San Franciscan Don Morton adjusts the pace carefully so that even the slowest beginning cyclist can pedal alongside other club members.
Morton, 81, is the leader of the pack of a Tokyo bicycling club fittingly named Half-Fast Cycling.
Members ride 30 to 60 kilometers primarily in urban settings every weekend, starting from the Roppongi entertainment district in Tokyo toward the nearby Odaiba waterfront area or Haneda Airport.
Morton explained the appeal of Half-Fast Cycling.
“Important are physical exercise, sunshine and camaraderie,” he said. “Do not forget the incomparable deliciousness of beer after cycling, too.”
Born in San Francisco, Morton dropped out of college. He served in the military at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo and elsewhere before being discharged in 1971. Morton afterward re-entered college and majored in journalism.
Traveling all over the world by bicycle over two and a half years following his graduation, Morton found himself with no cash when he stopped in Japan in 1981. He initially planned to leave Japan within six months after earning enough money to resume his journey.
However, Morton happened to be appointed as the editor-in-chief of a newly launched English-language magazine in the Asian nation.
Morton later quit the position but continued living in Japan. Over the course of upward of 40 years since then, he has written film reviews for more than 6,000 titles.
Cycling by himself on weekends across the Japanese capital, Morton one day contributed an article to an English-language newspaper to find riding companions.
The deputy chief of mission of the U.S. Embassy in Japan at the time promptly expressed an interest. The diplomat was also an enthusiastic cyclist and asked Morton to help form a cycling club within the embassy.
After the deputy chief of mission was transferred out of the embassy, Morton in 2003 put together Half-Fast Cycling on his own.
Before he knew it, no less than 23 years had passed since his club’s establishment, with hundreds of people registered on the group’s mailing list at present.
Club members converse with one another primarily in English. While they are mostly foreign residents of Tokyo, as well as travelers from outside the country, some Japanese are likewise part of the cycling club.
As up to 10 or more cyclists turn out for each riding session, countless friendships have been forged through Half-Fast Cycling. One couple met through the group’s activities and even later married.