Shoei has inaugurated its Helmet Park, a space dedicated to helmets in the strictest sense of the word. It is not a simple exhibition, because this venue located in Inashiki, in the Ibaraki prefecture and next to its production plant, is a mix between a museum, an interactive zone, a store, a configurator and a restaurant. All of this impregnated with the Shoei essence.
The building has two floors and the visit starts directly above. As soon as you go up, a tower of helmets appears that is quite striking and looks very good in the photo and at the same time is the “appetizer” of what will be discovered later. And the second floor is the dream of any collector and moves between the current and the historical. There are helmets and equipment from active MotoGP riders such as Marc Márquez or Álex Márquez, and also material from Toprak Razgatlioglu in his WorldSBK stage.
But a little later comes the special moment for the nostalgic. The area of pilots who have used the brand’s helmets and are no longer active or, sadly, are no longer with us. Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Norifumi Abe and Daijiro Kato appear alongside figures of the four such as Ayrton Senna and Jean Alesi, with their helmets exposed.
There is also a more technical part. The evolution of Shoei is reviewed from its first helmets, which includes models from the 60s, to more specific applications such as those used by the Japanese police or the air force.
Shoei Helmets Park is more than an exhibition
Beyond the showcases, there is a part that focuses on trying things. The Spanish company CRS has installed a driving simulator in which, for 500 yen (about €3), you can “ride” for two minutes with a Shoei X-Fifteen helmet from the perspective of Marc Márquez at the Motegi circuit.
It is not the only thing on the interactive level, because there is also a graphics transfer experience on helmets that allows you to see how the finishes are applied, something that is not normally seen outside the factory.
The ground floor brings us back to everyday life with the Shoei Gallery, where current models and some of the merchandising are sold. The PFS custom fitting service is also offered, available to users of the brand. The price of the adjustment is 3,850 yen (about €24) if you buy the helmet there, and 6,600 yen (about €41) if you bring your own.
There is also a restaurant area and, curiously, it is not local food but a pizzeria, Helmet Pizza. A place to recharge your batteries and with reasonable prices according to the Supermoto8 colleagues: a margherita pizza with a drink costs 2,180 yen (about €13.5), while a three-scoop Italian ice cream is 770 yen (about €4.8). There are also some pilot-inspired dishes linked to the brand.
To all this we must add what we expect in a place like this such as bathrooms, helmet lockers, parking… So you know, if you wanted to go to Japan now you have one more excuse and on top of that it is just over an hour from the center of Tokyo, in case you need to convince yourself.
