32 days, one big wheel: Duo re-creates historic trans-Japan trip

Biking 1,500 kilometers from Nagasaki all the way in which to Yokohama is a feat in itself — now think about making the journey perched atop an old school “high-wheel” bike, with an enormous entrance wheel practically 1.5 meters above a tiny again one.

Classic bicycle fanatic and property supervisor Eric Knight shipped his high-wheeler — a reproduction of 1 with a 54-inch entrance wheel initially made by the Victor firm — from his dwelling in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, to Japan for the journey. He was accompanied by his good friend and fellow American Mark Kennedy, a administration guide and author primarily based in Beppu, Oita Prefecture. Kennedy rode an e-bike, carrying the bags and serving as Knight’s interpreter. The duo, who’re each aged 55 and met as freshmen in 1986 at Maine’s Bates School, departed from Nagasaki on Sep. 24 and accomplished the journey in 32 days.

Excessive-wheelers are often known as “daruma” bicycles in Japanese resulting from their resemblance to the fortunate charms of the identical identify. Drawing on the English equal for daruma, Knight and Kennedy christened their journey “Undertaking Dharma.” The pair have been impressed by pioneering bike owner Thomas Stevens (1854-1935), who traveled the identical route by Japan in 1886 on a high-wheeler. Stevens’ stint right here was the ultimate leg of a journey circumnavigating the world that initially started in San Francisco, making him the primary particular person to perform this feat on a bicycle.