Resources	Cycling Books & Magazines Books (English) Books (Japanese) Magazines BOOKS (ENGLISH) As far as I know, there are only two books in English specifically devoted to the subject of cycling in Japan: Bicycling Japan: A Touring Handbook by Suzanne Lee Zievid Press, 1991 Library of Congress Catalog No. 90-83529 ISBN 0-9627458-0-4 The only book to focus on the nuts and bolts of how to go about cycle-touring in Japan, this relatively short book is loaded with practical information designed for people who know next to nothing about Japan. Covers such topics as airline policies on transporting bikes, the mechanics of bike-bagging, practical steps to avoid getting lost when traveling in a group, and so on. There is much wisdom here, making the book well worth the price. Includes a detailed suggested packing list, Japanese glossary, and lots of other goodies. At least one reviewer called it the book he wished he'd had when he first started cycling in Japan. Cycling Japan: A Personal Guide to Exploring Japan by Bicycle Edited by Bryan Harrell Kodansha International, 1993 ISBN 4-7700-1742-1 Unlike the Bicycling Japan handbook, this consists almost entirely of trip descriptions. Cycling Japan is actually a compendium of re-edited articles from Bryan Harrell's excellent and now defunct (and much lamented) newsletter Oikaze, put together from 1985 to 1995 through voluntary contributions sent in by riders. Much information was added for the book publication (ferry schedules, lodgings and so on), but many of the articles are still primarily tour reminisces rather than detailed route descriptions. Hence, the book is useful mainly as a sourcebook, showing what other people have done and indicating general areas for cycling. The first section contains some practical information on matters such as bike-bagging, and a list of bike shops (exclusively in the Tokyo area); the short Resources section at the end contains mainly the names and addresses of cycling terminals and a list of bikepaths (with unfortunately no maps). BOOKS (JAPANESE) Kansai Cycling Map (edited by Tsuguchi Tetsuya) Yama-to-Keikoku-sha [YAMA-KEI Publishers Co., Ltd.] 1996 A book rather than a map, and a very nice new addition to Kansai cycling lore - certainly the most attractive Japanese cycling guide to date (in full color, yet). Focuses mainly on shorter routes, with excellent maps and lots of pictures. If you aren't into cycle-touring yet, this may be the Japanese tour guide that gets you there. Each route includes an elevation indicator, symbols showing whether the route is for road or mountain bikes and whether rental bikes are available, and at least one point of special interest. Also has complete area maps and a brief but well-presented photo spread on bike-bagging, and even information on campgrounds. Very well done. Nishi-Nihon Cycling Guide "Outdoor 21st Field" (edited by Tsuguchi Tetsuya) Yama-to-Keikoku-sha [YAMA-KEI Publishers Co., Ltd.] 2001 Published by the same company as above (and not titled a map this time) - and equally attractive, covering some parts of Kyushu and Shikoku as well as western Honshu. Lushly illustrated with great photos and maps. Includes a long section on the new Shimanami route as well as many other great routes. Even if you can't read Japanese, the maps alone would make this well worth getting. Cycling Maps Published by Bridgestone Cycle Unfortunately, these may no longer be available. Unlike the Kansai "Cycling Map," these actually ARE maps: a series of ingeniously folded maps, one side a regional map with bike routes marked, and the other side a list of brief descriptions of each route. For years a tattered copy of the Kansai edition was my constant companion. I know of seven: (1) Kanto, (2) Hokuriku, (3) Kansai, (4) Tokyo, (5) Kanagawa (6) Saitama and (7) Chiba. In case you can still get them, here is the ISBN information for a couple: Kansai (ISBN 4-8297-0323-7) Hokuriku (ISBN 4-8297-0322-9 C2325) The publisher's phone number in Tokyo is listed as (+81) 3-3271-2451. Jitensha Course Guides Published by Atene Shobo A long-lived series of guidebooks, these are probably still available. There are at least five volumes that I know of (Kansai, two Kanto volumes, Shinshu and Hokkaido). Hand-drawn maps with elevation guides and at least one (B&W) photo for each route. Quite useful. Jitensha Ryoko Annai, Volumes 1 & 2 Published by Sankaido Collection of routes (58 in volume 1, 57 in volume 2) that originally appeared in the cycling magazine Cycle Field between 1993 and 1996. Unfortunately, the routes appear to be in no particular order, and there are no overall area maps, reducing their usefulness to people who don't read Japanese. Still might be a valuable resource; cycle magazine rider-researchers often seem to find more interesting routes than the book researchers... Cycling Road Map "WIND" Published by Bicycling Association of Japan (JCA) (Nihon Saikuringu Kyokai) For many years, this was the only attempt to map the many long bikepaths ("cycling roads") in Japan; most resources just give the addresses for the starting and ending points, and after that you're on your own. In contrast, this was a series of 36 detailed single-sheet maps, one side a colorful hand-drawn depiction of the route and sights to see along the way, the other side a black and white map showing the exact route. The package was also quite inexpensive (possibly due to receiving subsidies from somewhere); I think I paid 2,000 yen for it. Although the package may be unavailable, the color pages are now up on the web - point your browser to: http://www.j-cycling.org/wind/1.html http://www.j-cycling.org/wind/2.html Clicking one of the titles displays the color page for that map. Unfortunately, the detailed B&W maps are not here. However, this is now a moot point; the new Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has created a beautiful section on their site that FINALLY gives detailed information on all of the long-distance bicycle routes in Japan! Point your browser to: http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/road/bicycle/road/index.html At the bottom of this page is a map of Japan with beige tabs for each region. Clicking on a tab brings up a more detailed map for that region, with specific routes; clicking on each route brings up another page for that route, with a more detailed map, a few tiny photos and even a link to download a PDF file of that page for better printing. The blue section at the bottom of the page also has arrows for going to the previous and next routes and to the top page for that region. Note that the left arrow that says "Top Page" in Japanese does NOT take you to the long-distance cycling route page but to a page higher up in the heirarchy. Use your back button or the link above to get back to the long-distance cycling route page. Sorry, no English... I don't know if the old WIND maps are still available, and in any case they'd be pretty out of date at this point. If you really want to find them, you might try sending an English email on the Bicycle Culture Center site at http://www.cycle-info.or.jp, or contact the JCA in Japanese at jca@ma4.justnet.ne.jp. The JCA's address and phone number listed on my "WIND" copy are as follows: 1-9-3 Akasaka, Minato-ku Tokyo (+81) 3-3583-5628 Jissen Cycle Touring: Planning Advice & Guide By Asai Kenji Published by Yama-to-Keikoku-sha [YAMA-KEI Publishers Co., Ltd.] 1991 Fully half of the book consists of brief descriptions (not detailed routes) of places to cycle, oddly organized by topography (mountain passes, lakes, islands, etc.) - enough to convince you that this guy has been EVERYWHERE in Japan. If you can read Japanese, an excellent resource. Cycling: tekunikku zukai to zenkoku koosu gaido (CYCLING: How-To Diagrams and Nationwide Course Guide) One in the " Blue Guide" series of guidebooks, most of them general guides to different regions of Japan, this is mainly a how-to book with lots of photos and hand-drawn illustrations. However, the last third has a few routes and even suggestions for cycling completely across the country (from Hokkaido to Okinawa). MAGAZINES The following magazines contain route information (in Japanese). However, I haven't seen the last three recently, so they may no longer exist... Cycle Sports monthly 490 yen Subtitled "For Bikers Only" and means the non-motorized kind; arguably Japan's top cycling magazine, but often with SO many product ads that it's difficult to find the real information. Still, there's a lot of it here, each month. Be sure to pick up the April issue each year; it has a complete schedule of cycling events for the entire year (April - March): races, events and even guided cycling tours. Fun Ride monthly 780 yen Has a little bit of something for everyone, though seems tilted a bit in the race direction; lots of race photos, race results and team info, with the routes relegated to the "rider's voices" section at the end. Still worth perusing. Field Bikers monthly? 590 yen The issue I have focused on cycling in Taiwan, but with plenty of pieces later in the issue on routes within Japan. A surprising amount of information considering its relatively slim size. New Cycling monthly 600 yen Thinner and seems to be more low-key in presentation, with pieces on cycling both overseas and within Japan. English Web Sites