Kyoto Rainy Season Hydrangea in Kamishichiken

梅雨いりの京都上七件の紫陽花

Rainy Season has begun in Honshu.

For Kyoto, that means a mix of weather, not all of it bad.

The first few days have been cool, which is often the case.

The mugginess will come, but for now nights and early morning require long sleeves.

It also means the blossoming of hydrangea.

This spectacular bush is at the western end of Kamishichiken, a geisha district that is adjacent to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. The new street paving can be seen in the distance.

We prefer this species to the more bulbous mophead type.

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Kyoto Bus Bicycle Manners Campaign

京都バス交通ルールを守ろう

Out on Sunday errands, we rode up behind a Kyoto bus on Imadegawa Dori on its way to Ginkakuji Temple (the Silver Pavilion).

A small depiction of a woman cycling caught our eye as we waited in a warm bath of bus exhaust for the large vehicle to go.

自転車も車両です。

Bicycles are vehicles too.

交通ルールを守ろう

Let's follow traffic rules.

Fair enough, bicycles are vehicles and those riding them should indeed follow traffic law.

To which we add, ad nauseam, how about creating separate lanes for:

1. cars and buses and taxis
2. pedestrians
3. bicycles

Improving on the city's transportation infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists would reduce injuries and fatalities and make Kyoto a more pleasant place to live - and move around - in.


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Sleeping Beauty on a Kyoto Bike

自転車で寝ている京美人

At first this woman appeared to be sleeping.

She wasn't.

Seated on her mama chari (mama chariot) on a side street just north of Sanjo - Kawaramachi, she was deep into a conversation on her cell phone.

The image is testament to the type of kick stand her bicycle has.

It is a rear wheel drop out kickstand that is standard issue on most mami chari bikes.

Short of a large truck or typhoon grade winds, nothing can topple a bike supported by this type of kick stand.

Perfect for loading up on groceries, kids front and back - and even for a quick phone call.

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Cycling the Shibuya Scramble

JR渋谷駅前でサイクリング

This is not for the faint of heart.

Shibuya, Tokyo's teeming downtown fashion center, is famed for among other things its Scramble.

The Shibuya Scramble is the intersection in front of JR Shibuya Station.

It is, in the words of the Los Angeles Times, a "...10-lane traffic interchange...flooded at rush hour by 2,500 pedestrians, and then completely emptied, with each change of a traffic signal."

With each change of traffic lights, in turn cars or humans flood the intersection, for roughly a minute. Then, the light changes again, and it is the other's opportunity.

And it works. There is little jostling, little aggravation, little aggression. People just move through the intersection.

What is relatively new to the mix is bicycles. Bikes have been around Tokyo - and Shibuya - for a hundred years or more. However, the volume of cyclists has increased dramatically in recent years.

We were on hand on a Sunday morning, and traffic was still light.

It would be hard to imagine getting through the intersection in one piece during rush hour.

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This Week in World Cycling News 10 June 2012

今週のサイクリング２０１２年０６月１０日

Londoners Dread Traffic as City Plans Olympics New York Times

Bradley Wiggins still in lead of Criterium du Dauphine BBC

Are you ready to skid? Guardian

ENCORE UN EFFORT POUR VLADIVOSTOK Libération

La lucha (y II) El Pais

消失的自行车 China Newsweek

自転車一方通行　富山市がテスト　中心部歩道で来月 中日新聞

Cyclist Contador confirms return as doping ban ends Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News


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Bike To Work Day Japan 2012

バイクツーワーク2012／BIKE TO WORK 2012

It looks as though we missed the big day here in Kyoto.

The annual Bike to Work Day was June 4th. We rode from home to Demachiyanagi, and then caught the Keihan train to Osaka - as we always do on Mondays.

The roads seemed no different. No one appeared to be riding for the first time, or on this day only.

Perhaps if there were more bike lanes, a safer infrastructure, more people would take the plunge and cycle to work every day.

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自転車で京都哲学の道へ

自転車で京都哲学の道へ

日本語ご希望の方。

This Kyoto cycling route follows the Philosphers Walk.

It takes in many temples, such as Nanzenji and the Silver Pavilion.

For more information, in Japanese (with a link to an English page), here is a page on cycling along the Philosophers Walk.

Ride Philosophers Walk ride.

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