Japan - March 14 - part of World Tour
 

Dear All, I'm Chris from the UK and trying to ride my Triumph Tiger 800XC motorcycle around the World (lucky me!). I'm flying into Osaka tomorrow 6th March to attempt to rescue my motorbike from Osaka Customs (shipped from Bangkok on container ship) before riding off to explore Japan - can't wait :) I'm available for meetings/rides/beers all month; any tips gratefully received bier

Chris ,,
Contact Chris of Japan ,, our moderator from N.Asia thread...
If you have any problems,, tell Japanese customs,, that you will take it to Korea.
There is a direct ferry from Osaka to Bu San, Korea,, they can bond ship to the terminal. Korea has no carnet requirement.
Stay away from Fukushima nuclear disaster zone. Kyoto a must see. Nagasaki, Kobe ,, Hakone ,, Fuokuoka area ,, absoulutely beautiful.
Biker friendly guest house, in Osaka ,,, he has three more. Also YMCA chain ,, all over Japan is a great place to stay,, they usually have beautiful location in the woods.
Budget hostel in Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Takayama for backpackers

Hi Chris
Welcome to Japan.
See my website in signature below for (almost) everything you need to know.
If you have a carnet and get it authorized by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF), customs is usually not a problem.
J-Hoppers, as seuoljoe recommended, is a good hostel chain (OK, I never stayed there myself, but the owner is a friend of mine and a motorcycle traveler).
There is a travelers meeting in May, I think. I'll let you know when the dates are finalized.

Thanks for the welcome and info Chris and Seouljoe,

Think I'm all sorted with JAF - faxed them my Carnet yesterday and called them today. Hopefully have my bike released by the weekend in time for some exploring. There'll be a Thai wooden crate going spare if anyone wants it.

If you send me your e-mail address, I will tell the rest of the Japanese overlanding community about you. Maybe some will like to meet you on your travels in Japan.
Let me know if you are in the Nagano area. Currently, however, we have sub-zero temperatures all day here in the mountains, so it is not good riding conditions...
Probably best to just negotiate a price for disposing of the crate. So many countries nowadays require fumigation paperwork for wooden crates, so you probably won't find someone willing to take it off your hands.

Thanks Chris - sent via PM.

I may head up your way if/when the weather warms up later next month, before I hop over to S Korea.