Two days in Osaka

Cycling in a city like Osaka with dozens of suburbs is a hassle. Especially when your bike makes problems 20 kilometres before the city centre. It was early morning when suddenly my freewheel stopped working. I couldn’t pedal anymore. The first few bike shops were unable to fix it. One bike shop tried to clean it. With that I could at least cycle to Osaka and find a decent bike shop where it can be replaced. But all the bike shops I visited in Osaka was without success. It would take 1-2 weeks to get the replacement part. I don’t have that much time. It’s frustrating when you’re at the birthplace of Shimano, where the headquarters is located, and there is not a single bike shop that can fix it within a few days. I refuse to give up. My other plan was to get a new rear wheel. Even that would take roughly five days. Finally, ten exhausting hours later, I found a bike shop that had a suitable rear wheel at stock. I was too tired to change the wheel myself. And I do not even have the tools required with me. I came back one hour later and found my repaired bike.
Not the easiest day but I’m glad that everything worked out at the end. And I must say that it was the first serious mechanical defect after so many thousands of kilometres. It was also a great experience because the staff at the bike shops were eager to find a solution for me and even suggested me other bike shops to go.

My plan was to sleep late the next morning. It did not work. My inner clock has its rhythm and so I woke up at 4:30am. The good thing is that I could enjoy the early morning hours with beautiful light. Having arrived downtown, it seemed like bars and clubs had just closed their gates. The streets were mostly empty except for the party animals whose nightlife had come to an end and were now straying around. For the rest of the day, I just explored various corners the city.Read more