Contact details
Email: info[at]wima.gr.jp
Website: wima.gr.jp
About WIMA Japan
WIMA Japan was launched in April 1996 when 24 members (plus 3 partners) of WIMA from various European countries visited Japan to introduce WIMA here. Now, WIMA Japan is one of several women’s bike clubs in Japan – but we are the only international organisation. Currently we have about 40 members and we get together for different types of events such as national meetings in spring and autumn, and we are engaging in the beach clean-up campaign by riders in gratitude for nature. Many members now regularly participate in WIMA International Rallies. In 2010, WIMA Japan successfully hosted an International Rally for the first time at the foot of Mt. Fuji. WIMA Japan would love to hear from anybody who is interested in us or travelling to Japan.
International Rallies in Japan: 2010 Fujinomiya, Shizuoka; 1996 Izu, Shizuoka.
Notable members
Keiko Osawa, president 2012-2022
I started riding in 2005 and joined WIMA in 2007 soon after I found WIMA on the internet. I still remember how thrilled I was to know that such an organization existed because I love riding and travelling and I had no female friend who was riding motorcycles. My darling motorcycle athomeisa BMW F800S and in Europe I ride a Yamaha XSR700 which is kept in UK. In Japan, people learn how to ride motorcycles before you get your licence, but it is important to continue learning after you start riding on the road. Female motorcyclists are still a minority, but together we can learn many aspects of motorcycling and share experiences at the international level in WIMA to enjoy motorcycling for many years to come. My job as an interpreter gives me the opportunity to travel all over the world and I make a point of meeting up with WIMA members where ever I can. In 2022, Mariko Shibata became President of WIMA Japan.
Michiko Hitomi, Founding member and President 2005-2011
Michiko is one of the founding members and holds the record for longest membership in WIMA Japan as of 2020. Michiko is Professor of Jewellery Design at Nara College of Art, but she still finds time to attend almost all the international rallies – her first was back in 1995.
Yuko Sugeta, President 1996-2004
Yuko was an accomplished motorcyclist, test rider, editor of the popular mainstream monthly Lady’s Bike magazine and Japanese correspondent for numerous international motorcycle magazines. Yuko now runs her own acupuncture clinic in Tokyo and frequently visits India to volunteer at a free clinic for disadvantaged people in Mumbai. Her passion is to pass on Japanese acupuncture methods to local female acupuncturists.
