Harry Young with his Harley Davidson Electra Glide

Being the editor of an e-zine, or any publication I imagine, you often get letters and e-mails sent by people from all walks of life. Almost every week I get messages from other Japanatics who have either something to sell me, or request some kind of help from me, assuming that I have contacts that they don't, of course. Sometimes I help, and sometimes I don't.

But about a month or so ago, I received one e-mail that peaked my curiosity. It ran as follows:

"I love your web pages.. I was in Japan in the 60s for several years and fell in love with Japan and the Japanese. I will be returning soon but would like your help. I have been unable to locate a place in Japan that rents Harley motorcycles.. Do you know of a place? But if not, keep up the great work on your web. I love that too! -Harry"

Well, though I know basically nothing about renting Harleys in Japan, (I drove an 11-year-old Daihatsu Mira that was on it's last legs during my recent two year stay in Nippon, in case you're wondering), I agreed to help Harry search for a place to rent, if he granted me an interview about his experiences back in the 60s.

Well, he granted me that interview and you can read it below. But I must admit to being a little stumped as to where in Japan he could rent a Harley. So I am putting the call out to all you readers in the cyber world to help me help Harry. If you know of a place that rents Harley Davidson motorcycles in Japan, please e-mail The Foreigner - Japan.

I'm sure he'd be grateful.

TF-J:	What is your full name and where are you from? What do you do?
Young:	My name is Harry Young, I live in Central New Jersey and I am employed by a major bus company in New Jersey. I am a bus driver and have been for the last ten years.
TF-J:	When did you go to Japan, and why? What made you choose Japan?
Young:	I was in the Navy from Jan 1963 to Jan 1967 and had orders to report to Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station serving in the Naval Aircraft Maintenance Department. I was to repair the electronics and electrical equipment on aircraft.
TF-J:	How long were you there?
Young:	I was stationed in Japan from Jan. 1964 to Jan 1966. It was said back in the 60's that duty to Japan or Roda Spain were the best places to get orders to and as it turned out that is so true.
TF-J:	Where in Japan did you visit? What did you do in these places?
Young:	Wow! Most of the southern part of Japan, Kyushu.. Also Kobe, Kyoto, and Osaka. My friends in Japan took me to places that only Japanese know so if your in Japan have someone who lives there show you around. That way you will see the real Japan. And what did I do? It should be what didn't I do!
TF-J:	Do you remember any of the fads the Japanese had back then? Fads catch on like lightening there, and I'm interested to know what the fads were like back then.
Young:	When the Beatles hit way back in 1964 they took the country by storm. And as I recall a picture of Elvis Presley and James Dean along with the Beatles were on mostly everyone's wall.
TF-J:	What did you enjoy the most about Japan?
Young:	In order: The Japanese people. The country side. (the parks and gardens). The shrines & temples & museums, the theater and arts and the music. The customs. (walking in the streets with wooded shoes -cool-) I did just that and I will do it again some day!
TF-J:	Was it difficult to get around in Japan back then?
Young:	There was no problem to get around in Japan. With all the taxis, the trains (you can set your watch with those trains)...no problem at all. I had a Honda 125cc and it just about carried me as I think about it. Today I am on a Harley at 1450cc, and of course I'm about 60 lbs heavier. And one of the things that amazed me was that if you asked a Japanese stranger on the street for the location of a place, they couldn't tell you how to get there so they would take you there! Unbelievable!
TF-J:	Japan uses a lot of English in its signs now. Did it do the same back then?
Young:	The biggest thing I thought about when I was heading to Japan was to be walking down a street with all those signs and not being able to understand any of them and starving to death not being able to find a restaurant, but every road sign, all train stations and just about most of the signs had English subtitles.
TF-J:	Was there any animosity toward foreigners because of the Second World War and America's bombing of Hiroshima.
Young:	Well it was just 19 years after the bombing as I was heading to Japan. Did this thought ever cross my mind? Yes it did, I wasn't scared or worried about my safety but I didn't want to be ignored and treated like someone with a leprosy. Maybe they will blame me???? (I was only one years old when that happened). But do you know that no one ever said anything about it! Not one word. Even the older Japanese who I thought would hate me, loved me! I even stood in front of some English classes to answer some questions in English and not one question about it. Which reminds me of a day I was traveling on a highway, (Oops! the old man has a story to tell) as I was passing a bus on my Honda and then just right in front of me were three Japanese army trucks with solders in full combat uniform. As I was behind them, just think -19 years ago they would have shot me-, but as it was they all smiled and waved. All's I thought about was an Audy Murphy movie and I passed them as fast as I could. But I did smile and wave back to them.
TF-J:	Did you ever feel any animosity personally? If so, can you tell me about it?
Young:	I hold absolutely no animosity toward anybody.
TF-J:	Did you learn any Japanese while you stayed there?
Young:	Now that is the biggest disappointment of my stay in Japan. I picked up only several phrases and I only wish I learned more. But now I am making up for my mistake because I am teaching Japanese to myself with the help of the internet and the tape player in the car, my goal is to speak it so much better when I do return to Japan.
TF-J:	What did you think about Japanese girls? Did you find yourself a Japanese girlfriend?
Young:	The Japanese girls and the best, and a girl friend? A girlfriend, Yep of course. Even to this day I think of her. When I return I'll look for her and hope her husband doesn't knock me out. :-)
TF-J:	Have you followed news in Japan over the last 40 years? Have you noticed anything about the country in that time? (Anything that made you think or made you a little sad or wistful)
Young:	I'm afraid I didn't keep up with the news in Japan except the major stories that hit the newsprint.
TF-J:	Have you always been a Harley enthusiast? Why?
Young:	Never! I never even sat on a Harley in my entire life until I bought my 2002 Electra Glide Classic. I didn't even have a motorcycle license. In Feb. 2001 I was reading a small article in the paper about Harley Davidson was having a 100th anniversary Open Road Tour and some of the places they were going to were: Atlanta, Tokyo, Dallas, Mexico City, Sydney, Toronto, Barcelona, Munich and Old Bridge New Jersey. I said Old Bridge? That got me...all those super locations and then Old Bridge, Duh! So I said okay, why not get a motorcycle and all of the trimmings and go there on the cycle, after all it's only been 36 years since I rode on a motorcycle. Well the funny part was, when I was ready, the officials of Old Bridge cancelled that event for the so called safety of it's residents. You know motorcycles and gangs. But I went to Maryland by car (no way I was going to ride a motorcycle on the turnpike) where the event was moved to.
TF-J:	Why do you want to ride a Harley in Japan?
Young:	The only motorcycle was the Honda for about 9 months in Japan in 1965. Now the Harley in 2002 and when you get on a Harley it is just so hard to get off. I know driving a motorcycle in Japan, or even driving in Japan is hazardous to your health but I hope things have changed since I been there. But I don't think so!
TF-J:	What were the best and the worst experiences you had in Japan?
Young:	The best experience is when I was introduced to Hofu City and an orphanage there. I really spent a lot of my time there And I always smile when I think of it. I still to this day have Japanese friends there who still write me. I just received an e-mail from one and that's going back almost 40 years of keeping in touch, not bad huh? I don't even know where my buddies are who were in the Navy with me but that's what makes the Japanese people so great, several years ago one of my Japanese friends visited New York and I joined him and all his friends for the day! A day I will always remember. Worst experience was leaving Japan.
TF-J:	Why are you planning to go back to Japan now? Do you have any specific plans?
Young:	In 2004 I am hoping to go there and have a test run of riding a Harley in Japan. I will spend three weeks there then. But the problem is that I can't find a place that rents Harleys, so if any of your readers know of a place let me know and I'll be traveling there next year. If not then I am going to Japan in 2010. I'll spend the summer there. That's when I'll be retired and if I am still together I'll be shipping my Harley with me. My goal is to ride it up to Hokkaido and start from there. Now that would be nice!! And travel all the way to Kyushu filming and taking notes all the way and hopefully make a one hour TV show about my adventure.-I haven't had my 15 minutes yet-. I'll be 66 and probably will be sent back out on a stretcher when I finish. But I will be stopping off in Hofu and visit my Japanese friends there at the orphanage.
TF-J:	When you get back to Japan, what do you expect will be different?
Young:	All things must change and I am expecting a different Japan completely different as I knew it with new people and new ideas, after all I have changed, but with the wooded shoes and kimonos and the sushi and the pachinko houses, even though everything changes all things remain the same.
TF-J:	Is there anything you'd like to say that I didn't ask about?
Young:	Harry has left the building!