Ryogoku in Sumida has played an active role in perpetuating the traditional culture of Tokyo since the Edo period. It is also home to Ryogoku Sumo Hall, Tokyo’s main venue for professional sumo wrestling, which has its origins in the Kanjin Sumo events once held at nearby Eko-in Temple. Around the block is the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which offers endlessly fascinating dioramas that recreate, in vivid detail, the cityscape of Tokyo as it appeared during the Edo (1603-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) periods. Yet another of the many cultural institutions is the Sumida Hokusai Museum, a neo-futuristic building designed by architect Kazuyo Sejima, where you can peruse the works of Katsushika Hokusai, the legendary ukiyo-e painter who was born in Ryogoku and spent his life in Sumida.
Tucked in the backstreets behind Eko-in Temple, you’ll find the studio of frame builder Dion James. As a matter of fact, Dion lives in an apartment behind the studio and store, in a classic arrangement often found in the Japanese storefronts of the past. Watching Dion nod hello as people from the neighborhood pass by the large window at the front of the shop, it’s clear he’s found a place for himself in the community of Ryogoku.
“I came to Japan four years ago with no prospects for a job, but I knew I wanted to work here. When I first arrived, I lived with my Japanese grandfather in Koto, just south of here, but when it came time to get my own place, I chose Ryogoku, which has a similarly old-school downtown vibe. My interest in Japan started off with bikes and food. Growing up in Phoenix, Arizona, I rode my fixie (fixed-gear bicycle) everywhere I went. I also worked at a Japanese restaurant. My mom is Japanese and taught me to speak Japanese when I was little. While working at the restaurant, I had the chance to wait on Japanese major league players who were on American teams at the time. In their opinion, I was great at Japanese. I didn’t actually work in the kitchen, but I always noticed how the Japanese chef had the mentality of a craftsman. I was so impressed by how he treated food like art. Things were always crazy busy for him. One time I asked him where he got all of his energy, and here’s what he told me: ‘I get my energy from loving what I do. Find something you love, Dion, and you’ll feel that energy too.’ He was absolutely right. When I thought seriously about what I loved, I realized it was bicycles. I knew about Japan’s interest in bike culture, since Japanese track bikes have a cult following in America. I love biking around cities, and Tokyo felt like just the right size. In Phoenix, you hit the suburbs after a twenty-minute ride. I’d been to Tokyo a lot, visiting my grandfather during summer vacation, and if I was moving, it wasn’t going to be New York or San Francisco. Tokyo was the place for me.”

Dion’s first goal was to gain experience at a bike shop, but finding a job was easier said than done. For a number of days, he wondered why he even bothered coming to Japan. Suppressing these difficult feelings, overwhelming as they were, Dion soon found work at a used bicycle shop, where he then spent his days repairing old bikes. At one point, a regular customer brought in a bike that captured his attention. This was his first encounter with a Kalavinka, the brand of frames made by Akio Tanabe of Tsukumo Cycle Sports, who has since become his teacher. He wanted more than anything to meet Tanabe and see how he built these frames, so he asked the customer if they would bring him to his studio. Pretty soon, the wheels of Dion’s future were in motion.