japan by bike
We may be before the westernmost city of the Japanese islands, a sea of buildings to enter through the hardest descents we have ever seen, kilometers of negative ramp , until we get fully into a city. Its immensity is such that it gives the feeling that no matter how hard you pedal, you will never reach the desired center of the city.
The streets here are flanked by tall buildings and covered by up to three heights of roads in the form of viaducts, which, together with the illuminated signs, make Osaka a futuristic city worthy of the big screen.
No matter how hard you pedal it seems you will never reach Osaka
Despite this, the abundance of parks, the river and the width of the avenues , make the experience for the traveler never overwhelming; On the contrary, the city is welcoming, because after all, we must not forget that we are in Japan, one of the safest places in the world. Speaking of safety, Osaka is the only place where we saw people lock their bikes, since from what the street signs gave us to understand, there is some danger if you leave your 'donkey' unattended.
Our first visit would be to the area of Umeda, a neighborhood full of skyscrapers and wide avenues, with places like Gate Tower Building, a building crossed by a highway, or the Umeda Sky Building, a futuristic 40-storey skyscraper that would offer us a unique panoramic view of the city.
Unstoppable Osaka
After this, we would pedal to the osaka castle , a building that despite being rebuilt several times, is impressive. Surrounded by a huge park that makes you "breathe" in the environment of such a modern city , for a moment you think you are back in Kyoto and back in imperial Japan. We recommend visiting it and taking the necessary time to walk around its entire perimeter, in addition to feeling the contrasts between the city and the surroundings of the castle.
After so much sightseeing, we wanted to explore the most fun part of the city, and we would go to the area of Minamihorie , a place that seemed to come out of a anime, the streets full of people, with a decoration that looked like a cosplay bazaar and what interested us... The two most famous bike shops in the city, and possibly in all of Japan:
brochures
This two-story establishment It's more of a fashion showroom than a proper bike shop. (or "Europeanly said"), with projections on the facade and a fine selection of bicycles and components (and in which we enjoyed an event in the company of Macaframa -one of the most famous urban cycling groups of the last 10 years- ) .
1 Chome-19-22 Minamihorie, Nishi Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 550-0015, Japan
Giragira Chariya
A few meters from Brotures, we found a store with unparalleled material , since its owner is the daughter of Nagasawa , one of the most famous bicycle frame builders in the world, and she has managed to create a space where you can enjoy a good coffee or purchase true jewels of Japanese cycling . Without a doubt, a must on any visit to Osaka.
After this, we only had to enjoy the karaoke in the city and its great offer of nightlife but without going too far, since the next day, we would venture at the end of our trip... the southern islands of the Japanese archipelago.
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Panoramic view of Osaka, the Japanese Blade Runner
Lattice of buildings with futuristic structures