September 5-10: Osaka pt 2

Brendan here.

5th September. We went down to the Sakai bicycle museum near the Shimano Headquarters. A bit of a pilgrimage for me.

On the way there we saw this really strange sculpture of a heavily pregnant bear? I think. Anyway Naomi couldn't help herself and tried a comparison.



The unassuming front (or side) of the building.



“Long ago man straddling a two-wheeled wooden vehicle kicked against the ground, and took his first ride. That ride began the history of the bicycle, and the long-lasting relationship between people and bicycles.

Over many years, the human desire to ride faster and further has continually evolved bicycle performance and design. And then, the joy of off-road riding has contributed to the spread of a new bicycle culture around the world.

Today given the growing public awareness of environmental issues, the bicycle is regarded as an essential partner for people.
By riding bicycles, people can embark on the journey of a healthy and sound lifestyle.

The museum introduces the history of the wonderful relationship between people and bicycles. Located in Sakai, the birthplace of Japan’s bicycle industry and culture, the museum also suggests various new ideas as to how bicycles can enrich the daily life of people worldwide.

It is our sincere hope that all visitors will enjoy the exhibits and thereby feel a greater affinity for bicycles. It is also our profound hope that visitors will enjoy the elegance of bicycle culture." Yozo Shimano, Chairman of the Shimano Foundation: Shimano Cycle Development Centre.

Out of the many pictures I took I only decided to post a few as I'm too lazy to go through a huge stack.

This is a wooden bicycle that took my fancy.



The lugs were really interesting.



As you can see almost everything was made of wood, even the rims.



Here were some designs for the new safety bicycle (a bicycle that became popular after too many misshaps on the penny-farthing bicycle. I guess people didn't like getting there teeth knocked out when they fell off one).



And an all electric bicycle (not motor assisted mind you. You still have to pedal). The gear changing was managed by an onboard computer and all you did was push a button and listen to it clink into the right gear (I'm pretty sure the new shimano XTR shifters can be described the same way. I have a pair and this is exactly what they do).





Some experiments in seating. It just goes to show that nothing is new. This bicycle had the handlebars under your seat and coming up on either side.



A track bike with a massive front chain ring. Get up to speed on that and you could beat a galloping horse.



This was a cargo bike from last century. Longtails are coming back into fashion now (I don't think the old fella's called them longtails) so watch for these old clunkers to come back out onto the street.



This was a touring bike dedicated to the museum by a guy called Mikiho. I didn't photograph the plaque so I can't transcribe it here but he rode some way around the world and back on this machine. Respect.



The plaque for this bicycle read, "This bicycle was designed specifically for young teenagers in the mid-1960's. Children could ride a bicycle with 26 inch wheels for the first time, just like an adult. It was the first bicycle to adopt a special low-frame design which could accommodate a lower saddle position. In addition, it was equipped with a gearshift and direction indicators that made it feel like a car, and every boy wanted to have one. It was equipped with a special gear change system known as PPS (Positive Pre-select System) and FF (front freewheeling), and it had many advanced functions. This was the bicycle that boys yearned for, until the BMX (motocross bicycle) and the mountain bike appeared."



Hot bicycle. I would have wanted one. I think I want one now.

6th to the 8th September.

We went into town looking for items of interest to give as gifts. The markets here have all sorts of things. There is one street in Osaka where you can get all things kitchen related. Knives for example.



Naomi went wool shopping. Went nuts. I don't think I have ever seen so much wool.



And we just generally lazed around leading up to Naomi's birthday.



On her birthday we did more lazing around and had lunch at the Hard Rock cafe at Universal Studio, Osaka.
Naomi thinks we're going to have a girl so she starts buying girly things like this miniskirt. If we have a boy he's going to have to wear miniskirts until he is at least three.



I just drank.



We took some more pictures of Tadao Ando's trainstation at Universal Studios.









Then we went home to contemplate Japan's sporadic weather. Beautiful one day, trying to kill you the next.

September 1 to 4, Osaka days and nights

Brendan here.

Riding to Osaka was pretty easy really (as is so much of Japan due to the copious bicycle paths).

Saw some interesting sights like a pre-school group pushing their charges down the street in carts. Practical and cute (sums up a few Japanese approaches to things).



We also passed these massive blocks of apartments along the river to Osaka harbour (don't ask me to name them. Looking at the GPS there were so many blue lines that I thought we were out to sea. We picked one and headed South West).

The apartments all faced west and were row upon row of these balconies that were little vignettes into peoples lives. Kind of cool and depressing.



The bicycle path that we finally settled on (after getting lost and turned around so much) was not so depressing. The order of things starting from the river was: River, sports fields (as it was prone to flooding it had few opportunities), flood berm with a bicycle path on top and rest of the towns. Pretty neat as it means if you find the right river you can just cruise to the coast on your own highway.



By the time we found the path though the sun was getting low in the sky.



So low that when we hit the outskirts of Osaka it was getting dark. Naomi was cruising for an all night place we could just sit at till 6am then start riding again. I was not so keen so a quick hotel stop here we come.



The next morning we set out for Miashima Island which we had discerned to have a camp ground. We came upon one of two bridges across to the island with the biggest bicycle ramp I had ever seen. Six stories looping around until we got to the bridge deck.



The bridge led to Miashima in the distance and passed Universal Studios Osaka (no picture here. Universal Studios all look the same).



Here we found a wonderful lodge with a public bath and log cabins and a camp ground. We were saved (from what, I don't know).



Up went the tent.



And the laundry too.



The next day was spent mooching around and dinner we cooked ourselves (our food, not literally ourselves) at our table (in the Lodge restaurant).



The following day we rode into Osaka on the bus and would spend eight nights at this lodge (3000 yen a night. Man, it was cheap!).
Here are a few buildings from the bus.

This one was a waste proccessing plant. I don't know who designed it but the tower can be seen in the picture when we crossed the bridge. It had a twin brother on the otherside of the island.



And this is a really bad picture of Tadao Ando's trainstation at Universal Studio. I'll have better ones later.



Sayonara. Gumbate Kudasai.

August 31 My bicycle has front brakes again

Thanks Kyoto Cycle tour Project and my man Ginrin.
I donated my old forks to the fixie mob there who could use it on a bicycle build.



I promptly went out and rode in traffic. Here is a video:



This was a cool building I rode past this night on the way back to the hotel.





It was covered in this fine mesh:

August 31 Kyoto Pt 3

Brendan Again.

The sun rose today and there were no clouds. It made all of Kyoto look new again. The Kyoto tower (which I think normally looks like an anachronistic relic of the 70's) sparkled after days of rain.



We had ramen, not for breakfast but not that long after breakfast. Kyoto has some very good tucker. Especially for lunch as the prices seem to double for dinner.



Then we decided to walk again (my bike was in the shop getting new forks after I broke the last pair). Kyoto is a city set on a grid so all the streets either run north-south or east-west. As you walk along and look down the streets to your left or right you get these little surprises:



We went north to the Geisha district but they were not out and about so we cruised temples with giant trees in their gardens:



Looked down wooden corridors:



Played with shoji screens:



Walked under huge timber gates:



And sat in them looking up the Lonely Planet:



Fun. And kind of boring too.
Except for this bottle of apple cider that had a marble in it to agitate the cider so that you could get the biggest release of bubbles as you sipped. The lady made us sit there till we finished so she could collect the bottles back to be sterilized and reused.



As we crossed one of the waterways we noticed a bunch of people looking down into the waterway. We stopped too and looked to see this guy reeling in a fish that was easily 1m long.





One guy who was walking by quickly plopped down, whipped out his sketch pad and began to draw the fisherman.



After a good 15min battle he pulled the fish out, measured it and released it. He got a round of applause.

Then towards the end of the day we walked past a random building in the back streets of the Gihon district (the geisha area) with Samurai armor posters all over it and barbed wire fencing covering any gap or opening. This peeked my interest since the Japanese don't seem to be that security conscious. I phoned the number on the poster (the rest of it was in Japanese and it was the only bit I could decipher) and was told in half japanese and english that the building turned out to be the private collection of red armor from the Takeda clan and one of their supporters, the Ii family. It was open for another 30min and Naomi and I could go in for a bit of a gander.

Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take any pictures by the guide (who could only speak a little english. I think the phrase was "Eino go chotto wakasimase") But click this link if you want to learn about this Clan or check out this book for a story with this clan in it.

The space all this armor was kept in was terrible. It was a house filled to the rafters with suits of armor, bows, arrows, spears and swords all over the place. Some of it dated from up to 400 years ago and were amazing to look at (even if it was on the floor). All the armor was in good condition and were looked after but it was just housed in a, well, a house. I couldn't believe my luck in looking at this stuff. one full suit looked like it was made yesterday but I was told it was 400 years old.

August 30 Kyoto Pt 2

Brendan here.

Kyoto. Another day walking around this town.
We seem to either be cycling 30 or 40km looking for the next place to sleep in sweltering 35 degree C days with about 80% humidity or we are walking 10km in the rain.

The day started bright and early as we wanted to get some sight seeing in. This is a picture of the markets before the crowds.



The street provides some interest like an old pit bike that was chained up by its basket to the wall. I don't think the basket was even screwed to the bike. I don't know if it's the Parramatta upbringing in me but I've noticed that the Japanese don't seem to steal stuff off the street. I see cars left outside service stations with the engine running and no one in them, bicycles parked with a small chain around the back tyre, or not locked at all, suitcases left in a hotel lobby with no one around. Crazy. Some of my old school mates would have cleaned up here. I was toying with the idea of just stealing cars and touring Japan by driving from one service station to another.



Some of the bicycle around here are very beautiful. For some reason I never have my camera ready when a really sexy fixie zooms past me. This was a picture of an old brooks saddle. I have one that is well on its way to looking like this.



Then we decided to try and see some attractions. We avoided the UNESCO World Heritage sites as they were really busy and instead opted for some of the side attractions like this ninja house near the castle:



It is meant to have a nightingale floor (basically a squeaky timber floor to warn of intruders) and secret rooms and so on. Naomi took a break outside while I walked in. I got all the way to the back of the house before the owner (who still lives in it) knew I was there (the underwear strung across the living room was a good indication of this). He promptly chased me out with broken English saying I needed a reservation to see it.
I reckon it can't be that good if I managed to walk in that far without being caught. I wonder what happened to the last owners? Ninjas got'em I'm sure of it.

Then It was off to see some of Naomi's sight-seeing goals like the handmade textile museum. It was a gorgeous museum with wonderful kimonos, obes, and Noh costumes. This is a picture of the tea room overlooking a wonderful garden. My camera is woefully inadequate for capturing the gorgeousness of the fabric so I didn't try.



A closer view of the tea room.



Then we went to the textile centre just around the corner. This area of Kyoto was known for it's skilled weavers and fabric dyes. This is a Jaquard loom (Naomi could probably explain it all better than I).



A problem with stepping off the usual tourist track is that there are very few english notes for displays. It's a shame that I can't read more of the language.
This is one for the loom.



This was a poster for some kimono fabric sneakers exhibition. Pretty cool way to use the fabric I thought. Shame we were going to miss it.



Then back to the Markets for dinner. A circle.