal boxes dispensed everything from umbrellas and pantyhose to yes, sake and beer.
Outside the sterile bubble of Narita however, it's visual overload. Japan's largest city is referred to as a metropolis, but that's an understatement. If you include surrounding areas, Greater Tokyo comprises a staggering 33 million inhabitants, making it one of the most populous urban areas in the world.
Touring the sprawl was a study in choreographed chaos. How it all manages to be a highly industrialized metropolitan center while still preserving a cultural heritage is anybody's guess. But Tokyo's conglomeration of districts makes for tasty sightseeing, and the Bridgestone lads detour us into Asakusa to see the Sensoji, Tokyo's oldest temple. The street leading to the shrine is lined with stores spilling over with traditional crafts. Then it's off to Ueno's specialized motorcycle district to stumble around, in a happy daze, through 8-story-tall buildings all dedicated to motorcycles, parts and accessories. Everything from highly modified Ruckus scooters to 400cc Rossi Honda replicas is displayed on the sidewalks, and the requisite "Engrish" signs abound. "Urgent American", I see emblazoned on a jacket; "In case of emergency, brake this wall", is posted in one elevator.
Through all this madness, everyone we encounter is unfailingly polite, always greeting us with respectful bows and a singsong, "Hajimemashite" ("how do you do").