Michio Arai turned down every offer. “The U.S. was like my second home; I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life there,” he said. “Japan in those days was not like it is today, but I figured if I went back to Japan, at least I could ride motorcycles and drive sports cars.” His first motorcycle ride remains a vivid memory. “I was six or seven. My father bought a scooter, and he left it in the warehouse. I pushed it, and it started.” Michio Arai tried his hand at off-road
racing, wearing one of his father’s helmets. “I wasn’t bad,” he said, downplaying his innate skill, Michio Arai also explored auto racing in Japan. “I became a semi-works driver for Nissan,” he said. “I really enjoyed racing. I thought I was a good driver, but some other guys were born with a gift that I didn’t have. After two years, I said goodbye to racing.” Driven by his deep-seated competitive spirit, Michio Arai considered a new career path. “I really wanted to be a big name in racing,” he admitted. “But, I thought, ‘This is something I can learn from. Maybe I will help my father in the helmet business.’”
Michio Arai was born in Tokyo in 1938. He had three sisters—two older, one younger. “I still appreciate my father and mother,” he grinned. “They looked at me, their only son, and said, ‘All he does is ride a motorcycle. We have to do something.’” Michio Arai breezed through formal education. After he completed two years at a Japanese university, his parents sent him to the U.S. to live with his older sister, a physician, and to attend Indiana Technical College, a private engineering school in Fort Wayne. “It was a small school, less than 10,000 stu-
VENTILATION PARTS Arai ventilation parts are designed to enhance the “glancing-off” per- formance of the helmet. They break off in an impact to not interfere with the helmet’s round, smooth shell. The vents are carefully applied with a special adhesive tape that resists weathering. Careful attention to alignment is required, especially for graphic designs, and that alignment is meticulously checked by hand. Each step of the process is connected to rider protection, providing a strong sense of responsibility and pride.
Before moving to Indiana, I never, ever studied. I majored in chemical engineering and became number one in my class. I quickly realized I wasn’t stupid, that I had above-average intelligence.
dents,” said Michio Arai. Before moving to Indiana, I never, ever studied. I majored in chemical engineering and became number one in the college. I quickly realized I wasn’t stupid, that I had above-average intelligence. Michio Arai chose to leave the school in 1962 before graduating from the college, a year after President John F. Kennedy proposed that the U.S. commit to landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade. It is true that he received a number of offers for high-paying engineering jobs from U.S. firms, including one from NASA.
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