Vi cykler til arbejde i Japan

Skrevet d.26. maj 2010

"Vi cykler til arbejde" har samlet et verdenshold på tværs af landegrænser. Deltagerne fortæller løbende om deres cykelture til arbejde.

My name is Toshiki Oshiro, I am 46 years old and live in Yokohama, Japan’s No.1 harbor city neighboring Metropolitan Tokyo. I run a tourist ship company and ride 15km one-way on my road bike everyday to work.

My home and office are both along the coast and as long as I choose the shortest route, the ride is pretty smooth but nevertheless highly eventful. On my way to work I pass along beautiful parks facing the beach, a cycling path along the cliffs where many people are fishing, factories along the ocean, the city of Yokohama, etc. I also pass the Bayside Marina, the largest marina in Japan, and the amusement park “Sea Paradise”. My office is in Sakuragicho which boasts Japan’s highest skyscraper The Landmark Tower. On my way home, the night scenery with both sea view and tall buildings is also a spectacular sight!

When time permits, I often ride home a slightly longer route, which takes me through Yokohama center and up mid-level hilly areas. Many cyclists use this route for hill-climbing practice.

On weekends, I ride out towards Hakone, a famous spring resort area, often doing as much as 100-150km on a single day. The route also takes me along the ocean area, and when I pass the traditional old town of Kamakura I see many surfers, wind surfers, and sea kayakers at the beaches. A rare sight in the Yokohama harbor area. There are also a lot of great gourmet restaurants along the route, which is another reason why I enjoy these trips!

Many people may have the image of Japan being filled with tall sky scrapers, IT equipment and concrete buildings like Metropolitan Tokyo, but in fact, we have beautiful nature surrounding us with its mountains and oceans. For cyclists, we can say that Japan is a country where we can fully enjoy riding on our bikes every day, even to work.