“Cycling in Japan is simply how people get around. It’s utilitarian, unremarkable, and normalised”
Ever wondered what cycling looks like when it’s not a ritual of lycra, coffee stops, and social banter, but is just how people get around?
On a recent trip through Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, I wandered on foot with a rider’s eye and spotted a cycling culture that feels almost upside-down compared with Bike North life. Think step-through “mamachari” bikes with baskets and kickstands, a calm steady pace, bike parking everywhere, and riders in work clothes, school uniforms and shopping outfits. Helmets are rare. Flash bikes are rarer. And footpath riding isn’t the exception.