March

Japan largely missed out on the first bicycle boom of the 1880s and 1890s. However, when the bicycle became hot again in the 1960s and 1970s – mostly for recreational and fitness purposes – the country was not left on the side of the road: Japan zoomed past the United Kingdom to rank second only to the United States in the value of bicycles exported. Japanese bicycle manufacturers also shifted away from the utilitarian aspects of the human-powered vehicle to specialize in high-quality light and sport bicycles and parts. The center of this high technology revolution was Osaka Prefecture. Osaka is responsible for 46% of all bicycles produced in the country and puts an emphasis on innovation in bicycle parts. Tokyo, with just 10%, is second. It was the traditional techniques of tempering steel by gunsmiths and swordsmiths in Sakai City that laid the groundwork for the city’s dominance of this trade. The Cycle Mode Ride Osaka: Japan’s Biggest Bicycle Blow-Out The Cycle Mode Ride Osaka is western Japan’s largest sports bicycle festival and a chance for the public to check out the best new metal on offer from the country’s top cycling minds. It takes place every March, a…