After a two-year pandemic break, Japan’s biggest motorcycle show makes its long-awaited, thoroughly masked return.

Last weekend, the Tokyo Motorcycle Show took place. That, in and of itself, would be enough to get gearheads’ motors running, but this year’s event was an especially happy one.

That’s because the 2020 and 2021 iterations were both cancelled due to the pandemic. With public health conditions gradually improving in Japan, though, the Tokyo Big Sight convention center hosted the show for its return from hiatus, and our reporter Haruka Takagi was one of those in attendance.

However, Tokyo isn’t entirely out of the pandemic woods just yet, and so there were a multitude of precautionary measures in place. The most noticeable was that not only guests, but also presenters in close proximity to attendees were required to wear masks, and that went for the booth models too.

While a few models who were situated further back from public walkways were maskless, the rest had face coverings in place, often with the logo or colors of the company they were promoting.

Haruka also noticed that the booth layouts were decidedly less cramped than in previous years, which along with daily attendance caps, helped to keep the convention hall’s population density from getting too high.

There’s been a bit of a camping boom during the pandemic, something that Haruka herself has been enjoying, and so she was happy to see presenters showing off new selections of outdoor goods.

She also noticed a lot of casual yet fashionable-looking rider apparel, functional and protective but a bit toned down appearance-wise compared to full-on racer-style suits.

JAF, the Japan Automobile Federation, was also on-site providing information about their organization’s roadside assistance services, providing peace of mind to those touring Japan’s scenic backroads and mountain passes.

Haruka also spotted some riding shoes she wouldn’t mind wearing as everyday kicks around town.

In another safety precaution, this model who was handing out pamphlets had protective gloves on.

▼ Suzuki models making the company logo with their hands continues to be a cool photo trick.

As Haruka’s day at the show wrapped up and she headed for the exit, she couldn’t help feeling impressed at how even though everyone was wearing masks, the warmth of their smiles still managed to shine through, so a big thanks to everyone in these photos for their warm hospitality at the show.

Photos ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]