Bicycles of Kyoto

Having traveled around Kyoto by bus, subway, taxi and on foot, I’ve come to the conclusion that biking is the best way to explore the city.

The city is safe, mostly flat and has an expressway of sorts for bicycles in the esplanade by the river, allowing quick travel North and South. You’ll be in good company as half the people in Kyoto seem to use bicycles as their mode of transportation especially senior citizens, whom I notice do their shopping on bicycles.

Despite the fact that Japan is one of the leading manufacturers of high tech bikes , every bicycle I’ve see in Kyoto is a vintage 40’s design girls bike with a basket, kick stand and bell (to be used in extremis only). This is the bike provided to me as a complementary service by my hotel.

As usual in Japan its very important when riding to be extremely careful of others on the sidewalk and demonstrate your harmony with society, especially as a foreigner.

Since there are no gears, going up hills was a challenge and I simply walked the bike up to places like Kiyomizudera Temple which sits on the Eastern slopes.

As Japan is one of the safest countries in the world I wasn’t very concerned about someone stealing my bike, especially as it looks the same as everyone else’s. However a curious old time lock is another standard feature attached to the back wheel and opened by a simple key.

For those looking for organized excursions, the Kyoto Cycling Tour Project has some nice themed tours including a mystery tour that visits spooky places like Abe no Seimei’s Shrine. If you’re looking to leave the city and do some challenging rides, Spice Roads has a tour of the Noto Peninsula that promises beautiful scenery and some stiff riding.