Just One Look

Keith Jennings remains awe-struck by the quality and style of Japanese engineering and the people and culture that created such fine products

During my life I have developed a bit of a fascination for Japan and out of interest, in retirement, I joined the Japan Society. On my early visits to the Societies events I found that other than current affairs the overwhelming interest of members was with Japanese art and literature. Whilst I appreciate that Japanese art and literature are held in high esteem it is Japanese engineering, technology and products that have made a major impact on me and I believe on most of my generation. I thought this should be acknowledged so I wrote my thoughts down.

I was born in England in 1946. I am part of the baby boom that happened at the end of the second world-war. Inevitably, as a child I became aware of the war and its’ impact on the country in which I was growing up. I knew the cost was very dear. I knew that Germany and Japan were against us. I became aware that like us they had suffered terribly and that now they were our friends.

Japan was far away and remote and in fact I knew very little about Japan. I learnt that Japanese people lived in paper houses and they ate using chopsticks and rice was their main food. As I grew up I associated Japan with delicacy and artistry and politeness. I did not associate Japan with fine engineering and actually I was taught that the mark “Made in Britain” was the sign of best quality.

In my teens I attended a Technical School, received a technical education and began an appreciation of science and engineering which would steer my path and influence my life in many ways. However I also had an appreciation of art and I remember the art teacher imploring me to continue studying art when instead I chose an alternative subject.

Around this time in my teens motor-cycles came into my life. In those days just a few lucky students owned a motor-cycle and my elder brother was one of these. His motor-cycle was of course British made, a Triumph. I was too young to drive but I rode on the back and we shared an interest.

This interest led to my first meaningful encounter with Japan. Home from school one summer day supposedly revising for GCE O-Levels I instead tuned into commentary of the famous Isle of Man Motor-Cycle TT races on the radio. The commentator was I believe a young Murray Walker. As ever Murray was excited and he described with huge adulation the leaders as they came past his commentary position. “Just listen to the sound of the four cylinder engines of these fabulous Hondas as they come past” he said. “Honda” I thought “Honda” that name sounds English “please let them be English” I thought. Then he said “this is the second appearance of these superb Japanese machines in the TT races” and he shattered my illusion.

Soichiro Honda the son of a blacksmith, came from afar and triumphed with motor-cycles that were much faster and more reliable than the opposition. Joined soon after by Yamaha and Suzuki this was the start of a long period of success by the Japanese motor-cycle industry which still continues.

So now I was aware of the high quality of Japanese engineering. What I didn’t appreciate yet was the aesthetic qualities of these machines. I had never seen one so that was to follow. My elder brother left college took employment for the first time and with money coming in set about purchasing a new motor- cycle. It was now 1963 and one day he said to me “let’s go and look at a Honda.” I went with him not knowing what to expect. When the machine was wheeled out in front of us we just stood there in awe, infatuated. It is not an exaggeration to say the impact was breath-taking. There stood an example of immaculate engineering coupled with design flair that to this day sets an example to all who seek technical excellence. Much later in my life when someone asked what sparked my interest in early Japanese motor-cycles I replied instantly “just one look.”

The high tail-light at the rear, the lines of the seat and the fuel tank raised at the back and sloping forwards, gave the impression that the machine was on its’ haunches poised and ready to go fast! There were massive, finely cast brakes to stop it. At the same time it had elegance. A closer look revealed the artistic detail. The speedometer cluster could have been sculptured to stand like a clock on a mantle-piece, it had such delicate style. The engine was technically very advanced and visually it added to the impression of fine engineering. The attention to detail was everywhere. The appearance of the Honda was unique, it was Japanese. The influence of Japanese art and culture were embodied in an engineering masterpiece.

My brother was captivated and so was I and shortly after the Honda arrived at our home. It was one of the first Japanese motor-cycles to be seen in our locality and it was a source of pride. Wherever it was parked it attracted attention.

Motor-cycles introduced me and many of my generation to the Japanese flair for merging engineering excellence with a stylish appearance which was uniquely influenced by Japanese culture and which couldn’t be matched by others.

My next abiding memory of Japan came around this time and that was the Tokyo Olympic Games of 1964. This was the opportunity for Japan to emerge from the post-war period and show the world how much it had achieved in such a short period of re-building. It was a kind of coming-out for the “new” Japan. As a fan of sport watching on television I was engrossed. I remember the distinctive Japanese signature tune used by the broadcasters and the very modern facilities especially the main stadium. I remember some great performances by British athletes and I remember the marathon won by Abebe Bikila floating across the ground, a British athlete was second and a Japanese third and I remember the gentle, polite enthusiasm of the people of Japan, especially for the marathon. These Games and their presentation fired an enthusiasm in me for the Olympics which persists today.

As time moved on an avalanche of Japanese products arrived. There were televisions, radios, hi-fi equipment, vacuum cleaners, cameras, copiers, propelling pencils, calculators, digital watches and many more including cars. Throughout my life I have owned a lot of these products and almost all of them exhibited the same blend of high quality engineering and design style.

When some years later the Apple Company of America burst onto the personal computer scene led by the legendry Steve Jobs they pursued the same goal of technical excellence allied to pleasing looks. With this policy they achieved enormous success which they later followed up with the I-Phone, the I-Pad and others all exhibiting high quality, innovative engineering in a stylish presentation. This formula was the holy-grail for Steve Jobs and in the book “How to Think Like Steve Jobs” the author acknowledges the influence made on Steve Jobs in his early days by the Japanese company Sony. Akio Morita the founder of Sony and Steve Jobs were friends who both believed in high standards and beautiful products.

I studied Physics at University and put motor cycles behind me. I enjoyed a career which began on a technical path and transitioned to business management. Having started in the aircraft industry I moved into the IT sector. I was lucky to work on the development of some examples of very fine British technology most notably the Concorde Supersonic Airliner and the CAT Medical X-ray Scanners for which the inventor (Godfrey Hounsfield) received the noble prize for medicine. These were wonderful examples of British ingenuity and engineering ability and although there were others they were rare. Japanese industry it seemed could produce top quality, aesthetically pleasing products in high volume and do so consistently and of course there was the bullet-train.

All through my working life and my private life Japanese products brought me joy and satisfaction both professionally and personally. In my lifetime Japan became an engineering and manufacturing giant and did so with style. I was intrigued by this and I often wondered about Japanese people and culture and what gave rise to this modern industrial phenomenon.

As working life waned and I moved into retirement I determined to find and restore two of the Japanese motor-cycles that made such an impact on me in my youth. This was a retirement project that I set myself. Eventually I acquired the motor-cycles and set about my work. Over days, weeks and months as I stripped components, cleaned, restored and replaced them, much of the time alone in my garage, my mind wandered to thoughts of the men who had first built these machines back in Japan in the nineteen-sixties. What were they like? What thoughts did they have? What motivated them to perform to such a high level?

I made best efforts to honour the work of the Japanese men who first built my motor-cycles all those years ago and restored them as faithfully as I could. Now with the machines in pristine condition following months and years of renovation I want to try and understand the people and culture that made these very fine products and so many more.

I have so much to learn. My starting point is the Japan Society and my goal is to visit the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

I wrote this essay in 2015 and owing to issues with my own health and of course Covid I never achieved my wish. Maybe one day, who knows?