Tokyo Old School Japanese Bike Shop

Animal Boat
Old School Japanese bike shop in Tokyo

Located next door to Little Wing, an old school US bike shop mentioned elsewhere on this forum, is Animal Boat, an old school Japanese bike shop. Mr Daisuke is the proprietor, and the two 100cc (I think) racing machines you see are one he competes on for vintage racing.

Enough verbiage. Pics!

Very cool...I could spend hours and hours poking through that shop!!!

Whoa, freaking awesome!....

I know where I'd be hanging out....

All those Gray racing bikes for sale as well?

Thanks for the share Bill, amazingly cool....

I had a 350 just like that one in the pics, same red color and everthing, my dad has it now, those are neat little bikes.

Old Man Rock wrote:

Whoa, freaking awesome!....

I know where I'd be hanging out....

All those Gray racing bikes for sale as well?

Thanks for the share Bill, amazingly cool....

Doubtful, since he:s an avid vintage racer and those bikes I htink are co-owned. I:ll probbly see him in the 15th, will ask him then.

If not, would you be interested in the parts to make your own racer out of a host bike you get in the US?

Looks like a candy store to me. I could spend a Long time in there just looking.bj

WPBill wrote:

Old Man Rock wrote:

Whoa, freaking awesome!....

I know where I'd be hanging out....

All those Gray racing bikes for sale as well?

Thanks for the share Bill, amazingly cool....

Doubtful, since he:s an avid vintage racer and those bikes I htink are co-owned. I:ll probbly see him in the 15th, will ask him then.

If not, would you be interested in the parts to make your own racer out of a host bike you get in the US?

Yeah, I know I would, but it's kinda off kilter/forum. My long term bike build is a "68 Honda ss125a twin cafe racer.
I can find resto parts all day but tires and race parts ie 12v conversions, pistons and rods are nightmarish in the States since the little bike market died.
If you don't mind me asking are you military or live on the economy? Sweet find by the way, I miss Asia/Pacific(I was in S. Korea) chris

That shop looks awesome. The bikes look awesome. I still don't understand how the Japanese decide on names for stuff, though. Animal Boat? Maybe he just got the sign free somewhere?

I live out in the economy (off base for you non-military types). I retired from the USN about five years ago, then came back to my Japanese hometown about a year ago.

As far as the name Animal Boat goes, it is a reference to Noah's Ark. He was interested in saving old Japanese bikes, especially early 70's or older, as those tended to get junked more often than not.

Good stuff, Bill. As usual thanks for giving us the back story on some of the odd to us things from Japan like "Animal Boat".