All I want to do is bicycle!
Before living in Japan, I thought of bicycles as a sports and amusement device only. In Japan I would say that they are some of the most representative objects of their culture. Bicycles have been part of the Japanese culture as a very important way of transportation. It so practical to just take your bicycle for short or even long distances. And even if the weather is very hot, during the summer, when you move you can feel the wind refreshing you.
There are two basic types of bicycles in Japan: a big one whose objective is to carry things. It usually has a basquet and may also have a flat device on the back where you can either put a baby or a friend. The other one is smaller and its main purpose is to be folded in two, so you can take it everywhere with you.
The Bicycle Museum in Sakai, where 40% of all bicycles in Japan are produced (I just read that) is the only museum of this kind.
It was absolutelly amazing to see how well designed is this museum. They first show a video about the history of this important object. Then, they have an exhibition of the different models, showing the development of the bicycle, since the very first one from 1790, the "Celefere" from Frenchman Sivrac, which still had no pedals, so actually the user had to propell him along with his feet.
There is also a place where it is possible to realize how the mechanism of a bicycle works: the relation between the size of the chainring and the wheel (that is comething that I have already experienced with the two bicycles that I ride, one small and one large).
The three main contributions of the bicycle: sports, health and environment.
Bicycle is freedom.
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