Call me spoiled (call me whatever you want!), but for the sixth year in a row, I was invited to cover the annual Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show in Yokohama, Japan. Not only that, but I was also offered to have my '65 Panhead taken overseas with the other "foreign-wheeled" guests via a shipping container. Now, I know when not to wear out a welcome, but this was just one opportunity not to be passed up. Traveling to Japan is one thing (yeah, I know...five times is an exception), but having the chance to actually ride my motorcycle there, well, you just don't get that kind of opportunity thrown at you every day--even in my profession. Now, to top it all off, the special guests for 2004 just happen to be two very good friends of mine: Cole Foster (Mr. Salinas Boy) and Chopper Dave (noted bike builder from West Coast Choppers) were not only coming along for the long ride, but were bringing their wheeled counterparts as well.
If you're familiar with the Moon Yokohama show, at least within the last few years, Mooneyes invites two main "foreign" luminaries to its December show: one from the custom/hot rod world and one from the custom motorcycle world. This year, Cole got the prestigious honor of representing both worlds, bringing his timeless '54 Chevy Bel Air hardtop and his recent undertaking, the two-wheeled Blue Bobber. Living up to his name, Chopper Dave brought his literally finished-the-night-before Panhead chopper. Also along for the ride, Gene Winfield accompanied the gents from Wheels Unlimited (kustom builders from northern Japan), pinstripers/artists Jimmy C, Herb Martinez, and Pecca Mannermaa (from Finland) led the Stripers Gathering, and Cole's dad, famed Funny Car driver/dragster fabricator Pat Foster, rounded out the celeb list. There was one other fellow big-name in attendance, but to this day, I have not been able to figure out just exactly who he is! Ken Yokoyama and his '65 Mustang had people swarming around him all day long. When I inquired who he was, all I was told was that he was apparently the front man for Crazy Ken Band, which to this day, I have no idea of what that is. That didn't matter, because all the screaming girls in attendance sure did!
The show started off as usual--thousands of excited Japanese spectators pouring through the entrance of the Yokohama Pacifico to the visual delight of hot rods, customs, trucks, and motorcycles of all makes, sizes, and colors. Shortly thereafter, the sea of people was parted with police tape for the grand entrance of the guests, and this year I was part of that entourage! Cole led the way on his Bobber, followed by Dave and me on our Panheads, with Pat bringing up the rear in the chopped '54--or so we thought. Once he had killed the ignitions and watched as the flash bulbs popped away, in comes this inconspicuous '65 Mustang. You guessed it, Crazy Ken! The spotlight was in no way deprived from the Western celebs, but I just kept wondering all along, "Who is this guy?"
The show continued on as scheduled, with live music, pinstriping demos and seminars, vendor shopping, and autograph signing throughout the day. The one big notable difference was the ratio of four-wheel versus two-wheel exhibitor vehicles--2004 was the year of the chopper. In only its third year of allowing bikes in attendance, the HR&CS looks like it may become taken over by the lesser-wheeled brethren in the near future! Hundreds of bikes, in all denominations, covered what seemed like half the convention center floor, but there were still tons of choice customs on display, as well. Most notably (thus picking up the CUSTOM RODDER Magazine Pick, was a very tastefully done, pearl-white and silver-leaf scalloped, chopped '54 Chevy running Radirs on wide whites. Yeah, I'm very partial to '53-54s, but you'd of had to been blind not to appreciate and gawk at this work of art. We also saw many cars from the past with new paint jobs/different body mods, but nowhere to be found was a third rendition of Rod-Riguez, the crazy Model A sedan of Junichi's at Paradise Road. (Junichi, in his broken English, said this he came as a spectator!)
With so much going on, the one-day show came and went in a flash. And, unfortunately, our stay was very short. We arrived late Friday evening, had to set up Saturday, spent the entire day at the show Sunday, obviously, and had but Monday to goof off. But goof off we did not! Both Cole and Dave were bombarded with Japanese magazine shoots, while I hung around the Moon Garage. We all did manage to ride around Yokohama some, but it turned out to be similar to riding in downtown New York City, what with a traffic light every 1/8-mile (red, of course). Nevertheless, the act of riding on foreign soil was indeed accomplished, so that can be checked off the "to-do" list!
Like I've said in stories past, this will probably be my last trip to the land of the rising sun for some time--but don't be surprised if you see coverage of the 2005 HR&CS in, oh, a year from now! If you happen to find yourself in the Tokyo area, don't hesitate to visit one of Mooneyes' various outlets. For more info, visit www.mooneyes.com (Moon Japan).