Best Cycling Cities in Japan 2013

日本自転車都市ベスト５

Here is CycleKyoto's subjective list on the best urban areas for cycling in Japan, 2013.

1. Osaka

2. Tokyo

3. Kyoto

4. Nara

5. Hiroshima

To be honest, we have not cycled in Sapporo, Sendai, Kamakura or Fukuoka. Sapporo is too cold, Sendai we don't know. Kamakura we love and have walked much of it, but with a population of only 160,000 it is a bit too small for this survey (we made the cutoff at 300,000). Fukuoka is a great city and on the "must cycle soon" list.

The most "surprising" omission will be Nagoya. For those who follow Copenhagenize and its annual ranking of best cities worldwide for cycling, in 2013 Tokyo finished 10th and Nagoya tied for 11th with Munich and Montreal (the criteria the blog uses are listed below in italics).

Even a close reading of the criteria leaves us scratching our helmeted head. Tokyo, yes. In terms of cycling culture, facilities, gender split, modal share, safety, Tokyo - almost any Japanese city - would score well. But Nagoya? The home of Toyota, wide car-filled boulevards, and as suburban as any city in Japan with the most deeply entrenched automobile culture in the country? Please.

For good urban cycling, Osaka takes the Japanese crown. It is flat, relatively compact, has many bike lanes (most on wide wide sidewalks), and a deep cycling culture. From salarymen to grandmoms, students to hipsters, nearly everyone is on a bike. To Osakans, a bike is a tool, an extension of the body used to get from A to B.

Tokyo comes in a close second to Osaka because it is hillier, more spread out, and busier.

Kyoto is the perfect size, mainly flat until you hit the mountains that surround the city, home to more than 100,000 university students (out of a population 1.5 million), and has a long and enduring bike culture. The city's efforts at improving the infrastructure have been hit or miss, but dearth of bike lanes notwithstanding the city is still a great place to ride.

Nara is small and chill and a great place to get around on a bike, whether you are a tourist or a resident.

Hiroshima got in by the skin of its teeth. We have a soft spot for the city - the rivers, wide streets, trams, great vibe, fun nightlife - but not having cycled Fukuoka or Sendai, this ranking comes with an asterisk.


Here are the Copenhagenize criteria for ranking cities:

Advocacy:
How is the city's (or region/country) advocacy NGO(s) regarded and what level of influence does it have?
Rated from no organised advocacy to strong advocacy with political influence.

Bicycle Culture:
Has the bicycle reestablished itself as transport among regular citizens or only sub-cultures?
Rated from no bicycles on the urban landscape/only sporty cyclists to mainstream acceptance of the bicycle.

Bicycle Facilities:
Are there readily accessible bike racks, ramps on stairs, space allocated on trains and buses and well-designed wayfinding, etc?
Rated from no bicycle facilities available to widespread and innovative facilities.

Bicycle Infrastructure:
How does the city's bicycle infrastructure rate?
Rated from no infrastructure/cyclists relegated to using car lanes to high level of safe, separated cycle tracks.

Bike Share Programme:
Does the city have a comprehensive and well-used bike-sharing programme?
Rated from no bike share programme to comprehensive, high-usage programme.

Gender Split
What percentage of the city's cyclists are male and female?
Rated from overwhelming male to an even gender split or more women than men cycling.

Modal Share For Bicycles:
What percentage of modal share is made up by cyclists?
Rated from under 1% to over 25%.

Modal Share Increase Since 2006:
What has the increase in modal share been since 2006 - the year that urban cycling started to kick off?
Rated from under 1% to 5%+.

Perception of Safety:
Is the perception of safety of the cyclists in the city, reflected in helmet-wearing rates, positive or are cyclists riding scared due to helmet promotion and scare campaigns?
Rated from mandatory helmet laws with constant promotion of helmets to low helmet-usage rate.

Politics:
What is the political climate regarding urban cycling?
Rated from the bicycle being non-existent on a political level to active and passionate political involvement.

Social Acceptance:
How do drivers and the community at large regard urban cyclists?
Rated from no social acceptance to widespread social acceptance.

Urban Planning:
How much emphasis do the city's planners place on bicycle infrastructure - and are they well-informed about international best practice?
Rated from car-centric urban planners to planners who think bicycle - and pedestrian - first.

Traffic Calming:
What efforts have been made to lower speed limits - for example 30 km/h zones - and generally calm traffic in order to provide greater safety to pedestrians and cyclists?
Rated from none at all to extensive traffic-calming measures prioritising cyclists and pedestrians in the traffic hierarchy.

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Cycling Kyoto to Osaka

京都八幡木津自転車道線となにわ自転車道

This past weekend, a friend and I cycled from Kyoto to Osaka completely along bicycle paths. The first part of the journey follows the Katsura River, on one of Japan's best cycling roads. It goes from Arashiyama all the way to Kizu, which is not for from Nara.

For those heading to Osaka, at the confluence of the Katsura, Kizugawa, and Yodogawa rivers - at the town of Yawata, which is roughly halfway to both Kizu and Osaka - one leaves the Kyoto to Kizu route, crosses a bridge, and then heads down a utility road that parallels the Yodogawa River.

It has to be noted that the Kyoto portion - built and paid for and in Kyoto Prefecture - is far superior. The Osaka portion - from Yawata to Osaka - is a mix of utility roads, bumpy pavement, and lots of gates (see below). Still, it is no problem to cycle.

The trip to Osaka was smooth, clear, and quick. We made it to Osaka Castle, where the path ends, in three hours.

After lunch in Shinsaibashi and a trip to a great bike shop in Honmachi, we started back to the Yodo River for the return trip. Headwinds made it harder, but we made it back in four hours.

Getting to the Starting Point

The Kyoto to Yawata part of the ride can be picked up at any point close to the Katsura River, in Kyoto, from Arashiyama to Nishi Kyogoku to parts in south Kyoto.

Directions

The Kyoto to Yawata part of the ride is marked with bollards that display the name - in both Roman letters and in kanji - of the area or bridge and the number of kilometers remaining.

The key to not getting lost is this: on the way to Osaka the river (Katsura and Yodo) is on your right. On the way back, the river is on your left.


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Cycle Mode International 2013 Osaka

サイクルモード大阪２０１３年

Cycle Mode International is blowing into Osaka in early November. This is the largest bicycle show in Japan.

The annual convention will feature many bike makers, large and small, panel discussions, and hundreds of bikes and bike products on display.

It will be held for two days outside of Tokyo, at Chiba Makuhari Messe, and then the following weekend at Intex Osaka.

This year's Osaka confab is back at Intex and returns to its mega-scale of years past (last year was a much smaller version).

Though the venue sits on a manmade island in Osaka Bay, it is connected by both highways, rail lines, and roads on which cyclists can use to cross the bay.

The highlight of the convention is of course the bikes and bike gear.

Another highlight though is the chance to test ride new models. Within the convention halls there was a fenced off track set up.

Information

Advanced tickets are 1,000 yen, walk-up 1,200 yen.

Intex Osaka

1-5-102, Nanko-Kita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka, 559-0034
Tel: 06 6612 8800　

Access


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Osaka Tenjin Matsuri Fireworks

天神祭奉納花火

Fireworks in Japan have a long and storied history. They are thought to have been first used to ward off evil spirits, and today are a key element in a Japanese summer (fireworks only occur in summer).

At the major events, hundreds of thousands of people will attend, often near a river.

In the Kansai area, the most famous of the fireworks takes place tonight in Osaka.

From 7:25 pm until 10 pm, the skies above the Ogawa River will light up in a display of reds, yellows, blues, and many more colors.

The Tenjin Matsuri Festival fireworks is the climax to the festival itself, which is one of Japan's Big Three (Gion in Kyoto and Tokyo's Kanda are the other two).

It is an impressive display.

The best places to view the fireworks are are from Minami Tenma and Kema Sakuranomiya Parks, or from a friend's high-rise apartment.

It is a fabulous display, but be warned: wherever you go there will be tens of thousands of people.

Cycling is not recommended.

More information (in Japanese)

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Osaka Midosuji Bicycle Lane

大阪御堂筋自転車レーン

Rumors are starting to swirl about new bicycle and pedestrian lanes along one of the most stunning boulevards in Japan.

Osaka's Midosuji runs north to south through the heart of Shinsaibashi and down to Namba.

It is lined with department stores, consulates, boutiques. On side streets are many of the city's best bars and restaurants.

Since Osaka is mostly flat and compact - both unlike Tokyo - it is a great city for cycling.

The one exception is Midosuji. Sidewalks are wide, but with many pedestrians it is not a good place to ride. Indeed, let the boulevardiers have their piece of pavement for strolling.

Mayor Hashimoto, a runty firebrand ex-lawyer, however may change that.

According to NHK tv news, the city is in the planning stages of creating safer walking and cycling spaces. Construction is set to be complete in two years.

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Spa World Osaka Cycle

スパワールド世界の大温泉

Osaka likes things big and loud.

From its clothes to its dialect, its mobsters to its baseball fans, Osaka is not subtle.

Ditto for Spa World, a mega super sento (public bath) in south Osaka.

The emporium includes an onsen (hot spring), gym, hotel, "food zone," European onsen, Asian onsen, various massages, and a pool. We are probably forgetting something - but forgive us, it is big.

And a bit overwhelming at times. Basically, here is what you do to take a bath.

Cycle or take the train to Dobutsuen-mae Station. For those on a bike, it is not far from Tennoji.

1) When you enter, you buy a 1000 yen ticket at one of the machines.
2) Present that at the entrance.
3) You will be given a wrist band (do NOT lose this - you will be billed 5000 yen if you do).
4) Take shoes off before stepping up onto the carpet.
5) Put shoes in locker (you need a 100 yen coin, which you get back when you retrieve your shoes.)
6) Go up to the floor for your sex (on the day we went, it was the 6th floor for men; you will be told at the entrance).
7) In the locker room, put your clothes, etc., in an open locker. Grab a towel - in bins at the edge of each locker - and enter the bath.

After that, it is like a normal public bath: wash your body first, then enter the bath(s).

After you are finished, dry off, change into the blue pajamas - in bins as you exit the bath - and go back to your locker

8) When you leave, you have to do deposit the wrist band into a machine on floor two (the entrance). Take the receipt to the exit wickets and place the bar code on the glass portion of the wicket (a guard is there and will help you).

For a 1000 yen, it is an "experience." Compared to a good old sento, it is...large. The baths are fair, but it is very popular with overseas tourists.

Still, bathing in a room about half the size of a football field with 20 meter high ceilings is worth the price of admission.

Information

3-4-24 Ebisu-higashi Naniwa-ku
Osaka 556-0002
Tel: 06 6631 0001

Spa World Online


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No Parking Bike Sign and Fence Osaka Shinsaibashi

駐輪禁止大阪心斎橋

Along a narrow north-south side street in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, an Italian restaurant is fighting the scourge of bicycle parking congestion.

Osaka is more intense than Kyoto, in every way.

In terms of cycling, it is paradise and hell.

The city is flat and compact: perfect for biking. And everyone does.

That means that sidewalks and any open space are clogged with parked bikes.

This restaurant, a few blocks east of the Daimaru Department Store in Shinsaibashi took measures into its own hands.

The fence is an architectural allusion to the "inuyarai" - elegant curved bamboo fences to keep the dogs away - that front many of Kyoto's famed machiya town houses in Gion and elsewhere.

In Kyoto, the purpose is to prevent dogs and drunken salarymen from urinating on the house. In Osaka, it is to prevent cyclists from parking (and drunken salarymen from urinating on the building).

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Osaka Bicycle Delivery

大阪難波自転車配達

While in Namba, the southern hub of central Osaka, we spied a green delivery bike and buggy.

The delivery man had a matching green jacket.

For the crowded streets of central Osaka - and Kyoto, as well - these guys are everywhere and faster than other forms of delivery.

The trucks ply the routes farther afield.

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Hokusai Exhibit Landscapes, Beautiful Women, Unique Idea

「北斎」―風景・美人・奇想― 大阪市立美術館

The Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts is currently hosting a wonderful exhibit of works by Hokusai.

Ukiyoe artist Katsuhika Hokusai (1760-1849) lived long and cast an even longer artistic shadow.

His works influenced European masters Monet and Van Gogh.

The Osaka exhibit introduces types of works by Hokusai: landscapes, beautiful women, and what the curators have billed as "unique ideas."

Roughly 370 pieces are on display including “Two Beauties,” “Clam Digging,” and paintings, wood prints, printed books.

For cyclists, parking is easy as the Museum is in Tennoji Park next to the zoo.


Information

Until December 9 (Sunday)
Hours: 9:30 am - 5 pm (last admission 4:30 pm), closed on Mondays
Adult 1,300 yen, high school and university student 900 yen
The Museum is located in Tennoji Park, a short walk from Tennoji Station (Tanimachi subway line or JR loop line)
TEL: 06 6947 5433


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Osaka COIDECO Bicycle Sharing Program

大阪コイでコ　コミュニティサイクル

Osaka is currently in the middle of a month-long test run for its long-awaited bicycle sharing program, which is known as Coideco.

Sixteen ports are located around the city where bikes can be rented and then returned.

If the test run is a success and the city introduces a full-time bike sharing program - like those in Barcelona, Paris, Kyoto, and many cities - getting around Japan's second city will be that much easier.

Information

Open daily from 10 am - 6 pm
October 1 - October 31

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Cycle Mode FESTA 2012 in Osaka Starts Today

サイクルモードフェスタ２０１２

From October 6 - 8, the Cycle Mode FESTA 2012 in Osaka starts today.

It is the largest convention of its kind in Japan (Asia?).

If you are a bike geek, you must attend.

All of the big name makers will be on hand with new models.

In addition, you can ride some of the new models.

In the Main Hall, there will be a cycling course on which you can ride a bike.

The procedure is:

1. Apply (fill out a form)
2. Issuance of Bike Pass (a blue bracelet)
3. Choose Bike
4. Head on to Course
5. Return Bike

In other halls, many of Japan's bicycle NPOs will be on hand with literature and information.

It is a great day out.

Information

Cycle Mode FESTA 2012 in Osaka
Asia Pacific Trade Center
October 6, 2012 8:00 am - October 8, 2012 5:00 pm
Cost: ¥1,000 in advance, ¥1,200 yen on the day

Access

From Umeda, Honmachi, Shinsaibashi, Nanba, take the Chuo Subway Line to Honmachi. From there, it is 18 minutes to Cosmos Square.

From Osaka Station, take the Kanjo Circle Line towards Tennoji. Change at Bentencho for the Chuo Subway Line.

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Osaka Priest Praying

大阪京橋お祈りお坊さん

In the covered area between JR Kyobashi and Keihan Stations, a priest begged for alms.

Unlike Kyoto, where such a scene is common, in Osaka one rarely sees priests out and about.

This young man was stone still, hands clasped, as commuters on bikes and foot rushed past him.

Back in Kyoto, the priests from Myoshinji wander the neighborhood, once a month or so. chanting powerfully to announce their arrival.

This priest was completely silent. Few donated.


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Bicycle Symbol Osaka Street

大阪自転車車いす通路

On a pedestrian overpass near Osaka Station, we found this odd marker on the tiled pavement.

The marker was on the part of the overpass that stretches from the Hankyu Department Store's second floor to the Station, and then beyond to the opposite side of the wide street in front of the south exit of the Station.

We are not sure how a wheelchair would or could make use of the overpass: it has no elevators or escalators.

Bicycles would also be tricky. Crossing the overpass would entail carrying a bike up a long flight of stairs, pushing it across to the opposite side, and then carrying it back down.

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Hipster Cyclists Osaka

大阪の自転車ヒップスター

Osaka has a vibrant, rough-edged cycling scene.

Like all Japanese cities, Osaka is easily traversed on two wheels and the bicycle is perceived primarily as a transportation tool.

Young people however are adding a bit of verve to that.

Funky, customized, tricked out bikes are common.

These two guys were out on a Sunday riding south of Osaka Station heading east.

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Yayoi Kusama Exhibit Osaka

草間弥生展覧会大阪

The National Museum of Art, Osaka, is currently hosting a wonderful exhibit, which features work by noted Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

Entitled "Eternity of Eternal Eternity," the exhibit shows the most recent works of Yayoi Kusama and runs through April 8.

Kusama has always been a quirky, unusual character. She had hallucinations as a child - hints of mental illness - and began painting in her teens.

Since then, she has continued to create her signature net and polka-dot patterned works.

Kusama became world famous during her fifteen years spent in New York, from 1957 until the early 1970s.

The National Museum of Art, Osaka, is a fabulous facility. It is located close to Nakanoshima, the narrow island that runs through central Osaka. It is an easy ride from both Umeda and Shinsaibashi.

Information

Opening Hours
10 am - 5 pm, Fridays until 7 pm

Admission until 30 minutes before closing; closed Mondays

Admission Fee
Adults: 1,400 Yen
University students: 1,000 Yen
High School students: 700 Yen

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Yayoi Kusama

自転車で大阪をぶらぶら

大阪サイクリング

Osaka is a great city for cyclists.

It is flat, laid-back, not too cold in winter, and has a lot of cycling lanes.

For more information, in Japanese (with a link to an English page), here is a page on cycling Osaka:

Ride Osaka, ride.


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Cycling Around Osaka

自転車で大阪をぶらぶら

Osaka gets a bad rap in many things.

It is "dirty," it is "dangerous," it is "crude," etc.

Beyond its colorful dialect - which in Tokyo is often perceived of as "crude" - the city's famed comedy (ditto), and its food culture, most non-Osakans don't have a very positive image of Japan's second city.

In reality, though, the city is clean, safe, and compared to anywhere other than Tokyo it is not crude at all.

For cyclists, moreover, it is flat, relatively compact, and thanks to wide boulevards that crisscross the city it has a decent bicycle infrastructure.

Bike lanes are found in many parts of the city, particularly just outside the most central part of the city. (In late October, there was a bicycle "demonstration," in which roughly 100 cyclists rode down Midosuji Dori, the main drag of Osaka, protesting the lack of bike lanes.)

On the elevated part of the Chuo Line train en route to the recent Cycle Mode International convention, many many bike only lanes were visible.

In southern Osaka near Hirano, a wide street has a painted bike lane and parking - both under the freeway.

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Tsutenkaku Tower Osaka

自転車で通天閣

In south Osaka - the zoo and museum and a park to one side, a slum of boarding houses for mainly unemployed elderly day workers to the other - is the Tsutenkaku Tower.

This tower is actually the second one to be built here. The first tower, which was modeled after the Eiffel Tower, was completed in 1912. At the time it was located next to an amusement park called Luna Park.

It was 64 meters tall (210 feet) and at the time was the second tallest structure in Asia.

However, in 1943, a fire badly damaged Tsutenkaku. As this was right at the height of World War II, city leaders decided to use the steel for planes and weaponry rather than rebuilding.

Once the war had ended, though, the tower was rebuilt. Tachu Naito designed it, and it was completed in 1956.

There is an observation deck on the fifth floor that is dedicated to Billiken.

Billiken is a good luck doll originally from the United States, and is now everywhere in the neighborhood.

Access

For those on bikes, it is a short ride from Tennoji Station or Namba. For those taking the subway, Dobutsuen-mae or Ebisu-cho are very close.

Tsutenkaku

Open 9 am to 9 pm.
Admission: 600 yen

1-18-6 Ebisuhigashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka Tel: 06 6641 9555


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Japanese Saleswoman Cycle Show Osaka 2011

大阪サイクルショーの看板娘

At the Cycle Mode International Osaka 2011 convention, it was bikes bikes and more bikes.

The Intex Convention Center was packed with bikes of all types and bike geeks of all ages.

While (attempting to) take a breather from all the incredible bicycles and bicycle products - none of which was for sale! - this lovely young woman came by with a catalog.

For a nanosecond, we forgot about the bicycles.

Which was just the perfect tonic, a brief respite.

Then it was back into the maw.

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Osaka Bicycle Lane

大阪城から淀川の自転車道

It is possible to ride from Arashiyama, in far west Kyoto, all the way to Osaka Castle, smack in the heart of Japan's second city, without ever meeting or dealing with a car, truck, or taxi.

The 42 km bike lane that starts in Arashiyama and ends in Kizu, which is ideal for those heading to Nara, takes you to Yawata.

At that point, those heading to Nara need to continue on the Kizu route and head inland.

For those heading to Osaka, cross the bridge at the confluence of several rivers at Yawata and turn right.

At that point, a mostly unmarked but paved route follows the Yodogawa River all the way into Umeda. As long as the river is on your right, you are heading the right way.

At the Okawa River, which is close to downtown - the skyscrapers loom in front of you, turn left and follow the bike path south (pictured above right). This will take you straight to Osaka Castle.

Riding time is 4-5 hours.

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