One interesting thing about living in Japan is the gomi. 'Gomi' is any trash/refuse/garbage that is bigger than a toaster oven and must have a special tag in order for it to be disposed of. Japan's recycling system is complicated but effective, and the gomi is just one aspect of it.
It never ceased to amaze me what can be found in the gomi- beautiful furniture, golf clubs, karaoke machines, and, yes, bicycles. While technically one is not supposed to take things from the gomi, during my two years in Japan, I couldn't resist pulling a number of bicycles from the gomi including a brand new Tern folding bicycle and a 1990s-era Bottechia racing bicycle, handmade with Columbus tubing and a Dura-ace groupset. The Bottechia looked as though it had been ridden less than a dozen times, and the Dura-Ace (7400) is in mint condition. The Japanese tend to treat their goods with care and respect, and the Bottechia was no exception.
Alas, the frame was far too small for me and Italian racing bikes, while very beautiful don't really fit my style of riding. Before offering up the frame to a local shop, I did strip all the parts and was left with a beautiful group of Shimano's finest road mech.
Fast forward to last week, when I swapped out the crankset on my Atlantis and found that the beautiful Dura-Ace front derailleur works beautifully with the Rene Herse triple...even in the snow.
I miss so much about living in Japan, to my mind the most civilized of countries, but I'm delighted to know that as I pedal about exploring the mountains of BC I'll have a bit of Japanese trash adorning my bicycle.
Cheers, John