BQ in Japan

The Bicycle Quarterly team is in Japan for a few weeks of visiting manufacturers and builders, enjoying the culture, and cycling. Above is the view from our window in Kyoto. Doesn’t it look like a dream spot, with temples in the foreground and rugged mountains in the background?

Our wonderful hosts for the first part of the trip are Harumi and Ikuo Tsuchiya of Cycles Grand Bois. Spring is starting, and the cherry blossoms are painting the landscape white and pink. They are barely budding in the mountains, but already fully blooming in the ancient city of Nara in the lowlands.

The riding is spectacular. Small roads with almost no traffic that go up and down incredible mountains in series of switchbacks. Many of the passes are still covered with snow from the winter, so we’ve done a lot of out-and-back exploration…
The food is great and the people are incredibly friendly. Japan really seems like a dream destination for cycling.
Hahn is using Instagram (search for user hahn_rossman) with the hashtag #bqinjapan, so you can follow our travels here. A full report will come in the Summer issue of Bicycle Quarterly.