Japanology Plus Season 2016 Episode 17 - Bicycles

Airdate: 2016-Jun-30

Episode summary:

Japan's first bicycles were made by former gunsmiths around the 1870s. Mid-20th century innovations aimed at women gave rise to the "mama-chari," a type of bicycle for mothers with small children. Today, annual production of bicycles in Japan is about 9 million, and many of the world's major bicycle makers source most of their parts from Japan. Our expert guest, former bicycle racer Masayuki Hasebe, is a champion of everything to do with bicycles. And in Plus One, the thrill of mama-chari racing.

About Japanology Plus series:

Going a step further from our previous series BEGIN Japanology, host Peter Barakan visits experts in various fields to show Japanese culture from a...Show more >