Over 200,000 new COVID cases were recorded in Japan over the course of four consecutive days.
The Hayabusa Train Station in Yazu was designated as a cultural asset by Japan in the year 2008. The terminal was built in 1929 on the Wakasa Line, and despite the passage of nearly a century, it has preserved the traditional look of a Japanese railway station.
This region in Yazu has a certain nostalgic charm that attracts tourists from all over the country, and it is especially appealing to those tourists who happen to possess a Suzuki Hayabusa.
Since 2009, Busa boys and girls from all over the world have descended upon the area every August, taking their cue from the name of the station. Over 2,000 Suzuki riders visit the annual Hayabusa Station
Festival, which features local foods and goods, entertainment, and merchandising, as well as the operation of a train car branded with the Hayabusa name on the Wakasa Railway. The event has been going on for thirteen years, and during that time it has grown to become one of the largest single-model rallies in the world.
Due to the unfortunate outbreak of COVID-19, Suzuki was compelled to move the Hayabusa Station Festival festivities online while the pandemic was in effect. In April of 2021, the company welcomed the arrival of the newest version of the Hayabusa by unveiling a freshly wrapped train car, but they maintained their socially detached online activities throughout the celebration.
The Hayabusa Station Festival will not take place until the following September due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, despite the fact that the organizers had planned to hold the get-together in a more traditional, in-person style in 2022.
Japan reported more than 200,000 new cases of coronavirus during the course of four consecutive days as of the 31st of July, 2022. During that time period, the percentage of hospital beds that were occupied in Tokyo rose to 54.1 percent.
Even though the outbreak that was caused by Omicron/BA.5 has not yet resulted in any new social or corporate restrictions, the event organizers for the Hayabusa Station Festival are not taking any chances.
The majority of international motorcycle events took place again in 2022, but Japan’s recent burden is having an effect on more than just the country’s yearly rallies. As a direct response to the rapidly increasing demand, Honda has temporarily ceased taking orders for the Rebel and the miniMOTO.
For the time being, Suzuki is going to continue to monitor the situation throughout the months of August and September 2022. If the number of cases does not begin to decrease by that time, the organizers of the 2022 Hayabusa Station Festival may be forced to cancel the event.
As summer draws to a close and fall draws near, Suzuki and all of Japan can only hope that the extremely contagious disease will begin to abate.