Update: I was looking for a handy place to stash an air conditioner filter, opened a cabinet in an upstairs room, saw a familiar-looking box, and discovered that I have a completely unused green pair of the Nubuck Professional Racer shoes as well. Which also jogged my memories a bit.
I had a total of three pair, which I think is all they had at the store. I kept the brown and green pair unused, mostly, as backup. I'm pretty sure now that the pair I actually rode, with the Cinelli M71 cleats, was another brown pair, not green. I can kinda picture them faded quite a bit, much lighter brown in tone---looking down and past them to see what gear I was in, or looking down in fear hoping I could slap the M71 release lever quick enough to get out of the pedal.
On top of the shoe box was a Fujia woven cloth tapestry thingie, with some of the iconic Kato cyclist artwork. Not sure if it was meant to be hung, as a decoration or room divider, not uncommon in Japanese retail stores, or was meant to be folded and used as a headband, also not uncommon in Japan, especially decades back. Or something else? It's got this kind of Japanese graphic weirdness where no matter which side you view it from, part of the design appears backwards. You'd think maybe that'd be some kind of guide to how it was intended to be folded or hung, but I sure can't make it work for my brain.
It's pretty stained, but I'm not sure it's something I should wash. Anybody knowledgeable about fabric care/preservation?
Also just occurred to me that I recently rediscovered my pewter Fuji belt buckles as well, one the Kato cyclist, the other William Bevington's new Fuji logo. Ben's Cycles still sells at least one of these designs, which they maybe call a reproduction? I bought one when I decided I'd never find my originals, and I think when the originals surfaced, the "repros" looked identical, even the same mfr sticker on the back. Maybe that was repro'd as well? I guess a separate thread on those...
Note to Scott: feel free to grab and use whatever images you, with credit onegai shimasu.
