DRO JAPAN GOLDEN WEEK CHARITY SALE!

DRO JAPAN GOLDEN WEEK CHARITY SALE

日本語はこちら。

Put this one into your diaries, folks. Together with the lovely ladies, Sheila Campbell & Carolyn Wright, Deep Kyoto will be hosting another charity sale for IDRO JAPAN during the Golden Week weekend.

Saturday May 5th – 11:00 – 21:00
Sunday May 6th – 10:00 – 15:00

Location: Five minutes from Demachiyanagi Station in Room 3 of the Sakyou Nishibu Iki-iki Shimin Katsudou Center. Here is a map with the route marked from Demachiyanagi Exit 5.

Last year our combined sales raised 237, 630 yen for Tohoku Disaster Relief. This year we want to raise more. Please tell everyone you know about this event.

We will have – second-hand… books, clothes, records, cds, toys, various household items and electrical goods

Delicious Baked Good &- Free Iced Teas.

The return of the “Human Jukebox” & Lucky Dip – Fabulous prizes guaranteed &
Other entertainments?

WHAT WE NEED:

Clothes – preferably spring/summer clothes (cleaned, ironed and in good repair – no underwear please); DVDs, CDs and vinyl records; Small household items; Electrical goods in good condition; Crockery (sets only).

Fresh baked cookies & cakes etc (if possible please label them with the ingredients for the benefit of those with food allergies or preferences).

If you wish to sell larger household items please bring just a photo and your phone number.

WHAT WE DON’T NEED:

Books. We have so many already and they’ll be sold at a snip. Please no more books.
Knick-knacks. No more knick-knacks please. We’ve had our fill of knick-knacks.

Unfortunately we are unable to receive goods before the event so please bring them on the day of sale, – the earlier the better. Donations can be received from 10:00 am on the Saturday.

To reiterate, everything donated needs to be in good, saleable condition – and as I wrote above, clothes need to be clean. If you have any queries, please contact Michael Lambe at: m.0.luain.23[at]gmail.com
(The 0 is a zero and the [at] is an @)

Oh, and by the way – it’s going to be FUN. Don’t forget to invite your friends.

All proceeds go to IDRO JAPAN

International Disaster Relief Organization Japan

IDRO Japan is a Kyoto-based NPO that provides aid and assistance for immediate post-disaster relief and long-term support through relief trips and housing. IDRO Japan’s efforts are currently concentrated on areas affected by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. http://www.idrojapan.org/

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This Week in World Cycling News 29 April 2012

今週のサイクリング２０１２年０４月２９日

Map of Sites of Bike Kiosks in Midtown Is Previewed New York Times

Mark Cavendish eyes Giro d'Italia pink jersey for Team Sky BBC

Germans release long lists for London 2012 Olympic road disciplines Cycling News

Steel City downhill – the race that brings together cycling and wildlife Guardian

Les selles de vélos font débander (aussi) les femmes Rue89

Alcalde, pásese a la bici El Pais

红基会称陕捐赠万辆自行车事件系到期临时工所为 Caijing

１万人の全裸自転車イベント Douga Geek

Fields, Post headline US BMX team for worlds Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News


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Bicycle Lane Sanjo Dori Kyoto

京都三条自転車専用レーン

After turning in forms at the Kyoto Water Bureau's Ukyo Ward Office, which is on Sanjo Dori west of Nishi Oji - an industrial stretch of government offices (tax office, water bureau), a lone love hotel, and factories - we pedaled towards downtown.

Directly in front of the Shimadzu Corporation factory, which is on Sanjo, was an excellent - if short - bike lane.

Pictured at right, the Sanjo Dori lane is separated on the right from cars by a line of trees, the sidewalk on the left. However, it is a true lane, completely separated on both sides from automobile and pedestrian traffic.

Entering the lane from the west, it is noted with the usual "jitensha yo doro" （自転車用道路）(bicycle lane) and a small, old, blue bicycle sign.

The lane continues for several hundred meters, if that, then cyclists are back riding with traffic for a short while until Nishi Oji Dori.

Crossing the street heading east on Sanjo towards the center of Kyoto, however, the lane continues. It is an old, old lane - perhaps the first in the city (pictured below)? - that is not smooth or pretty.

But it works.

It runs until almost Senbon Dori, just south of JR Nijo Station. At that point, the Sanjokai arcade is directly ahead.

Which means: with a bit of creativity, it is possible to ride from the Shimadzu factory, west of Nishioji Dori, all the way to the Kamo River in a car-free zone.

Coming from the Kamo River, head west on Oike Dori (the south side of the street). The wide boulevard does not have a lane, but the sidewalk is never crowded with pedestrians and there is always room to ride safely.

Ride until Horikawa Dori, to the point across the street from Nijo Castle. Turn south onto Horikawa, which has a lane painted onto the  pavement.

At Sanjo Dori, the western end of the Sanjokai Arcade, turn west and ride into the arcade. The arcade does allow delivery vehicles, but cars are few; pedestrians and bikes, in contrast, are numerous.

The ten-minute ride to the east end brings you to Senbon Dori. From there the lane below left begins on the north side of Sanjo after about 150 meters.

Click here for a map.

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自転車で京都文化博物館と京都国際マンガミュージアムと二条城と二条陣屋へ

自転車で京都文化博物館と京都国際マンガミュージアムと二条城と二条陣屋へ

日本語ご希望の方。

This Kyoto cycling route starts at the Museum of Kyoto then heads north to the Manga Museum and then west towards Nijo Castle and the Ninja House (which is still closed for repairs).

All of the stops on this route are kid-friendly - especially the Manga Museum and Ninja House - and the route is short and flat.

For more information, in Japanese (with a link to an English page), here is a page on cycling to the Manga Museum and on to Nijo Castle and more, all within downtown Kyoto.

Ride Nijo, ride.


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Book Review Tales From the Bike Shop

自転車の書評

Tales From the Bike Shop

Tales from the Bike Shop is a bike book for those wistful of time now past in cycling.

The book is a compendium of stories and anecdotes that took place in and around a legendary bike shop in northern California.

Many of stories first appeared in "VeloNews" and "Winning" magazines.

Back in the day - pre-Bike-Boom day - bike tourers and road racers were all one could find on the road. No mountain bikes, no spandex, not much road rage.

The book is available, but like the era it documents not easy to find.

A great trip down memory lane.


Buy on Amazon USA

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River Dining in Kyoto Opens May 1

京都川床５月１日開始

More than any other Japanese city, Kyoto has embraced its main river. The Kamo River, which flows adjacent to the center part of the city, has its share of concrete and in places fairly brutal embankments.

However, unlike other cities, which turned their backs on rivers as places of dirty places fit only for work - a port or factory - or vice, Kyotoites have always gone to the Kamo River to relax and enjoy nature.

On a daily basis, walking, jogging, cycling, tennis, soccer, bird watching, a picnic, and making out are among the many activities that take place along the Kamo.

Every summer though, downtown restaurants set up decks that overlook the river.

This is among the only outdoor dining in Japan.

In Kyoto, the "kawadoko" decks date to the Momoyama Period. Almost 100 restaurants between Nijo and Gojo, on the the west side of Kamo River, set up decks on stilts. They remain until early September.

Farther north, in Kibune, restaurants set up similar decks. Small platforms are placed directly above the the much smaller Kibune River, so that diners are seated above the water and can hear it.

Either location makes for fabulous drinking and dining.


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Kyoto Jizo Obon Shrine Art Deco

京都地蔵お盆

South of JR Enmachi Station on a side street to the east of Nishioji Dori is an Art Deco Jizo Obon shrine.

The small shrines are sprinkled throughout Kyoto and surely number in the thousands.

The shrines, known as Jizo, are said to protect the children of the area.

According to writer Mark Schumacher, "Jizo works to ease the suffering and shorten the sentence of those serving time in hell, to deliver the faithful into Amida's western paradise (where inhabitants are no longer trapped in the six states of desire and karmic rebirth), and to answer the prayers of the living for health, success, children, and all manner of petitions."

Within is a stone Jizo, which is the centerpiece of the shrine.

It is brought out once a year, during the Jizo obon festival in August.

Most Jizo shrines have a fairly similar look; this one was jarring but attractive in its allusion to 1930s design. The tiles in particular are unusual.

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Cycling Shinsen-en Temple

自転車で神泉苑を楽しむ

The garden known as Shinsen-en was created in 800 C.E.

It was originally part of the Imperial Palace. Its name means "pure water," which alludes to the source of the water: a natural spring.

The current incarnation of the garden has a small island in the middle of a pond. On the island is a small shrine that honors the female deity Zennyoryu-o.

Shinsen-en Temple is just south of Nijo Castle.

Also, May 1 - 4 witnesses the annual Shinsen-en Temple Festival. There are daily kyogen performances from 1:30 pm - 6 pm.

Information

Monzencho, Oike-dori Shisenencho Higashi-iru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Tel: 075-821-1466

Access: Kyoto City Bus #9, 50, get off at Horikawa Oike, Tozai subway line, Nijojo-mae Station


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This Week in World Cycling News 22 April 2012

今週のサイクリング２０１２年０４月２２日

Can Bicycling Affect a Woman’s Sexual Health? New York Times

First UK-built bamboo bike unveiled BBC

Cavendish: I will finish the Tour de France Cycling News

Join us on the Big Ride and make cycling a political priority Guardian

Pire que le retour à la bougie : la Chronique sans carbone débarque sur Rue89 Rue89

El día B El Pais

意大利自行车手因违反反兴奋剂条例被禁赛12年 Caijing

自転車乗り捨て場新設　「春季パーク＆ライド」　奈良市 Sankei Shinbun

Ricco banned for 12 years for 2nd doping offense Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News


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Kyoto Okazaki Cherry Viewing Boat Tours

京都岡崎疎水花見舟

Though the cherry trees are losing their pink blossoms, it is possible until May 8 to take a boat tour to view the trees in the Okazaki area of Kyoto.

Boats depart every 15 minutes and circle the canal passing two of the city's great museums and the zoo.

The boats depart from near Nanzenji Temple in front of Biwako Sosui Memorial Museum.

Information

Every day there are 29 boat tours that run between 9:30 and 16:30

Fee: 1,000 yen

Access: Tozai subway line, Keage Station

Tel: 075 321 7696

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Adult Tricycle Kyoto

京都大人用の三輪車

On this past Sunday, errands on the nearby Taishogun high street allowed us to discover the normal great stuff on any such "shotengai" street.

A short list on this humble street would include: flower shop, sake shop, lady's clothes store, shrine, fish shop, pet shop (mainly fish), bike shop, hardware store, and more.

In addition, the theme of Taishogun appears to be ghouls - playful, friendly ghouls - and many of them were seated throughout the street.

However, the most eye-catching item on the street was a snazzy adult tricycle.

For elderly women, tricycles are common form of transportation in Japan. (Younger and middle-aged women prefer electric-powered bikes.)

However, most tricycles have two wheels in the back, atop which is a large basket for shopping.

This model has the two wheels up front and the requisite basket.

In addition, the bike is kitted out with a mirror, an umbrella stand, a low-slung down tube for easy mounting and dismounting, and a chain cover.

The ghoul seems to like it.

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Kyoto Mega Bicycle Shop

自転車PEDAL京都

On Oike Dori, just east of Nishi Oji Dori, is a mega bike shop.

It is not the number one mega shop - that award goes to the Asahi chain - but this store was pretty impressive from the outside.

Not our cup of tea - we are border-line snobs who prefer an old mom-and-pop neighborhood place, or a shop run by complete bike freak out of his or her first floor - but Jitensha Pedal is in keeping with Japanese bicycle philosophy.

Bikes have long been perceived more as a transportation tool than anything more elevated or self-redeeming.

In urban Japan, there is no often quicker way from point A to point B than the humble bike. For one hundred plus years Japanese have mounted their bikes with little thought to saving the planet or fashion or the evil of other forms of transport (or people).

And that continues to this day, and is one of several reasons why the aggression and conflict of the roads is much less than that in other countries.


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Bicycle Lane Icon Philadelphia Nude Descending a Staircase

フィラアデルフィアの自転車専用レーン

Having just come from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we were struck by the similarity of a Center City bike lane icon to Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2).

Duchamp's work was a sensation at the Armory Show of contemporary art in February 1913 held in New York; it now resides in the Philadelphia Museum.

The Cubist work was bought at the Armory Show for three hundred dollars, and then later repurchased by Walter Arensberg, who was a patron of the Art Museum.

Today, the work has reappeared in modified form on the streets of Philadelphia, where it is ubiquitous if not quite as sensational.

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Japan Number One Barista Ozawa Naoko

ラテアート全国大会大澤直子京都三条

The number one latte artist in Japan is twenty-six year-old Ozawa Naoko.

She plies her art at Ogawa Coffee, at the corner of Sanjo - Kiyamachi in downtown Kyoto.

In the recent All Japan Latte Art Contest, she beat out candidates from around Japan, winning her second title in a row.

In the final round, Ozawa faced off against 9 other baristas representing other regions of Japan.

In eight minutes, Ozawa created three three types of latte designs using milk: a butterfly, a bird, and a heart. They are indeed works of art.

Ogawa Coffee is not an elegant cafe - think 1970s shiny - and avoid the second floor unless you are a chain smoker, but it boasts Ozawa and at least one other of the best Japanese baristas.

Ogawa Coffee

Sanjo-Kiyamachi
075 223 0558

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Bicycle Lane Otsu Shiga Japan

大津市自転車専用レーン

Who are bike lane designers?

Where do they go to school to learn their craft?

Are they engineers? Artists? Bureaucrats in a smock?

Is there a school of Advanced Bike Lane Studies?

As in all fields, some planners are clearly better than others.

This lane, in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture - just over the hill from Kyoto - falls into the all too common "Not Too Great" category.

The brick sidewalk has been marked with blue striping and a pedestrian and bicycle symbol.

Without a barrier, there is not doubt lots of weaving. However, the mere fact of putting the symbol and lanes does seem to have a pavlovian effect: most cyclists do stay in the lane.

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This Week in World Cycling 15 April 2012

今週のサイクリング２０１２年０４月１５日

BIKE COMMUTING: A BETTER WAY TO TRAVEL Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips

Get into cycling in the UK BBC

Zabel to ride Berkshire Cycling Classic in May Cycling News

Where abandoned bicycles go to die – and be reborn Guardian

VELO AU BOUT DU MONDE Libération

Pedales 'artie' El Pais

视频：中国香港宿将黄金宝公路自行车赛夺冠 TV Sohu

朝日新聞に２２万円賠償命じる＝無罪男性の逮捕記事に誤り－大阪地裁 Jiji Press

Cyclist Martin breaks cheekbone, jaw in training Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News


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Cycling Kyoto to Otsu Shiga Lake Biwa

自転車で京都から大津市まで

For Kyotoites wanting to do the Lake Biwa circuit - or just ride over to Otsu for the day - the biggest impediment is the Meishin Expressway.

The massive pile of raised concrete slams through the narrow pass where the Old Tokaido highway (which ends at Sanjo Dori in central Kyoto) runs just east of Yamashina Station.

However, there is a car-free route that is except for one short steep stretch easy as can be.

Riding out of Kyoto on Sanjo Dori, a short gradual climb takes you into Yamashina, a nondescript suburb. After passing JR Yamashina Station - it will be on the left, down a street, and well marked - turn left off of Sanjo at Shinomimya Dori（四ノ宮）. There is a police box, or Koban, on the far right corner.

Ride down this narrow street, past the small train station, and under the JR tracks. Then follow the canal.

There will start to be signs for hikers; see below left. The route to follow to Otsu is the Kozekigoe （小関超え）. Once you pass under the Meishin Expressway, there will be a fork. (A public toilet is to the left.) We went on the right fork, following the sign and the advice of a kind hiker, but suspect it is possible to head left as well.

The road is steep, narrow, and beat up but only for a short while. Except for the very fit, it means ten minutes of pushing the bike up to the top. From there a 10-minute coast into Otsu awaits.

The main attraction of Otsu is of course Japan's largest lake: Lake Biwa (pictured above). It has incredible vistas, and in many places there is a bike path along the edge of the lake.

Map

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Old Kyoto Barber Shop

京都の古い散髪屋館髪美

On a trip to the Kyoto Water Bureau, which is just south of Kyoto Station, we passed this old barber shop.

It is located at the corner of Aburakoji and Ayanokoji, south of Shijo Dori.

The worn brick facade and window decorations were eye-catching.

Better still was the sign above the door, which reads:

館髪美

Read from right to left, it becomes "bihatsukan":

Beautiful hair hall

The final character (館), the "kan," is especially delicious. It is used for museums, cinemas, and the old foreign residences in Kobe.

The building was built in 1927 (Showa 2).

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Delancey Street Philadelphia Streetscape

フィラデルフィアデランシーストリート

No neon.

No signs.

No telephone wires.

A unified cityscape.

No pachinko parlors.

No karaoke.

Street trees that are not radically pruned.

Philadelphia's Delancey Street is an elegant residential street in Center City.

Why is that Kyoto in its way with its design sense its sense of history is incapable of a similar effect?

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Cherry Blossoms Kyoto

京都の桜

The cherries are finally in full bloom.

A long, cold winter combined with a late blast of arctic air last week kept the pink flowers shivering in their buds.

This year is, according to NHK, only four days later than an average year.

On Sunday, it warmed up and the crowds packed in areas in which cherry trees are found.

Chionin Temple, above right, has a smattering of cherry trees in front of the main gate.

Much more crowded was the area around Heian Shrine. Cherry trees line the canal that runs east of the Museum of Modern Art and the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art.

These two august institutions bookend the largest torii gate in Japan, which announces one is entering the holy ground of Heian Shrine.

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Rittenhouse Square Philadelphia Bicycle

フィラデルフィアリッテンハウススクエアの近くの自転車

This gets the award for most eye-catching bicycle in Philadelphia.

Parked - locked - on Walnut Street in front of Rittenhouse Square, this baby is going nowhere fast.

Fitted with shag tires, gold roses, and other detailing, this is a keeper.

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Cycling along the Takase River Kyoto

自転車で京都高瀬川

These are the "head waters" of the Takase River, in central Kyoto.

The canal was dug in 1611 and used to ship goods south, towards Fushimi, Uji, and Osaka.

With the advent of the steam engine and railroads, traffic on the canal came to a halt.

Today it flows softly by Kiyamachi, a north-south street that has a lot of bars, restaurants, and other types of establishments.

It is lined with cherry trees, which are just starting to peek out.

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This Week in World Cycling News 8 April 2012

今週のサイクリング２０１２年０４月０８日

Where the Famous Shop, Cycling Is the Cause Célèbre New York Times

Track Worlds: Victoria Pendleton wins sprint gold despite crash BBC

London Olympics to be Boardman's last with British Cycling Cycling News

Ken Livingstone is streets ahead of Boris Johnson in mayoral cycling policy race Guardian

Les selles de vélos font débander (aussi) les femmes Rue89

Irresponsable El Pais

电动自行车 YouTube

新品自転車８千台が焼ける、倉庫全焼　堺市美原区 Asahi Shinbun

Tour of Basque Country Results Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News


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Cycling Horikawa Kyoto Near Nijo Castle

自転車で京都二条城と堀川

On a blustery early April morning, a trio of tourists headed south on a north-south side street separated by the Horikawa River from Horikawa Dori (street).

The cherry trees were not out - they can be seen at right, across the street from Nijo Castle - as winter was long and cold.

Die-hards have been braving the cold nights along the Kamo River, reveling under the buds.

Early next week should see the trees come into full bloom, and more placid evenings in which to enjoy sake, song, and yes the blossoms.

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Sagamihara Yokohama to Introduce One-Way Bicycle Lanes

相模原自転車専用レーンと規制

The area around the JR Sagamihara Station in Yokohama will introduce one-way bicycle lanes next month.

Along a 460-meter stretch near the station, cyclists will be required to ride in the appointed direction.

Those who fail to do so face fines and possible imprisonment.

Following Shizuoka's example, this is the first such regulation in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

A four-meter wide area next to the ride will be divided in half: cyclists will be in the strip closest to automobiles, pedestrians in the other half.

The rule comes into effect on May 14.

Those caught in violation could be fined as much as 50,000 yen (about $550 USD) or up to three months imprisonment.

You were warned.

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Cycling Philly

自転車でフィラデルフィアを楽しむ

On a blustery late March day, a decked out cyclist whizzed past us on Broad Street heading south.

We were near the front of the Pennsylvania Academy.

Having just seen the Henry Ossawa Tanner exhibit, we came out and were admiring the front of the Convention Center, which now faces Broad Street north of City Hall.

Compared to Kyoto (where we now live and cycle), Philadelphia (where we used to live and cycle) has more space on the roads, more bike lanes, better signage - and a lot more aggression.

Cyclists and cars are competing for space, and it isn't always pretty.

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自転車で京都駅と東寺と東福寺へ

自転車で京都駅と東寺と東福寺へ

日本語ご希望の方。

This cycling route starts at Kyoto Station and heads east towards Toji Temple and Tofukuji Temple.

Toji Temple is the temple visible from the bullet train. It is a large complex in south Kyoto with the multi-story pagoda. From there, Tofukuji is a 10-15 minute ride east. It is one of the great zen temples in Kyoto, and is famed for its fall colors.

For more information, in Japanese (with a link to an English page), here is a page on cycling to Toji Temple and then on to Tofukuji Temple, Kyoto.

Ride Toji, ride.


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Japanese Woman Straddling Bicycle in Kyoto

京都JR花園駅近く自転車を股がる女

Near JR Hanazono Station, in western Kyoto, a young woman straddles her bike.

She has just been to a convenience store - her chips are visible in the plastic bag hanging from the handle bars - and is on her way.

In her blue jean shorts, black leather books, black winter coat with fake fur lining around the hood, she cuts a fine figure.

When the light changed she pedaled off, continuing her texting with one hand, steering with the other.

Note: this corner is not far from the Toei Kyoto Studio Park.

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Bicycling and Walking in the United States 2012 Benchmarking Report

２０１２年米国での自転車と歩道報告書

Among the many wonderful factoids in the the Bicycling and Walking in the United States 2012 Benchmarking Report is the following:

12% of all trips were by bicycle (1.0%) or foot (10.5%) in 2012.

In 2009, some 40% of trips in the United States were shorter than 2 miles. However, Americans used their cars for 87% of trips 1 to 2 miles.

Some hope however is on the horizon. Bicycle use From 2000 to 2009, the number of commuters who cycled to work increased by 57%.

That is in spite of the fact that US states spent just 1.6% of their federal transportation dollars on bicycling and walking.

There is hope though in the many bike lanes sprouting up around the country, as this lane along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia attests to.


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AKB48 Japanese Girl Band Bicycle Safety Interview

AKB48 自転車協会 BAA「チェック！BAA」

The mega girl band AKB48 is now plugging bicycle safety.

In the video linked above, the girls are riding and dancing, gyrating and screaming:

Check BAA! Anshin Check! Anzen Check! Jitensha Erabi ha BAA, Check!

Check BAA! Peace of Mind, Check! Safety, Check! When choosing a bike, register with BAA, Check!

BAA is the Bicycle Association Approved seal the singers point at on the stem of the bike. This is a form of insurance one can buy in Japan.

If that didn't convince you, there is more: in the video below AKB48 is doing a public service announcement.

Following scenes of the girls riding around on bikes in the studio dressed in their high school uniforms, the interviewer asks them where and when they cycle. "A sweets shop, 7-11." "Back home in Oita."

No, this is not an April Fool's joke.



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