Chromag Chronicles: A Hardtail Rider’s Quest from Tokyo to Whistler

It was 2009 when Jinya reached out and connected with Chromag to join us on a Friday Ride. He was fresh out of university, barely past 20, and had made his way from Japan to Whistler on his own to experience a season of riding. He became part of the Chromag Crew, joining us on rides every Friday and after work. He helped us in the warehouse assembling and packaging parts and working in the shop as a mechanic. When he wasn’t working or riding with us, he spent every additional minute riding on his own. Jinya extended his working visa, and stayed as long as he could but eventually had to return to Japan in 2011. Returning this year (in 2023) for a visit, we were so stoked to see him again. We had some amazing rides, enjoyed after-work beers, and got him set up on our latest version of Stylus hardtail. He teamed up with Ollie Jones and Hailey Elise for a video/photo shoot and as it turns out Jinya is still as smooth and precise as ever. Following his trip we sat down with Jinya to catch up and get a glimpse of what it’s like riding in Whistler all those years ago VS Japan in the present day.