Tokyo Explorer

Colin Johnston is a man on a mission. As team leader of BEE Japan, a group of folk setting out soon to cycle from Wakkanai in the extreme north of Hokkaido, to the southernmost tip of Kyushu, along the way promoting a range of environmental awareness issues, CJ agreed to sit down with TE’s Ed, Mark Buckton and discuss a few views on the road ahead.

TE: Colin, as team leader of BEE Japan, can you let us know a little bit about yourself? The whos, whats and whys you have mentioned to no-one else?

CJ: I was the 1995 Culzean Country Park young naturalist of the year, I can make a fine soufflé, I was in the RAFVR (Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve) for two years and learned how to fly aerobatic aircraft. I’m learning to juggle, I can’t draw anything and I’ve never been to America.

TE: What are your earliest cycling memories?

CJ: I actually remember the day I learned to cycle. We have a fairly large back garden, and I remember being put through my paces by my father at first. I was about five at the time. Once I had made enough cuts in the sod in the garden we headed off to the park down the road from the house. Instead of riding on the grass we picked the gravel road that runs along the side of the park. Needless to say there were some bumps and bruises that day but I got the hang of it eventually.
(Later) as a kid I cycled with my friends a lot. One of by best friends lived out in the country (about 1 hour away) by bike and we rode the back country roads a lot.

TE: Any major accidents along the way?

CJ: Nothing major (my brother, on the other hand, fractured his skull when he flew over the handlebars). (Personally), I do remember coming very fast down a hill and flying through a hedgerow when I was riding in the Carrick Hills near my hometown. The only damage was a skinned elbow.

TE: What brought you both to Japan and how did you first meet?

CJ: After graduating from Glasgow University with a degree in Aeronautics I wanted to do anything that was Aeronautics and so on the advice on a friend, I successfully applied for the JET Program to teach English in Japanese schools! That was 3 years ago. Colin Hood arrived 2 years ago and we soon discovered that when we get together weird things tend to happen. We’ve collaborated on many projects in our time here not least a radio show we produced for two years at Tannan FM – which saw us interviewing some local “characters” that included a man who claims he can sure cancer with just water, to the owner of a love hotel.

TE: Have either of you participated in the BEE Japan journey before?

CJ: No.

TE: Where do you stand in terms of public awareness and sponsorship at present?

CJ: We have quite a lot of local press attention. Fukui TV filmed us on the Echizen Coast in Fukui and produced a small piece for the news. In terms of sponsorship, BEE has a great group of sponsors that have been with us for a while – namely Patagonia, People Tree and Tengu Natural Foods. This year we added some new companies to the list including – jig.jp, Japan Cycling Association, Japan Hopper and Tokyo Explorer.

TE: How about your employers, friends and family, what do they think of your involvement with BEE Japan?

CJ: Our schools (we are JET teachers remember) have been great with support by encouraging us, and buying our T-shirts. Our families think we are mad but so far everyone has been nothing but supportive. I think that most people are more impressed by the physical feat more than the message we are trying to convey.

TE: Hand on heart, are your stated goals achievable or more of a statement designed to focus attention on the ways in which we can chip away at the bigger problems facing the environment?

CJ: That very much depends on how you choose to interpret our message. I hope people don’t think we are trying to say you should ride from Wakkanai to Kyushu every summer! What we are doing is attempting to demonstrate practical ways in which we can all make a change in our daily lives to lessen our environmental impact. We are going all out and are doing it all but if even just one person every day decided to carry their own chopsticks with them or use vending machines less then we will have achieved our aims. It would probably be easier to get a rise out of people if we banged on about what our governments should be doing but we really want people to think about what they can do today.

TE: Do you see the grassroots efforts you are looking to promote as having much of a knock-on effect in a top-down society such as Japan or will they be viewed simply as a gimmick?

CJ: I hope we aren’t viewed as a gimmick. Actually I don’t think our message is barmy enough to be viewed as a gimmick. What we have to say is quite sensible and these issues have a strong argument to back them up. I’ll be interested to see if people think our arguments are strong enough to impact their (own) thinking.

TE: When you sit down with a cool one down in Kyushu, how will you judge the trip to have been a success?

CJ: There are a couple of things that will make it a success in my mind. Firstly, if we all make it to Kyushu together as a team without any broken legs I will be quite happy. I’m a bit of a worrier so once everyone is safe in Kagoshima I will be happy. You know, it’s a long way and it’s going to be hot and dangerous at times. When you undertake something of this magnitude with a team of riders who have different levels of experience at touring by bike, I want to make sure everyone has a good time. Team spirit and a good sense of humour will get us through.
The BEE message is obviously very important. We are going to ask people to pledge their ideas about how we can make a change to the environment. This yearly ride is as much about educating other people as it about educating ourselves. I looking forward to hearing other people’s ideas, and if I’ve been changed by this bike ride then it will have been a success.

BEE Japan website :  http://www.beejapan.org/en/