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Sunday, June 30, 2013

World Cycling News 30 June 2013

tofu seller bike kyoto今週のサイクリング2013年06月30日

Bike-Share Effort Draws Riders and Hits Snags New York Times

2013 Tour de France: Chris Froome heads British challenge BBC

The A-to-Z of the Ride Across Britain London Cyclist

Bilan de la Féria du vélo de Montréal 2013 Vélo Québec

The ride across Britain: from scenic Highlands to rain-soaked Cornwall Guardian

"En unas décadas el ciclismo será 'mainstream'" El Pais

Katusha’s final training at TDF
ツール本番を前にしてカチューシャが最終調整!珍しい練習風景をどうぞ Cycling Time

Cycle casualties rise faster than bike use The Times of London

Lance Armstrong: Winning Tour de France from 1999-2005 ‘impossible’ without dopinge Yahoo

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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Oldest Example of Complete Katakana Script Found on Plate in Kyoto

Kyoto-Digいろは歌、最古の「全文」土器の墨書確認 中京・堀河院跡

The Kyoto City Archaeological Research Institute on Friday announced that an artefact dug up in 1983 was discovered on reexamination to have nearly all of the hiragana characters written on it.

The small plate was discovered in the grounds of the ANA Crown Plaza Hotel thirty years ago at the ruins of the Horikawa Imperial Palace. That is across the street from Nijo Castle.

The piece dates from the end of the 12th century to the early part of the 13th century. On it is penned in charcoal the poem known as Iroha, which is thought to have been written in the Heian Period (794–1179 CE).

This makes it the oldest extant example of hiragana.

The plate is 9 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm tall. There are 47 characters on the plate.

It will be on display at the Kyoto City Archaeological Museum from June 29 until July 28.

Photo©Kyoto Shinbun

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Friday, June 28, 2013

Renewable Energy 2013 Exhibition Tokyo

header_lgo_2013第8回再生可能エネルギー世界展示会

For renewable energy fans, Tokyo will be the place to be at the end of July.

The 8th annual Renewable Energy Exhibition will be held from June 24 - 26.

Big name companies from Japan and beyond will be hawking their latest goodies.

Wind, solar, photovoltaic, geothermal, hydrogen, ocean energy, small hydro, and something called Innovative Bioclimatic Architecture will be on display.

It is free of charge.

The venue is Tokyo Big Sight.

Information

Show Title: RENEWABLE ENERGY 2013 EXHIBITION
Dates: July 24 (Wed) - 26 (Fri), 2013 10:00 - 18:00 (10:00-17:00 on July 26)
Venue: TOKYO BIG SIGHT West Hole
Admission Fee: Free of charge

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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Japanese Sake Tasting in Fushimi Kyoto

Sake Brewery Fushimi日本酒の魅力伝えます 伏見の米国人男性が「楽しむ会」

Sake is the latest Japanese product to enjoy a "boom" in popularity overseas.

Bars specializing in the rice wine have opened in Paris and New York - and, in a familiar pattern - the clear alcoholic beverage is being reconsidered here in Japan.

It was not so long ago the default drink of the oji-san (middle-aged man), and had a whiff of the impoverished, rural, unfashionable past attached to it.

Now, the all important young urban female demographic is lining up to buy sake.

In Fushimi, Kyoto, home to many of Japan's best known makers, tastings are being held.

Jonathan Davidson, a 41-year-old English teacher from the United States, held the third annual JD Kai (Japanese Sake De Au - "deau" means to meet in Japanese) in Fushimi on the 23rd.

A thirsty crowd of thirty turned out for the event.

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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Cycle Kyoto Botanical Gardens

Kyoto Botanical Gardens自転車で京都府立植物園へ

Kyoto's Botanical Gardens are a good place to visit at any time of year.

As befits the season, hydrangea and unusual species of bamboo are now in bloom.

The gardens, which measure 240,000 square meters, was founded in 1924. The gardens feature 12,000 different kinds of plants, flower gardens, a conservatory, and a large open lawn.

It served as a US military base from 1946 until 1957, but reopened in 1961.

Kyoto Botanical GardensInformation

Shimogamo, Hangi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
075 701 0141

Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Fee: General Public 200 yen, High School Students: 150 yen, Elementary and Junior High School Students: 80 yen

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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Bicycle Theft in Tokyo

自転車泥棒東京

According to the Yomiuri Shinbun newspaper, high-end bicycles are getting stolen at a fast pace in Japan's capital city.

In 2006, 181 bikes valued at 100,000 yen (USD $1,000) or more were stolen in Tokyo.

Just five years later, in 2011, that had skyrocketed to 686.

Many of the stolen bikes end up on the Internet where they are sold.

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Monday, June 24, 2013

Emperor and Empress Visit Kyoto

Royal Couple Myoshinji両陛下、妙心寺を訪問 国際会議出席へ

We were wondering what all the cops were doing at 8:30 pm in front of the Imperial Palace and Doshisha University - two to a corner - on a Friday night.

Then, it was helicopters circling overhead the next morning.

Answer: their royal majesties were in Kyoto over the weekend.

The Emperor and Empress rode a special bullet train down from Tokyo to visit Myoshinji Temple and, up north, the International Convention Center.

The Emperor's ancestors - along with most of Japan's aristocracy - decamped from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1868.

Thus, he alas speaks in standard Japanese and not the mellifluent dialect of Kyoto, as his predecessors did for some 1,000 years.

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Sunday, June 23, 2013

World Cycling News 23 June 2013

tofu seller bike kyoto今週のサイクリング2013年06月23日

The Dutch Prize Their Pedal Power, but a Sea of Bikes Swamps Their Capital  New York Times

Jan Ullrich: Former Tour de France winner admits blood doping BBC

Bike Doctor brings bike maintenance to your iPad London Cyclist

Le réseau sélect d’hébergement pour les cyclistes Vélo Québec

The humble cycle making a comeback on Dhaka streets Guardian

Visionarios El Pais

Inside Bradley Wiggins
グランツールと言う名の呪縛、それともフルームと言う名の呪縛?勝っても非難される理不尽さとエースの苦悩、「多くの犠牲を支払うつもりはもうない」ウィギンスが語るエースの重圧とは Cycling Time

Report rejects any ‘strict liability’ rule over cycle accidents The Times of London

Former cyclist Ullrich admits to Fuentes treatment Yahoo

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Rainy Season Cycling in Kyoto

梅雨京都自転車サイクリング

Rainy season finally arrived - and with a bang.

It has rained hard for three days in a row, and a typhoon is on its way.

In May there was hardly any rain. For three weeks in June, ditto.

There was the usual handwringing about the farmers and being careful not to get heat stroke.

Now it is a cool 25 degrees - and wet wet wet.

That however did not stop us or anyone else this morning. The roads were thronged with commuters on bikes.

Enjoy your commute.


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Thursday, June 20, 2013

Documenting Your Rides with Strava

ストラーバ

For those into noting the miles/kilometers/calories/route of a run or ride, here is another entry into a crowded field of devices, apps, and sites.

Strava is simple and free (and CycleKyoto has no affiliation therewith), unless you upgrade to the "Premium" plan.

It is simple. If you have a GPS device - a smertphone will do - all you need to do is sign up with Strava.

Then you enter the data from your ride or run, and voila.

We do not in general do such tracking, but understand the attraction.

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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Toei Kyoto Studio Park To Go Cool This Summer

eiga-mura太秦映画村クールに変身 水が飛ぶ時代劇ショーなど企画

Toei Kyoto Studio Park is going to get a lot cooler from July 13 until September 8.

In addition to its usual attractions and shows, the Park is going to add a show with water. Water will spray visitors during a popular samurai show.

To recreate the Edo Period (1603 - 1868) - in which there were no air conditioners - the Park is going to be incorporating all kinds of old-school methods of staying cool without using electricity.

They include "kakigori" shaved ice topped with namahachi (sweet cinnamon buns).

The "Chanbara" sword fighting show will include a "water platoon." You were warned.

Information

Kyoto Studio Park
10 Uzumasa-Higashi hachigaokacho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8586
075 841 3381

Hours: March-November 9:00 am - 5;00 pm; December-February 9:30 am - 4:00 pm; Closed December 27-31, 2010

Entrance Fee: 2,200 yen adults; 1,300 for junior and senior high school students; 1,100 yen for children older than 4.

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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Ino Tadataka Map Exhibit Otani University Kyoto

Ino-Tadataka-Exhibit「伊能忠敬の日本図」

For map geeks - among whose ranks we count ourself - there is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see several of Ino Tadataka's charts.

Ino (1745 - 1817), who is more familiarly known as Chukei, was a legendary surveyor, map maker, and virtual man of steel who is now a national hero in Japan.

At age 49 - at a time when the average lifespan was 50 - he quit his day job and became an apprentice to the leading astronomer of the period.

Following five years of intense study and training, he set out in his mid-50s on ten journeys to map the coast of Japan.

After almost 17 years of mind-boggling determination, adventure, and endurance, he accomplished this.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Kyoto's Otani University Museum will display charts completed 200 years ago by Ino in 1813. These charts were discovered in France in 1970. They were returned to Japan, restored by Kyoto-based Nissha Printing company, and then donated to Otani University.

For those on a bike, it is a twenty-minute ride due north of central Kyoto. The easiest way is to go straight up Karasuma. The Otani Museum.

Information

Dates: June 11 - August 5 (Closed Sundays & Mondays)
Hours: 10 am - 5 pm (Fridays until 7 pm)
Fees: 500 yen
Tel: 075 411 8483

The Museum is accessed via Kitaoji Dori. Enter the north gate. It is on the first floor of the Koryukan Building.


Otani University Cycling Map


View Cycling Kyoto Kitayama to Kamigamo Shrine in a larger map


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Monday, June 17, 2013

Deer Eating the Flowers in Ishiyama Temple Shiga

シカ食害「花の寺」危機 石山寺 殺生できず苦慮

Bambi has gone a bit wild in nearby Otsu, Shiga Prefecture.

At one of western Japan's best-known temples, Ishiyama Temple, deer have munched over 1000 hydrangea plants. Those flowers are associated with the rainy season in Japan, and a major draw for visitors to the temple.

The deer also feasted on iris and bush clover.

Damage from deer became pronounced about ten years ago. As the temple is close to the mountains that separate Kyoto and Shiga, deer are frequent visitors. Moreover, because of human-induced changes in the eco-system - post-war Japan tore out much of its deciduous forests and planted more lucrative (at the time) stands of cedar - the deer have little to eat in the forests. Thus, they and monkeys and boar are coming farther and farther into suburban and urban areas in search of food.

Hunting is banned in the area around the temple, and Buddhists are of course prohibited from the taking of life. Thus, the monks are in a quandary.

Nets have been placed around the temple, but they have not deterred the deer.

Ishiyama Temple is not far from the Lake Biwa route and close enough to Kyoto to visit on a day-trip.

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Sunday, June 16, 2013

World Cycling News 16 June 2013

tofu seller bike kyoto今週のサイクリング2013年06月16日

What’s All the Fuss About Bikes? New York Times

Hannah Barnes says demotion to second for celebrating is crazy BBC

Cyclists rant: London’s potholes London Cyclist

Sur La Route Verte Vélo Québec

Edwardian stunt bikers – in pictures Guardian

Borrachera de bicicleta El Pais

Tour de Suisse Stage 7
昨年度の優勝はフロックじゃない!途中の思わぬアクシデントもなんのその、コスタが逆襲のステージ勝利!大会連覇を目指し総合2位にジャンプアップ Cycling Time

Going Dutch on cycling ‘could cut £1.6bn a year from health budget’ The Times of London

Spain hopes new anti-doping law will help Olympic bid Yahoo

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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Kyoto Bicycle Theft Prevention

Kyoto Bike Thief京都自転車泥棒対策

The men in blue were out in force in western Kyoto yesterday.

In front of a large supermarket they were passing out leaflets and other goodies about how to avoid having your bike stolen.

Along with the flyer at right, the packet I received included a packet of tissues (for crying when the bike is ripped off), a net for the basket (to prevent a guy on a scooter from pulling up beside a bike and grabbing a purse or wallet - it happens), and another flyer on locks and home burglary prevention.

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Friday, June 14, 2013

Hydrangea at Fujinomori Shrine Kyoto

Hydrangea自転車で藤森神社

The entire Fujinomori Shrine is filled with colorful hydrangea flowers.

For those cycling in the vicinity of Fushimi Inari Shrine or, farther south, all the way to Fushimi, this is a very pleasant stop.

Information

300 yen entrance fee.

Access: A five-minute walk from JR Fujinomori Stn. or Keihan Sumizome Stations.

Tel: 075-641-1045

The shrine is south of Fushimi Inari, about 20 minutes on bike from Kyoto Station (see map below), just in front of Kyoto Kyoiku University.

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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Rainy Season Kyoto Uji Hydrangea Mimurotoji Temple

Kyoto Hydrangeaアジサイ 雨待ち遠し 三室戸寺、試験点灯 印刷用画面を開く

In spite of high summer-like weather - highs are expected to hit 35 (96 F) in Kyoto today - it is rainy season.

That means hydrangeas.

In Uji, Mimurotoji Temple is as good a spot as any to enjoy the flowers.

The temple, which is in the northern hills of Uji, was founded roughly 1200 years ago. It is famed for its flowers, and is a good spot any time of year.

From June 15 - 30, the flowers will be illuminated every night from 7 - 9 pm.

Access on public transportation

Bus number 43 runs between JR Uji Station, Keihan Uji Station, and Mimurotoji Temple. It takes 20 minutes from JR Uji Station to Mimurotoji Temple and costs 220 yen. For those willing to brave the heat, it will take about 15 minutes to walk there from Keihan Mimuroto Station or about 20 minutes from Keihan Uji Station or Uji Bridge.

Cycling

It is 90 minutes to Uji from central Kyoto. Follow the map below.


View Cycling Kyoto to Uji in a larger map


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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Hiking Kibune and Kurama Kyoto

Kibune Shrine木船~鞍馬にハイキング

The Kibune to Kurama hike is a great day trip close to central Kyoto. It is a thirty-minute ride on the Eizan Dentetsu train line from Demachiyagi Station to the closest station. The area moreover is not only beautiful but redolent with history.

It is in these mountains that the legendary (but quite real) two-meter tall Benkei is thought to have trained. Benkei (1155 - 1189) is best known for his prodigious feats at Kyoto's Gojo Bridge, just south of downtown. Here he fought and defeated 999 passing samurai, winning their swords.

In his 1000th duel, however, he was finally defeated by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the son of warlord Minamoto no Yoshitomo. As a result of the defeat, Benkei became Yoshitune's retainer and joined him.

The town of Kurama is today famous for its onsen (hot spring) and its annual Fire Festival, held every year on October 22.

The hot spring is on your right and has a large sign in both Japanese and English. For adults the fee is 1,100 yen.

Getting to the Starting Point

From Demachiyanagi Station, ride the Eizan Railways train to Kurama Guchi Staion.

From there, it is a 15-20 minute walk to the village of Kibune.

Directions

If you get off the train at Kibune-guchi Station, you will need to walk about 20-minutes up a two-lane mountain road until you come to the village of Kibune. The walk is quiet and peaceful - except for passing cars that you are sharing the road with - as cedar trees loom over you on both sides. There is bus service from the station to near the village, but it runs infrequently.

In the town there are inns on both sides of the road. Kibune is well known for traditional inns that offer dining atop the decks that span a narrow river.

Kibune Shrine is on the left and up a lantern-lined stone path.

Now retrace your steps back to a small red bridge. It will be on your left (on your right as you entered the village). After crossing the bridge, there is a small hut where hikers are charged a 200 yen mountain climbing fee.

The first several hundred meters are steep. After perhaps twenty minutes you will come to the first shrine: Oku no In.

Just beyond this, the trail will come to an open area full of cedar roots - one of the highlights of the hike - protruding from the ground. After this, the walk becomes easier.

There are several more small shrines along the way. You will soon enough be heading down stone steps towards Reihoden, a museum that houses local flora and fauna, insects, etc. on its first floor. On the second floor, exhibits include aritfacts from nearby temples and shrines.The view from the open area in front of the building is beautiful.

It is a short descent to Kondo, the main hall. The views of the mountains in the distance are wonderful.

You are now approaching the village of Kurama. One of the highlights is Yuki Shrine, where the climax of the annual Kurama Fire Festival takes place on October 22.

From here it is a short walk down to Niomon, which is the "Gate of the Guardians" at the entrance to Kurama temple. Niomon is at the head of the trail from the Kurama side and the location of the cable car station. From here, the village of Kurama is a short distance and the terminus for the Eizan Line. You can ride this back to Demachiyanagi.

Directions for Cyclists

From Kitayama, follow route 40 until you come to route 38, which veers to the left. Take 38. Park near Kibuneguchi Station. On the way back, ride the train one stop from Kurama to Kibuneguchi.

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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Tourists Who Want to Live in Kyoto

「京に住みたい」が大幅増 京都市観光客満足度調査

According to a survey taken in 2012 of Japanese visitors to Kyoto, 50.4% of respondents said they "definitely would like to live in Kyoto."

This is a 15.6% increase on the previous year.

In contrast, 32.3% replied that they would recommend visiting Kyoto to a close friend. That is a 10% decline on the 42.8% of the previous year.

In addition to the city's size, good public transportation, rivers, mountains, temples, and history, another reason for the spike in popularity of living in Kyoto is thought to be its distance from Fukushima and the nuclear fallout.

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Monday, June 10, 2013

Kyoto Sanga Soccer Update

kyoto purple sanga京都サンガ2013年

Kyoto Sanga is the main professional sports team in Japan's seventh largest city (there is a women's baseball team and a men's basketball team; neither however has much traction outside of a small cadre of hardcore fans).

Now in fourth place in the J2 table after 18 matches, things look a bit better than they did a month ago.

Sanga thrashed 15th place Kumamoto 3-1 last night, and are thus eight points behind league-leader Gamba Osaka.

The next home match is this Saturday, at 7 pm, against FC Ehime.

Ticket Information (in Japanese)

Cycling is a flat and easy 20 minutes from central Kyoto and parking is free and readily available.


View Cycling to Kyoto Nishi Kyogoku Stadium in a larger map

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Sunday, June 9, 2013

World Cycling News 9 June 2013

tofu seller bike kyoto今週のサイクリング2013年06月09日

New Test for Bike Sharing: Tourists on City Streets New York Times

Chris Froome retains Dauphine race lead for Team Sky BBC

10 of the most popular London cycling blogs London Cyclist

Le mercredi 29 mai, je fais MON vélo-boulot Vélo Québec

How China fell in love with fixies Guardian

Riégueme El Pais

Critirium du Dauphin Stage 6
やんちゃボーイ・ヴォクレール完全復活!荒れたレースで”ヴォクレールらしい”貪欲な勝利への姿勢に火がついた!ツールへ向けて”魅せる”男は準備万端 Cycling Time

Denmark shows how to get young on bikes The Times of London

Tour de France - Cancellara opts out of Tour de France Yahoo

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Saturday, June 8, 2013

Japanese Giant Salamander

Cryptobranchus_japonicusオオサンショウウオ/大山椒魚

On oor list of Things To Accomplis Before We Die is to find in the wild a Japanese Giant Salamander.

The salamander is the world's second largest amphibian (slightly smaller than similar species native to China).

Theuy can measure more than 1.5 meters (almost five feet) in length, and are thought to have not evolved for more than 30 million years. These "living fossils" are not aggressive. However, their size and not especially attractive appearance can be unsettling.

In Japanese, they are called osanshouo, or “giant pepper fish.” When threatened they can shoot out a poisonous milky substance that is said to smell like pepper.

In recent years, the Chinese species has invaded Japanese waters and interbred with the local species.

Both species - whether mixed or not - are highly sensitive to pollution.

A good spot for finding the nocturnal lizards is in the Kiyotaki River.


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Friday, June 7, 2013

Woman Hits Cyclist While Driving, Brags on Twitter, Apprehended

車で自転車をはねて逃げてからツイッターで威張って呟く

After hitting a cyclist while speeding in her car - and not stopping to help - a British woman was so pleased with herself that she tweeted about it.

Emma Way tweeted:

"Definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier - I have right of way he doesn't even pay road tax. #bloodycyclists."

This went viral.

Unfortunately for Ms. Way, the police in Norwich, England, where the incident took place, also use Twitter.

She has been since been apprehended.


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Thursday, June 6, 2013

Japan By Bicycle

日本全国自転車で

For those who dream big, here is a video trailer.

Japan by Bicycle is the story of a couple of guys who cycled the length of Japan.

It is part travelogue, part adventure, and a lot of grit.

Hats off to them.

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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Kyoto Geisha Release Fish into Shirakawa River

Kyoto Geisha金魚放流「いのち」に感謝 祇園で放生会

To give thanks to the living things we eat every day, geisha on June second released 2000 goldfish into Gion's Shirakawa River.

The event is officially called the Gion Ceremony to Release Wild Animals or Fish.

Like the recent release of fireflies at Daikakuji Temple, it is also a reminder of the depth and breadth of Buddhist influence in Japan. Buddhism, of course, prohibits the taking of life.

This event, though, is not an ancient Kyoto rite. It only dates to 1985.


Photo ©Kyoto Shinbun

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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Top Twenty Cycling Cities in the World

2012年世界のベスト20サイクリング街

According to the 2012 Copenhagenize Index, two of the best cycling cities in the world are here in Japan. Kyoto, however, did not make the cut.

Copenhagenize Design Co., which is a consulting firm that specializes in "bicycle promotion, research & marketing and liveable cities," is connected to the Copenhagenize blog, which is run by Mikael Colville-Andersen.

The ranking is based on points awarded for multiple criteria:

1. advocacy
2. bicycle culture (the use of bikes for transport by the general public rather than a marginal group)
3. bicycle infrastructure and facilities, meaning dedicated road space for cyclists
4. the presence or absence of a bike share
5. program and how widely such a program is used
6. ratio of male to female cyclists
7. modal share for bicycles and modal share increase since 2006
8. perception of safety
9. politics
10. social acceptance
11. attention given by planners to bicycle infrastructure
12. traffic calming

Before getting to the list, here is CycleKyoto's take on where Kyoto would fare well - and not - on the above criteria.

There is little advocacy in the city. Bicycle culture however is deep and profound, ubiquitous and understood. Other than parking, infrastructure is limited. There is a tiny bike share program. Men and women cycle in equal numbers. Politicians could care less about bicycles. Social acceptance is high. Planners? In the city's construction ministry there is a small department devoted to bikes.

Here is the "Best 20" list:

1. Amsterdam
2. Copenhagen
3. Urecht
4. Seville
5. Bordeaux
5. Antwerp
5. Nantes
6. Eindhoven
7. Malmo
8. Berlin
9. Dublin
10. Tokyo
11. Montreal
11. Nagoya
11. Munich
12. Rio de Janeiro
13. Barcelona
13. Budapest
14. Paris
14. Hamburg

Time to gripe.

Montreal is justifiably included, but not a single other North American city makes the list? Can anyone with a straight face tell us that Portland or Seattle or Davis or Boulder is not a better place to cycle than, say, Rio or even Paris?

Second, Nagoya?! The city has wide boulevards made for one thing: the cars produced by and in nearby Toyota. The city is a car town. It is 1950s Detroit on steroids. There are a few truncated bike lanes in central Nagoya, but is this a joke?

Tokyo?! Better than Munich? We enjoin the Danes who created this list to get out and actually cycle the megalopolis. We predict they would flee, tail between legs, back on the next flight to Copenhagen within 24 hours.

By nearly every possible metric, Kyoto and Osaka and Hiroshima are much better for cycling than Nagoya and Tokyo.


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Monday, June 3, 2013

Firefly Release in Daikakuji Temple Kyoto

Daikakuji Temple Kyotoゲンジボタル1200匹、境内に放ち 大覚寺で放生会

At Daikakuji Temple, in western Kyoto, 1200 Genji Fireflies (genji hotaru) were released on Saturday evening.

The purpose of the event is of course to release into the wild beautiful fireflies. In addition, it is a ritual that symbolizes the Buddhist prohibition against killing living things.

At the same time, as the same suggests, the firefly is named for The Tale of Genji, the world's first novel, and which is set in 11th century Kyoto.

The event began two years ago.

1200 is roughly the age of the city of Kyoto, which was founded in 794 C.E.

Closer to home, the small river behind our house also has in recent years seen a rise in the number of  fireflies.

Photo ©Kyoto Shinbun

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Sunday, June 2, 2013

World Cycling News This Week 2 June 2013

tofu seller bike kyoto今週のサイクリング2013年06月02日

Nike Chooses to Sever Its Ties With Livestrong New York Times

Bradley Wiggins: Tour de France champion ruled out BBC

The smartphone enhanced cyclist London Cyclist

ABC du transport actif Vélo Québec

Review: On The Road Bike by Ned Boulting Guardian

Con la bicicleta se ha topado El Pais

Hand Signals for Cycling
手信号に関する法律とその解釈について:難しい解釈と矛盾点と問題点 Cycling Time

Drivers in traffic-light cycle boxes face clampdown by camera The Times of London

Nibali's Giro victory a team effort Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News

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Saturday, June 1, 2013

Kyoto River Dining on the Decks

Kawadoko Deck Kyoto京都鴨川の川床

It is that divine time of year when Kyotoites dine under the stars by the river.

Every May the restaurants along the Kamo River in central Kyoto erect decks that abut the rear of buildings and face the river.

This allows for more business - tables and chairs are set up on the decks - and a wonderful night of cold beer, cool breezes, and a great view of the mountains in the distance or the city up close, as one tucks into a delightful meal.

At many places reservations are required. However, at non-traditional restaurants - Thai, for example - or those towards the northern or southern ends of the spectrum, you can usually just walk in.

The decks will be up until early September.

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