Bernard Leach Exhibit Kyoto Takashimaya

バーナード・リーチ展京都高島屋

In celebration of the 125th anniversary of the birth of potter Bernard Leach, the Kyoto department store Takashimaya is holding a special exhibit of his works.

Leach was born in Hong Kong and and came to Japan early. He apprenticed to Shigekichi Urano (Kenzan VI) and became friends with the potter Shoji Hamada.

Together with Hamada, Leach created and promoted traditional Korean, Japanese, and Chinese pottery using techniques from England and Germany.

During his life, though, this work was considered ugly, even crude in the West.

In Japan, however, he remains a revered figure to this day. He was awarded the
Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1966 and Japan Foundation Cultural Award in 1974.

For those cycling, there are several bicycle parking lots nearby, the closest being at Takashimaya itself The lot is just south of Shijo on the east side of Teramachi Dori. It is 100 yen/hour. However, unless you are coming from the south, say Kyoto Station, a better ideas would be to park farther afield - along Oike, near Daimaru - and walk. The area is packed with foot traffic and cycling is prohibited on both Shijo and Kawaramachi in this part of town.

Information

Takashimaya is at the corner of Shijo-Kawaramachi in central Kyoto. The exhibit is on the 7th floor in the Grand Hall.
October 31 - November 11
600 yen for adults, 400 for university and high school students.

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Cycling Lake Biwa

自転車で琵琶湖一周

Winter is not far off, but this is perhaps the best time of year to ride the Lake Biwa circuit.

Biwako is Japan's largest fresh water lake.

The area around Otsu, just over the hill from Kyoto, is fairly industrial. However, the rest of the ride is beautiful.

For much of the 270 km ride bike lanes or little used rural roads hug the lake.

Except for the northern end of the lake - and the bump you have to get over from Kyoto - there are no hills.

Museums, wild life, hot springs, and many historical sites are along the route.

It can be done in two days and one night, or at a more leisurely pace in three days and two nights. (We even know a few young guys that did the whole thing in a single day).


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Yoko Festival Kitano Tenmangu Shrine Kyoto

余香祭へ

On the 29th of October at Kyoto's Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, the Yoko Sai (Festival) will take place.

It dates to the year 900 CE and is based on a legend that Sugawara no Michizane, the patron saint of the shrine, wrote several great poems on this day.

In keeping with that theme, classic poems from around Japan will be read aloud.

Kitano Tenmangu is adjacent to a licensed geisha area and not far from the Golden Pavilion.


Information

October 29
2 pm - 5 pm
Access: Bus #50, get off at Kitano Tenmangu-mae
Tel: 075 461 0005

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World Cycling News 28 October 2012

今週のサイクリング２０１２年１０月２８日

Park the Pickup: Santa Fe by Bicycle New York Times

Greg LeMond calls for UCI chief Pat McQuaid to resign BBC

iPhone apps for cyclists London Cyclist

Voyage à vélo - Cuba (circuit Oriente) Vélo Québec

Cyclists' weapons of choice: loud honks and curses Guardian

Programa entrenamiento para estar listo para una carrera de cross country en 29 dias
BiciMexico

襲撃は「自転車の４人組」　大阪・ホームレス死亡で証言　Asahi Shinbun

Government ‘is failing on road safety’ The Times of London

Contador says Armstrong being "humiliated and lynched" Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News


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Bowl of Japanese Rice and Roe

明太子

After a short ride in eastern Kyoto, we ended up at a small izakaya and tucked into a bowl of rice topped with roe.

We are not major fans of fish eggs, but the people at the next table were having the same meal and we gave it a try.

The saltiness and the "pop" of the roe as they burst in your mouth take a bit of getting used to.

But it was a feast for the eyes - and, as it turned out, the stomach.


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Kyoto Bicycle Lanes

京都自転車専用レーン

A wonderful article in Atlantic Cities shows that dedicated bicycle lanes can cut injuries.

As the article notes, "major city street with parked cars and no bike lanes is just about the most dangerous place you could ride a bike. All the big threats are there: open car doors, bad parallel parkers, passing cabs and public transit. This is not a particularly novel scientific revelation, although research has found it to be true. Things get more interesting when we compare this bad-biking baseline to infrastructure actually intended to accommodate cyclists."

Research from Canada has looked at 14 route types and the likelihood of a serious bike injury. And, drum roll, infrastructure is very important in determining that.

The chance of injury drops by about 50 percent when riding on a similar road with a bike lane and no parked cars. Similarly, the same result is true on bike paths and local streets with designated bike routes. Last, and most important, "protected bike lanes – with actual barriers separating cyclists from traffic – really make a difference. The risk of injury drops for riders there by 90 percent."

Pictured above is an example of a downtown bike "lane" in Kyoto. The lane is the 18 inch (?) wide slice of pavement between the white and reddish lines.

Come on Kyoto! How about a few more real dedicated bicycle lanes!

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Bicycle Book Review Need for the Bike

書評「Need for the Bike」

Need for the Bike takes readers and riders into a world that revolves around the bicycle.

All people and things move via the bike.

The book is, to quote from its blurb: "...extended meditation on cycling as a practice of life, the book recalls a country doctor who will not anesthetize the young Fournel after he impales himself on a downtube shifter, speculates about the difference between animals that would like to ride bikes (dogs, for instance) and those that would prefer to watch (cows, marmots), and reflects on the fundamental absurdity of turning over the pedals mile after excruciating mile. At the same time, Fournel captures the sound, smell, feel, and language of the reality and history of cycling, in the mountains, in the city, escaping the city, in groups, alone, suffering, exhausted, exhilarated."

Fournel writes well on the myriad pleasures of cycling.


Buy on Amazon USA


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