It is hard to decide the worst season for cycling in Kyoto.
A clear vote-getter would be The Dead of Winter.
This is when your fingers feel as they they will break off even though they are cocooned within the thick "all-season" gloves you paid dearly for; when your ears turn pink and burn from the cold; when black patches on the road mean ice.
Others might argue for High Summer. This is the dreaded time of year when riding at any time save late at night is a sweat-drenched exercise in self-immolation; when the sound of your breathing pounds in your ears; when bus fumes hang in thick clouds waiting for, no, daring you, to pass through.
Our personal vote might however be for rainy season.
Rainy season on the island of Honshu, which is where Kyoto is, generally lasts from about the second week of June until the third week of July. (Kyotoites say that rainy season ends with Gion Festival, which is held on the 17th.)
The weather varies during the six weeks, but in general it is muggy with a constant drizzle.
It rarely pours, but the rain is heavy enough that even a short ride requires rain gear.
Thus, the rain gear keeps out the rain, but keeps in a cold rancid layer of sweat that cleaves to your body and clothing for hours.
Still, compared to being stuck in a bus or subway full of similarly clammy commuters, the bike wins out.
© CycleKyoto.com
Tags
Japan
Touring
Kyoto
Cycle
Rainy Season
No comments:
Post a Comment