CycleKyoto HP LInk

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Nishiki Yu Public Bath Kyoto

Nishiki Yu Public Bath Kyoto錦湯京都

Nishiki Yu is one of Kyoto's great public baths.

It was built in 1927 and remains more or less as is.

Entering the building is a step back in time.

Nishiki is of course the central food market of Kyoto, located on a long narrow east-west street in central Kyoto. The bath is just south of the food market on Sakaimachi Street.

Like much of Kyoto, the area itself is not attractive; the buildings around the bath are modern and drab.

However, inside is a different world. The dressing room has original wooden lockers.

Parking is easy for cyclists.

Nishiki Yu Public Bath KyotoInformation

Hours: 4 pm - midnight; closed Mondays

535 Yaoyacho, Nishikikoji,
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Telephone: 075 221 6479


Available amenities
shampoo,rinse: 30 yen
soap: 30 yen
body soap: 40 yen
towel (rental): free

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags


Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Kyoto Rickshaw Drivers Philosophers Walk

CIMG9635京都人力車

The rickshaw is alive and well in Kyoto.

The Chinese characters literally mean "man powered wheel" - and the men (and occasional woman) who pull these elegant rickshaws around Kyoto are indeed powerful.

Tan and sporting heavily muscled calves, the drivers can be found in Arashiyama, around Heian Shrine, along the Path of Nene, and near Philosopher's Path.

They wear tabi boots and tight-fitting pants, and cut quite a figure as they zoom around town.

These two were looking for customers along Philosopher's Path.


Photo ©Matsuda Mona

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

No Bicycle Parking Sidewalk Symbol Kyoto

kyoto-bike-symbol京都市自転車撤去区域

The colorful symbol painted onto the street in Kiyamachi, in Kyoto, literally reads:

Kyoto City Bicycle Etc. Beefed Up Towing Area

The dramatic X makes it pretty clear who the violators are: bicycles and scooters.

This area of Kiyamachi is a nightlife part of town, and it is narrow.

Moreover, the closest public bike lots are on Oike or west of Karasuma, neither of which is very convenient.

Thus, as with many parts of the city, some of us park illegally, and all of us walk around bikes on Kyoto sidewalks.

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Monday, January 28, 2013

The Museum of Kyoto Nihonga Exhibit

kokoro_banner01日本画こころの京都展覧会

The Museum of Kyoto will be hosting a wonderful exhibit on Nihonga Paintings.

The downtown Meiji Period museum is located on Sanjo Dori near Karasuma.

It is always a good day out.

Information

Nihonga Paintings
Kyoto-Cherished Images, Past and Present
February 9 - March 24, 2013

Hours:10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.
Fridays until 7:30 p.m (last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed:Monday and FEB.12 (Open : FEB.11)

Admission
Adults ¥1100(¥900)
College and senior high school students ¥700(¥500)
Junior high and elementary school students ¥400(¥300)


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Sunday, January 27, 2013

World Cycling News This Week 27 January 2013

tofu seller bike kyoto今週のサイクリング2013年01月27日

First Fairmount Ave Bike Lane Meeting Happening Monday
Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia

Lance Armstrong 'still lying', says anti-doping expert BBC

Specialized Sub Zero glove review London Cyclist

Présentation du projet V'Asie à vélo

Do Cameron and Clegg have the will to get Britain cycling?
Guardian

Del taller de Perucha no nos moverán El Pais

弁護士「自転車操業で」…千2百万円着服容疑 Yomiuri Shinbun

Britain’s 2012 cycling triumphs could inspire safety revolution The Times of London

¿Nos gustan menos los coches? El Pais

Wiggins convinced Armstrong doped in 2009 Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News

Bicycle Goods

Salomon XR Crossmax Guidance Shoes aw12

List price £110.00
SAVE 40% = £44.00
Your Wiggle price: £66.00

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags





Saturday, January 26, 2013

Arguments Against Non-Motorized Transportation Losing Steam

バルチモールスポークスブログ

A recent update in Baltimore Spokes struck a chord.

Written by Juliellen Sarver, of the Mobility Lab, the piece begins with the following questions:

"Why are the relatively modest costs of sidewalks, bicycle lanes and paths, and pedestrian improvements met with suspicion and hostility by the conventional auto-oriented transportation community? What are the true costs and the true benefits of these projects?"

First, improvements for pedestrians, wheelchairs, and cyclists benefit only a small group of people. No, such improvements benefit nearly everyone, even dedicated motorists who benefit from "accessible, convenient, and efficient connections between their cars and their destinations."

Second, conventional cost-benefit analysis in the United States and Japan strongly favors car-oriented projects at the expense of other types.

Third, non-motorized transport is Slow and Inefficient. Yes, walking and bicycling are usually slower than traveling by car. However, non-motorized transportation is very efficient, and cycling and walking "increase efficiency through cost savings and the benefits of connecting places, people, goods, and services."

Third, these result in Excessive Costs and Subsidies. "The true costs of roadway projects are rarely considered by the models typically used to justify them. These include increased crashes resulting from higher speeds and volumes, and the decrease of physical activity due to car travel. Similarly, the true benefits of non-motorized projects are rarely considered when arguing against such projects."

Fourth, these would be Unfair to Motorists: As noted above, the true costs of road projects are rarely considered. In addition, "non-motorized facilities offset the negative impacts of roadway projects such as air pollution and water-quality issues."

Fifth, these costs are Inefficient and Wasteful. The most successful places, in terms of transport, are those that "provide diversity of transportation options and connections. Those places become centers of social and economic life by attracting people who arrive by or use the non-motorized facilities."

Amen.

To read the full article, click here.

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Friday, January 25, 2013

Snowy Winter Cycling Hokkaido

Bicycle Parking in Hokkaido真冬の自転車サイクリング北海道

And we complain about the cold in Kyoto.

In a suburb of Sapporo, bikes are lined up in a parking lot in front of a JR train station.

A quick glance at the snow made it clear that the bikes were not dumped; the owners were hardy commuters who had arrived that day, parked, and taken the train.

Presumably, they will then ride home tonight.

Bracing.


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Fines for Tokyo Cyclists

東京自転車信号無視罰金

Oh dear, the police are at it again.

With all the problems in the universe, the cops are picking on cyclists again.

Yes, yes, yes, we know that in Japan cycling on the sidewalks is de rigueur, that cluelessness is the norm, that safety for cyclists and pedestrians needs to be improved.

However, to repeat for the umpteenth time, if there were a decent infrastructure - bike lanes, separated paths on wide city sidewalks - the cyclist "problem" would mostly disappear.

According to reports in the Japanese media, repeat offenders - i.e., cyclists that run lights more than once - could be fined and indicted by prosecutors.

The Metropolitan Police Department has been issuing fines and for the worst offenders sent papers to prosecutors. However, the prosecutors have ignored those.

From now on, the prosecutors are going to follow through.

"Malicious cyclists" face fines of up to 50,000 yen (USD $565) and the offense will go on a criminal record.

Fair enough. Cyclists can be dangerous.

However, in more cycling friendly countries, governments encourage cycling, provide the infrastructure and incentives.

In Japan, with its car industry and at times punitive culture, the opposite is true.


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Kyoto Pellet Stove

SS-2 Pellet Stove京都ペレットストーブ

Living in Japan has its share of surprises. After 20 years, though, one of the less pleasant of them just got a bit more comfortable.

With the exception of the northern island of Hokkaido, which has bitter cold winters, no private homes in Japan have central heating.

To anyone from North America, Europe, China, South Korea, etc., this is almost incomprehensible.

The way I explain it to friends from the USA is that houses in Japan are like non-winterized houses along the New Jersey shore.

Rooms are heated by space heaters using gas or electricty or kerosene, and until recently insulation was not the norm.

"Primitive" or "indoor camping" or words not fit for a family blog are among the descriptions we have heard.

At any rate, after years of whining, we had the walls insulated and, thanks to a Kyoto city subsidy, splurged on a pellet stove.

And it is wonderful!

To help with the upkeep of the forests that surround the city, Kyoto gives a 30% subsidy on a purchase and installation of a new pellet stove.

Thus, instead of refilling the kerosene heater three times a week outside in the freezing rain or snow, I fill the stove tank with a 10 kg bag of pellets every morning in the living room. Instead of buying oil from Iran or Bahrain or wherever it comes from, we buy local wood pellets. Instead of eating away at the ozone layer in a smelly poorly heated room, we are toasty with our environmentally-happy stove.

The only downsides are that you have to clean out the ash from the day before - it takes five minutes and goes into the mulch pile - and the heater takes about 15 minutes to get the room warm.

Running costs are much lower than gas heat, and marginally less than kerosene.

An organization devoted to all things wood and forests and pellets is located just north of Kyoto City Hall. Kyoto Machiya Pellet is on Teramachi two blocks north of Oike, which is where City Hall is located.

They sell pellets, other wooden items, and are a resource center for those interested in buying pellet or wood-burning stoves.

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Flea Market Toji Temple and Kita no Tenmangu Shrine 25th

Toji Temple氷点下の朝「初弘法」熱気 南区・東寺

Yesterday was the first "Kobo," or flea market that is held on the 21st of every month at Toji Temple in Kyoto.

Kyoto hosts many flea markets, two of which are well worth going to.

On the 21st of every month at Toji, you can find food, crafts, and antiques.

This Friday, on the 25th, in the north of the city at Kita no Tenmangu Shrine is another large flea market. Every 25th of the month, "Tenjin-san" - as the shrine is known - hosts an equally impressive flea market.

Here it is possible to find old kimono, lots of antiques, and more.

Go early: the good stuff gets sold first.

Bargain hard.


Kitano Tenmangu Shrine© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Monday, January 21, 2013

Estimated Time of Arrival for Roads Were Not Built for Cars

道は車のために作られた訳ではない

Still waiting?

As are we.

Here is the latest update from the author of "Roads Were Not Built for Cars," which is STILL in production.

"When is the book due to be published? I’m plumping for sometime in Spring this year. Most of the research has now been completed, I now just need to crack on with writing the text; sourcing a bunch of illustrations; coding the fancy-schmancy iPad version; designing the e-book and the print book; sorting ISBNs; and then publishing in a variety of formats. Just!

Now two years in gestation the book has taken a lot longer to research than I thought it would. This is mainly because I’ve been spinning off at tangents, finding new areas to explore, digging out deeper and more convincing evidence to show that cyclists had far more influence on government road policies than previously thought. Not just previously thought by the public at large, but by social history and transport academics, too. I’ve also been my travels, scouring libraries in London, Detroit, Washington D.C., among other places, unearthing primary sources to back up the book’s central thesis."

Up to 50% off Cycle Clothing Accessories


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Sunday, January 20, 2013

World Cycling News 20 January 2013

tofu seller bike kyoto今週のサイクリング2013年01月20日

More bicyclists means fewer accidents, Phila. finds PhillyNews

Lance Armstrong expected to give drug answers to Oprah Winfrey BBC

Can cycling change the way people look for properties in London? London Cyclist

Eau, source de vie V'Asie à vélo

The Tour de France is coming to England in 2014. What do you think of the route?
Guardian

The Tour de France is coming to England in 2014. What do you think of the route?
El Pais

自転車マナー違反ダメ Yomiuri Shinbun

Andrew Gilligan to be London’s ‘cycling commissioner’ The Times of London

¿Nos gustan menos los coches? El Pais

Lance Armstrong stripped of 2000 Olympic bronze medal after revelations
Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News

Bicycle Goods

UK SHOPPERS

10% OFF basket price when you spend £99
Code: 10EXTRA

12% OFF basket price when you spend £249
Code: 12EXTRA

15% OFF basket price when you spend £349
Code: 15EXTRA

JAPAN SHOPPERS

10% when you spend 14,000YEN
Code: 10EXTRA

12% off when you spend 35,000 YEN
Code: 12EXTRA

15% off when you spend 68,000 YEN
Code: 15EXTRA

USA SHOPPERS

10% when you spend $175
Code: 10EXTRA

12% off when you spend $450
Code: 12EXTRA

15% off when you spend 650
Code: 15EXTRA


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags





Saturday, January 19, 2013

Kenninji Temple Sakuramon Gate Renovations Finished

kenninji「楼門」の修理終わる  建仁寺開山堂で落慶法要

Renovations on one of the main gates at Kenninji Temple are complete.

To celebrate this, the temple is holding a "rakket" celebration of the completion of a temple or shrine's construction.

Kenninji Temple is located on the edge of Gion.

The Sakuramon Gate was built in 1666 at a different temple, Myokoji. In 1885, the gate was moved to Kenninji.

Rot in the wood required repairs, which are now done.

For those in Gion, Kenninji is a quiet peaceful retreat.

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Friday, January 18, 2013

Snow in Kyoto Hard Cycling

京都に雪、自転車はつらい

It is bone-chillingly cold in Kyoto.

Over night temperatures in the city fell to around -3 (about 27 F).

And, worse still, there was a dusting of powdery snow on roof tops and some streets.

This made for a hard commute, but as always the roads were full of cyclists braving the weather.

This being Kyoto, though, the snow should be gone by noon.

Kyoto weather

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Thursday, January 17, 2013

57% Kyoto Wooden Buildings Earthquake Proof

木造の耐震化57%どまり 京都市内の一戸建て

On the anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated Kobe 18 years ago today, Kyoto is still struggling to get its wooden buildings up to code.

Though Kyoto does not see seismic activity in the way other areas of Japan do, it lies on two faults.

In a survey of the city's detached wooden buildings, according to the Kyoto Shinbun newspaper, just 57% were found to be earthquake-proof. Kyoto is aiming to have 90% of the such buildings up to code by 2015.

660,930 buildings were surveyed. Of those built or renovated since 1981, 75.4% are quake-proof.


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Azuki-gayu Festival at Torin-in Temple Myoshinji Temple

Kyoto Myoshinji東林院・小豆粥で初春を祝う会(沙羅双樹の寺・宿坊・東林院

At Myoshinji Temple azuki-gayu, a vegetarian dish often served in Zen temples, will be available to the general public from January 15 - 31.

For Kyotoites, eating azuki-gayu rice porridge at the beginning of the year is thought to keep you healthy.

At Myoshinji Temple's Torin-in sub-temple, the dish will be available for 3,700 yen. That comes with plum tea and shojin ryori vegetarian fare.

Reservations are not required.


Information


11:00-15:00
Access: JR Hanazono Station
Tel: 075 463 1334.


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Kyogoku Yu Public Bath Kyoto

Kyogoku sento Kyoto自転車で京極湯へ

Here is a classic neighborhood public bath in north central Kyoto.

Kyogoku Yu is just east of Senbon Dori, and a few blocks south of Imadegawa.

It is old and it is a real local place.

Foreigners are not an object of fascination in Kyoto city anymore, and thus there is rarely any staring or calls of "Hello" (more like "Ha-ro, Ha-ro") from strangers.

However, both times I have been to this sento older men made a point of asking questions and making statements that betrayed complete lack of familiarity with anything beyond a few blocks of their home and their tv remote.

Still, the building is great and baths hot.

Here is a map.

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Monday, January 14, 2013

Kyoto University Museum Uffizi Exhibit

uffiziウフィツィ・ヴァーチャル・ミュージアム京都大学総合博物館

The Kyoto University Museum will be hosting a big-ticket exhibit.

The Uffizi Museum is loaning some of its best works for a spring exhibit.

The Florence, Italy, gallery will be sending works by Urbino, "The Birth of Venus," and others.

The Kyoto University Museum also is home to permanent collections of insects, maps, and all manner of goods collected by the world famous university's faculty over the decades.


Information

Kyoto University Museum
Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501
Tel: 075 753 3272

Exhibit Period: January 16 - March 17
Hours: 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Last entry: 4:00 p.m.; closed Mondays and Tuesdays)
Fee: 400 yen for adults (those 70 and over free)

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Sunday, January 13, 2013

World Cycling News 13 January 2013

tofu seller bike kyoto今週のサイクリング2013年01月13日

At Oregon Manifest, striving to build a better, and more beautiful, everyday bike Oregonian

Lance Armstrong: Swiss lab head denies assisting American BBC

The secrets to the un-stealable bike London Cyclist

Dernière étape, la Turquie : à la croisée des mondes V'Asie à vélo

Why cycling in high-vis may be not as safe as you think Guardian

Del taller de Perucha no nos moverán El Pais

事故の証拠、実は警察保管中の傷…論告やり直し Yomiuri Shinbun

Second cyclist killed in 2013 The Times of London

Doping-Swiss laboratory denies helping Armstrong avoid detection Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News

Bicycle Goods

UK SHOPPERS

10% OFF basket price when you spend £99
Code: 10EXTRA

12% OFF basket price when you spend £249
Code: 12EXTRA

15% OFF basket price when you spend £349
Code: 15EXTRA

JAPAN SHOPPERS

10% when you spend 14,000YEN
Code: 10EXTRA

12% off when you spend 35,000 YEN
Code: 12EXTRA

15% off when you spend 68,000 YEN
Code: 15EXTRA

USA SHOPPERS

10% when you spend $175
Code: 10EXTRA

12% off when you spend $450
Code: 12EXTRA

15% off when you spend 650
Code: 15EXTRA


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags





Saturday, January 12, 2013

Japan Approves $116 Billion for Economic Stimulus

緊急経済対策を閣議決定 安倍首相

Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a package of ¥10.3 trillion (£71.7 billion or $116 billion) for a spending spree will fix Japan's ailing economy.

Abe and his supporters claim that the program will create 600,000 jobs and add two per cent to Japan's real economic growth.

Japan already has the world's highest debt as a percentage of GDP by country. Japan is currently at 238.66%. (In comparison, Ireland is 104%, Spain 78.58%, the USA 105.39%.)

With no immigration, an aging population that pays just 10% of hospital visits, and an export dependent industry whose fortunes depend on the rate of the yen, borrowing money a la 1990s to pay for road and bridge and tunnel repairs seems unwise at best.

But if it is time to slop the pigs, we hope Kyoto's elected representatives will line up at the troth to get goodies from Tokyo.

Our wish list would include:

1) Bike Lanes in Kyoto
2) Bringing Back Street Cars in Kyoto

If the ship of Japan is going down, let's at least have a few good years of cycling.

Data Source: http://chartsbin.com/view/2108


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Friday, January 11, 2013

Mama Chari Bicycle Parked in Kyoto Bike Lot

Mama Chari Bike in Kyoto京都出町柳駐輪所にあるママチャリ

In the underground bike lot west of the Kamo River in Kyoto was a classic mama chari (mother's chariot) bike.

It is simple yet practical.

Moreover, it is adorned with a yellow sign that reads "Protect the Children!" Below that is the name of the school it represents.

The lot also is simple and practical. It is filled with space for perhaps 400-500 bicycles on two levels. Most of the bike racks are like the one pictured here: alternating high and low for the front wheel.

On the lower level, though, there are double decker parking spaces. You have to pull the rack towards you and down, insert your tires, and then lift it up and into position.

A bit tricky.

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Mexico City Bicycles for Guns Program

メキシコ市銃と自転車交換プローグラム

The government of Mexico City has instituted a program aimed at getting guns off streets.

Hundreds of residents of the capital have turned in almost a thousand weapons.

The "For Your Family, Voluntary Disarming" program promises tablet computers and bicycles for anyone who hands over any firearms.

The program has been so popular that the tablets and bikes have already run out.

Cash awards are also available.


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Cycling Sapporo Japan

Bicycle Symbol冬の札幌を自転車で楽しむ

Ah, winter in Sapporo!

Cold does not begin to describe it.

However, with central heating (unlike Honshu) and an outdoor culture, people on the big north island keep on keeping on, no matter what the weather.

On packed snow, many were out cycling in Sapporo.

On one patch of sidewalk on which the snow had melted was a nearly illegible bike symbol reads that pedestrians have the right of way.

This is quaint.

Pedestrians do not have the right of way on any sidewalk in any part of Japan.

Old people and young, the handicapped and athletes, are terrorized by cyclists, who often have no choice but to ride on sidewalks - legally - since the nation's bicycle infrastructure is minimal.

Japan has a great bicycle culture; its cycling culture however lags.

Another reason for a frozen beer.

Frozen Beer Sapporo

© CycleKyoto.com

Bicycle Goods

UK SHOPPERS

10% OFF basket price when you spend £99
Code: 10EXTRA

12% OFF basket price when you spend £249
Code: 12EXTRA

15% OFF basket price when you spend £349
Code: 15EXTRA

JAPAN SHOPPERS

10% when you spend 14,000YEN
Code: 10EXTRA

12% off when you spend 35,000 YEN
Code: 12EXTRA

15% off when you spend 68,000 YEN
Code: 15EXTRA

USA SHOPPERS

10% when you spend $175
Code: 10EXTRA

12% off when you spend $450
Code: 12EXTRA

15% off when you spend 650
Code: 15EXTRA

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Japan Energy Policy Nuclear Industry Donated Billions of Yen to Universities

Kyoto University8国立大電力業界から18億円

Eight former national universities in Japan received donations totaling 1.74 billion yen from utilities and other power industry members over the past five years.

The donations were targeted at universities doing research in nuclear engineering - and a source of expertise for the Nuclear Regulatory Agency.

The universities were:

University of Tokyo (560 million yen, or roughly $6.3 million US dollars)
Tohoku University (417 million yen)
Nagoya University (251 million yen)
Kyoto University (212 million yen), pictured above right
The Tokyo Institute of Technology (104 million yen)
Kyushu University (83 million yen)
Osaka University (79 million yen)
Hokkaido University (38 million yen)

According to the universities, the above funds were used to purchase equipment and cover researchers' travel expenses.

All eight utilities - including Tokyo Electric Power Co. - and Japan Atomic Power Co., nuclear reactor makers such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy Ltd., and other power-related companies and organizations made donations.

And one wonders why there are so few alternate sources of energy in Japan - or cycling lanes in Kyoto.


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Monday, January 7, 2013

Cyclist Haruhisa Watanabe Dies in Accident in Russia

霧で交通氏渡辺さん遺体帰国

Alpinist, adventurer, and cyclist Haruhisa Watanabe was killed in foggy conditions while cycling in Russia in late December. His remains were repatriated in early January, and he was cremated in his hometown of Shizuoka, Japan.

By 2004, at just 22 years old, Watanabe had summited the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.

Beginning in June, 2012, he cycled across China, central Asia, and Turkey. In December, he was cycling in the largest city in the north pole when he was hit by a vehicle.

At just 31 years of age, Watanabe's premature death is a great loss among the cycling and alpinist community in Japan.

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Sunday, January 6, 2013

World Cycling News 6 January 2013

tofu seller bike kyoto今週のサイクリング2013年01月06日

Bike, Large Truck Deaths Soar, Bucking Trend NPR

Burry Stander: South African mountain biker killed in crash BBC

If your bike gets stolen, don’t expect the police to help London Cyclist

Dernière étape, la Turquie : à la croisée des mondes V'Asie à vélo

Five bike tips for post-Christmas cycling novices Guardian

Bicicletas en pantalla grande El Pais

ツール・ド・フランス記念大会、埼玉で開催へ Yomiuri Shinbun

‘Cargo bikes are the greenest way to carry shopping – they run on bananas and flapjacks’ The Times of London

Cycling champion Wiggins knighted in UK New Year Honours Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News

Bicycle Goods

UK SHOPPERS

10% OFF basket price when you spend £99
Code: 10EXTRA

12% OFF basket price when you spend £249
Code: 12EXTRA

15% OFF basket price when you spend £349
Code: 15EXTRA

JAPAN SHOPPERS

10% when you spend 14,000YEN
Code: 10EXTRA

12% off when you spend 35,000 YEN
Code: 12EXTRA

15% off when you spend 68,000 YEN
Code: 15EXTRA

USA SHOPPERS

10% when you spend $175
Code: 10EXTRA

12% off when you spend $450
Code: 12EXTRA

15% off when you spend 650
Code: 15EXTRA


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags





Saturday, January 5, 2013

Tour de France Centennial Race in Saitama Japan October 2013

bike festa kyotoツール・ド・フランス記念大会、埼玉で開催へ

To commemorate the 100th running of the Tour De France, a suburban prefecture in Japan is going to sponsor a race this October.

Saitama Prefecture, which is outside of Tokyo will host the race. About 50 cyclists will participate in the race, among them past champions.

As always, the Tour de France will be held in France in June and July.

Two months later, the race in Saitama will take place to mark the centennial of the French Tour de France.

The main venue will be the Saitama New Urban Center part of the city's Chuo Ward.

The city estimates 100,000 visitors will attend the race.

Saitama, long derided as "Da-Saitama" (which combines "dasai," uncool or unfashionable, and Saitama), is a semi-rural, semi-exurban sprawl criss-crossed by rail lines. It has been called the New Jersey of Japan.


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Friday, January 4, 2013

Kyoto Exhibit The Treasure of Edo Paintings - Rimpa and Jakuchu - Hosomi Musuem

Hosomi Museum細身美術館江戸絵画の至宝-琳派と若冲-

2013 marks the 15th Anniversary of the opening of the Hosomi Museum, and to celebrate that there will be a fabulous exhibit: "Treasures of Edo Paintings: Rimpa and Jakuchu."

The exhibit will feature the works of Rimpa and Jakuchu. It focuses on Edo Period painting and in particular works of the Rimpa school and Jakuchu.

For cyclists, the Hosomi is an easy ride from central Kyoto.

It is in Okazaki, close to many of the city's best museums and Heian Shrine..

Information

Exhibition Period January 3 ~ March 10
Entrance Fee: 1000 yen; Students: 800 yen

The Hosomi Museum
6-3 Saishoji-cho, Okazaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Tel: 075 752 5555

Hours
10am to 6pm, closed Mondays
(Last entrance 5:30 pm)


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Cycle Sapporo

Cycling Sapporo札幌を自転車でブルブラ

The northern island of Japan, Hokkaido, is a good time.

The food is great, the people are more easy-going, space is there for the taking - but it is cold. No two ways about it: the climate is like Minnesota.

For those of us from the mid-Atlantic region of the USA, this is another level of winter.

On a late December 2012 visit to Hokkaido for skiing, eating and drinking, and bathing, we tried to gauge the cycling scene on a short visit to Sapporo.

In mid-winter, it is alive.

In spite of several inches of hardened snow on most sidewalks, spotty plowing on the streets - the sound of taxi wheels spinning was the sound track of our visit - many young guys were out on mountain bikes.

The city is large, flat, and laid out on a grid. It is perfect for cycling.

However, with the temperatures in the teens (for non-Americans: about -10), we were surprised at the number of cyclists.

We doff our pampered caps to our northern brothers on two wheels.


© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page Tags

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Kyoto Ramen Road

Udon noodles Kyoto自転車でラメん街道へ

Kyoto is not particularly known for its ramen noodles.

Yes, it is the capital of "kaiseki ryori," the ancient court fare that garners many Michelin stars around the city.

However, for simple and reasonable noodles, Kyoto holds its own.

And in the Ichijoji area, Kyoto residents are spoiled for choice.

In and around Higashi Oji Dori, which is a short walk from Ichijoji Station, are roughly 30 ramen restaurants.

For those cycling, head north from City Hall until you get to Kita Oji Dori. Turn right.

From there, ride cross the Kamo River and then the Takano River. You will pass a large Izumiya shopping center on your right (south side).

At the first major intersection, Higashi Oji Dori, turn left and head north. This is the Ramen Road, and you will quickly realize why.

The area is home to many students, and the ramen shops price accordingly.

Note: the photo is of udon noodles, not ramen, and the restaurant was in Arashiyama not Ichijoji.


View Kyoto Ramen Road in a larger map

© CycleKyoto.com

CycleKyoto Home Page Tags