Japan

Last week CyclingTips editor Matt de Neef and Melbourne-based photographer Aaron Upson travelled to Japan’s Hiroshima Prefecture to take part in the Cycling Shimanami recreational challenge ride. But thanks to a week of famous Japanese hospitality, the trip became about far more than a single, 65km ride.

When I think about Japan, descriptions like “polite”, “clean”, “punctual”, “neon”, “awesome toilets”, “sumo” and possibly “keirin” come to mind. I’ve always known there’s a deep-seated cycling culture there somewhere, but “cycling” isn’t a word that’s immediately apparent. But after a week of cycling around the Seto Inland Sea and Hiroshima in the south west […]

You’re probably familiar with bike expos like Eurobike and Interbike but you might not have heard of Cycle Mode. Split over two weeks between Tokyo and Osaka, the Japanese Cycle Mode expo features more than 500 brands and attracts more than 55,000 visitors. Dan Kamiya and CyclingTips webmaster Ben Dunn were at Cycle Mode in […]

If you want to see the completion of a documentary which gives inside look at Japanese Keirin racing and culture, check out what these filmmakers are putting together with Shane Perkins. They’ve kicked off a crowd-funding program to help raise money for the second half of this two-part series. Have a look, and if you’re […]