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Ok, So where were we last?..........Something about Tenga© Jenga© and Fleck going native? Or... wait, no, it was Peter doing his Godzilla® impersonation to a bunch of horrified 2nd graders as he decimated their Lego© villages. Uh...ok, now I remember, we was all on train to Kurashiki!

Front view of a person sitting inside of a train, holding thumbs up, and peering through 2 seats in front of them

After enduring Yokoi San’s relentless thumb boxing….

Downward angle view of a bento box full of Japanese cuisine

 we dined on some amazing bento boxes bought at the train station.

Buildings of a Japanese city with dark clouds in the sky

We passed through Kyoto which made me cry a little inside because I knew we were not stopping there to enjoy it’s wonders.

A clock tower next to a monument with the statue of a warrior on topA circular city street around a clock tower, with a bus below a bridge in the background

 We arrived in Kurashiki feeling somewhat refreshed after a rest on the train. Our hotel was close to the station, but we didn’t make it to far before trouble found us.

Right side view of a person showing their pink cell phone to 2 school children, on a sidewalk in front of a building

Peter wastes no time at wowing the local school girls with his smooth linguistics and hip, hot pink cell.

 

 

Front view of a person, standing on a stone block courtyard, smoking a cigarette and holding up 2 fingers

This troubled youth had it in for us from the beginning…I believe he is flipping us the “British Bird”.

Downward view of 3 people sitting on the floor, around a dining table, in a Japanese style tatami room

We checked into another business hotel that was right off of the tracks. Japanese style Tatami rooms, bed rolls, a kitchen, a dining (read drinking) table and loads more space then we new what to do with. We filled that void with empties after a lovely evening full of discussion about what is better: TaKaRa Chu-Hi strong or Kirin grapefruit Chu-Hi?...the world may never know.

Downward, front end view of a car, with a painting of an anime child on the hood

Did you know that the Japanese love anime?…I mean really love it.

Rear view of a person crossing a city street, walking towards, The Farm, bike shop building

Our bikes had been driven to Kurashiki by Eji San from Motocross Intl, which made us very happy to not have to build them up before our evening visit to The Farm.

Front view of 2 people, side by side, in on open doorway of The Farm bike shop

This is Oda San and his wife Mrs.Oda San(as she introduced herself), they are the proprietors of the Farm; a very attractive and neatly merchandised shop. They were also our gracious hosts for this leg of our journey.

Upward view of a row of Surly bike frames, hanging a rack that's mounted near the ceiling in a bike shop

Surlys in Japan come in colors we have never seen and many of you never shall; A benefit enjoyed by Rie San’s customers.

A group of cyclists and their bikes with headlights on, standing on a dirt road at night, with trees on the sides

That evening a ragtag crew of about 25 or so cyclist showed up at the Farm for a night ride led by Oda San . It was once again awesome to see the mixture of different Surly bikes spanning multiple riding disciplines all tearing up the streets together.

Side view of a small bridge with people walking, spanning over a river, at night with street light on the sides

We stopped in the historic Bikan district for a break and some moon gazing.

Front view of a mug of beer, sitting on a table, covering the face of a person sitting behind it, inside of a restaurant

That evening we wasted the night away in an Izakaya inside the train station. This is how sexy Dave looks through a huge mug of beer.

Downward view of a whiskey glass, with a Surly sticker laying above, on a table with items positioned to look like cat

Surly Whiskey Cat

Right side view of a small child, riding a BMX bike with training wheels, inside of a bike shop with people around

The next morning we wrung out our livers and prepared for another big day. We would meet a larger crew of Oda San’s customers for a ride into the countryside . “Chii Sai Oda" was ready to put the hurt on us but decided to spare us the embarrassment and took a nap instead.

A 5 story Japanese pagoda, in the center of garden with hedges and trees, with blue sky and white clouds above

We rode to a very picturesque temple with a 5 story Pagoda. The weather was warm and the sun was bright as we wound our way through the countryside and then back towards town with big smiles and bigger sunburns.

Front view of a group of cyclists and bikes, lined up side by side in front of a road, with a field and pagoda behind

This photo might very well be in a Japanese magazine right now.

Rear view of a group of cyclists, riding their bikes toward a large Japanese torii that is arching over the street

A freakin huge Torii

Rear, right side view of a person, wrapping a small piece of paper around a fence wire, in a Japanese garden

During our visit to another temple we tested our luck by selecting a numbered stick from a small barrel. The number corresponded to a drawer containing a paper. This paper gave your fortune and told you what sort of luck you were likely to experience. Dave tied his to a fence securing his destiny for “worst luck” in the days to come.

A rear view of cyclists, riding their Surly bikes straight away on a narrow paved street, with buildings on both sides

Riding through Bikan again in the light.

Front view of 5 people posing for a picture, standing on a walkway in front of a Japanese building

At yet another temple we posed for yet another picture. The rock star treatment in Kurashiki was heavy and totally undeserved. If they only knew what we normally do with ourselves…we are obviously total nerds, as you can see.

Front view of a demon mannequin, standing in front of an ice cream vending cart, on a street in front of a store

This is the legendary Ice Cream Deamon. He hopes you choose the black one.

A variety of packaged Japanese food items and an unopened beverage can

Lunch of champions. You can eat quite well from a 7-11 in Japan!

Front view of 5 people standing side by side, with the person in the middle holding up a red Surly Instigator bike frame

This is us with a gentleman we came to know as “Super Fan”. He owns

everything Surly has ever made and even some things that we didn’t make…

Front view of a person sitting in a chair, wearing a black Surly logo hat & t-shirt, at night with building behind them

…Like both my and Fleck’s hats.

Close up view of 2 small squid on a bamboo platter

That night we had dinner at a “Organic Buffet” restaurant close to the station. There we sampled many things we couldn’t quite place “biologically” speaking. 

Front view of a Japanese beer can being held up by a person behind, inside of a room with white walls

After teary goodbyes and such were done we retreated the the comforts of our business hotel. Shuji San, Oda San and Eji San were in attendance as we wrapped up the evening with a little “imbibement”. Peter had a golden moment.

Side view of a people seating in seats, inside of a commercial jet

The next morning we were off to Hokkaido. Our visit to Kurashiki was brief but very enjoyable and quite laid back compared to the beginning of the trip. We found a dedicated fan base here and, as always, super warm hospitality. 3 of 4 cities were now behind us...how could the events so far possibly be topped?! You will have to wait for the next installment of "Ride With Surly Super Awesome Japan Fun Times Tour 2010... Hentai!

About $Trevor From Where Ever

Trevor Clayton a.k.a. $Trevor From Where Ever

T$ was born and raised in MPLS, MN. He does not own a car, opting instead for bikes and motorcycles to get around. He has a wide and varied taste in music, and once when he was young he filled a Super Soaker squirt gun with hot coffee and sprayed strangers on the street just for fun. Trevor manages our demo fleet, implements sales initiatives (acting as special concierge to many of our fine dealers) and tours the western reaches of the states in search of high adventure and intrigue.