Diego Goes To Japan July 13 2015
We sent our newest employee, Diego, on an overseas trip. He hasn’t traveled too much so I’m sure it was all a bit overwhelming for him. We pretty much said, “Here’s a plane ticket to a country you’ve never been and to meet people you don’t know. You’re on your own!” He visited our office in Taiwan to check out samples of the 2016 bikes and do some QC work. He then jumped over to Japan to visit our awesome distributor MX International. They organized a ride for him with one of their favorite bike shops. He was certainly in good hands and he’s put together a nice little story about his Japan ride. It’s good inspiration to get out there into the unknown… you can almost feel his wide eyed wonder at the places they rode through. -Taj The Quest For Sanshu Asuke Yashiki -Diego Today was a memorable day because I went on the most stunning bicycle ride I have ever been on. It was absolutely breathtaking every peddle of the way. The countryside of Aichi, Japan was filled with a sense of tranquility that I haven’t quite felt in other places in the world. 6 AM… Alarm. Stretch! Water! Banana! Water! 7 AM… Meet Toshiaki Yokoi: Owner of Bike Quest in Aichi, Japan. Mr. Yokoi picked me up from the hotel and brought me to his bike shop to build my Fairdale Goodship road bike. Once we arrived at Bike Quest, Mr. Yokoi hurried inside to waste no time. I was extremely curious to see how a bike shop in Japan would be organized. Two steps inside the store I was wowed as it was packed with so much inventory! Mr. Yokoi told me he had the same bike as mine in his store; an orange Goodship frame & fork. I was very happy to see there was a Goodship available for someone on the other side of the world. Our first stop was at a Circle K for sandwiches, pastries, and coffee. Mr. Yokoi spoke little English so we communicated through facial expressions and hand gestures. I knew nothing about the ride or where we were going, but that’s the best way to start a real adventure. After I built my Goodship Mr. Yokoi said there would be two of his other friends joining us. As he was trying to communicate that to me, Fumi Kondo came flying in. Fumi has been a customer of Mr. Yokoi’s bike shop for years. Recently, she purchased a road bike from Bike-Quest and this was only going to be her second ride. Fumi’s spirit and the confidence was obvious, she’s a fighter with a big heart. Fumi also spoke very little English but was willing to try to express herself to me anyway. Last, but not least Takeshi Hayashi rode in at 8 am on the dot. Takeshi spoke the most English and I immediately felt a big brother vibe from him. He was able to make the journey special by translating. Thanks to Takeshi we were all able to communicate. We rolled out at […]
