Japanology Plus

Season 3 Episode 17: Bicycles

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.

Genre:

Documentary, Talk

Seasons:

13

Episodes:

365

Cast:

Peter Barakan

Quality:

HD

Duration:

28 min

First Air:

2014

Rating:

6.4