I Pimped My Bike in Retro Japan Style

@Abroad in Japan

Abroad in Japanyoutubethe post

Join Chris and Joey on Day Six of their 'Journey Across Japan' cycle trip as they tackle challenges: pimping their bikes with crazy Japanese items from a secondhand shop and finding an unusual place for a beer in Niigata Prefecture.

1 plan · 2 places · 2 experiences

Plan · 2 places · Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Niigata Cycle Challenges: Pimp Your Bike & Unusual Beer Spot

“On Day Six of our journey across Japan, we took on two challenges in Niigata Prefecture: pimping our bikes with crazy Japanese items and finding an unusual place to have a beer.”

Experience · 1 place
Pimping bikes with crazy Japanese items
We hit up Off House, a secondhand shop, with a 10,000 yen (about $100) budget to find at least five crazy Japanese items to pimp our bikes. Joey went for a 'waifu' pillow for moral support, a One Piece towel for comfort, an Oni mask to scare haters, and a megaphone with a secret marine sound for rocky roads. I went for retro video game items: a Nintendo 64 controller for nostalgia, a PlayStation Dual Shock controller for stress relief, and a Donkey Kong drum kit (a health hazard, but worth it for the sound!). I also got a Bluetooth speaker and a Mario 64 game in plastic wrapping as a reflective mirror for safety. It's a fun challenge to see what weird stuff you can find and how creative you can get.
1
Off House Kashiwazaki
Thrift store · Kashiwazaki
2.9Open · until 7:30 PM
Ofuhausukashiwazakiten, 3 Chome-7-28 Higashihoncho, Kashiwazaki, Niigata 945-0051, Japan
Waifu pillow — Joey's choice for moral support on the bike. It's a bit thick to sit on, but serves as a 'beacon of hope' when you're tired, with a beautiful girl staring back, saying 'ganbare'.
One Piece towel — Joey used this as a comfortable, thick seat cover for his bike.
Oni mask — Joey's choice to scare away 'haters' while cycling.
Megaphone with marine sound — Joey's item to make noise from the front of his bike, especially on rocky roads, with a 'secret marine' sound.
Nintendo 64 controller — My choice for bike decoration, bringing back nostalgia as it was my first games console.
PlayStation Dual Shock controller — Another retro controller I added to my bike, also serving as a stress relief item.
Donkey Kong drum kit — A Donkey Kong drum kit I strapped to my bike. It's a health hazard as it blocks the wheel, but it's worth it for the ability to play drums while cycling and notify people I'm coming around a corner.
Bluetooth speaker — A cheap-looking Bluetooth speaker that cost 2,000 yen. It's great for listening to music while cycling.
Mario 64 game (reflective) — A Mario 64 game in its plastic wrapping, used as a reflective mirror for traffic coming from behind, making it a safety measure.
Experience · 1 place
Drinking beer at the world's biggest nuclear power plant
Joey found us a truly unusual place to have a beer: the beach right next to the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, the biggest nuclear facility on Earth by output. It's a bit scary, but definitely unique. We cracked open Sapporo beers on the beach, with our pimped bikes (complete with waifu pillows and N64 controllers) nearby. It's a surreal experience, sitting by the ocean with this massive industrial complex in the background, knowing it survived a 6.6 magnitude earthquake nearby in 2007. Definitely an unusual spot to tick off the challenge list.
2
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant
Science museum · Kariwa
3.9Open · until 4:30 PM
Creator's voice
The world's largest nuclear power plant by net electrical power output, located in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. It's a massive industrial facility situated on the coast. While not a typical tourist destination, its sheer scale and location next to a beach make it an 'unusual' spot for a visit or a unique photo opportunity. It famously withstood a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in 2007.
Tepco Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Service Hall, 4236-1 Kariwa, Kariwa District, Niigata 945-0307, Japan

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