In 1856, the young French printmaker Bracquemond was shown a collection of ceramics by an acquaintance. These ceramics, imported from Japan, a country then closed to foreign relations, would likely have been rare in Western Europe. However, what captured his attention was not the ceramics themselves but their wrapping paper. It was a page from Katsushika Hokusai’s “Hokusai Manga.(Hokusai Sketch)” Impressed by the artwork, Bracquemond went on to obtain a copy of “Hokusai Manga” through great effort and introduced it to his painter friends in Paris, eventually leading to Hokusai becoming widely known across Europe from France. …Unfortunately, the story is sa […]

Connecting people who enjoy rides.  This time, we introduce Miho Ishigaki, a model, through Akikazu Yamashita, a model and travel writer. While working as a model for sports magazines, she also participates in ride events and teaches at the gym as an instructor. During her time as a fashion model, she developed an interest in cycling as a gentle sport she could engage in, and a few years later, she won first place in the Fuji Azami Line Hill Climb. We talked to her about her experiences with riding. Table of Contents 　Profile　1. What’s your beloved bicycle?　2. What’s your favorite cycling route?　3. The most recent ride event you participated in and your thoughts about it? […]

Hello, this is Ontama Negitoro. I was reminded of a conversation I had with a Spanish hiker when I cycled the Camino de Santiago in Spain before the pandemic. He asked me, ‘Have you been to the Kumano Kodo? You really should go!’ The ‘Camino de Santiago’ in Spain, the ‘Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage,’ and the ‘Kumano Kodo’ are all incredibly popular among hikers from abroad. While I had cycled the first two, I had never ridden through the Kumano Kodo or the Kii Peninsula. Despite its proximity to my hometown of Osaka, the rugged nature of the Kii Mountain Range has always made it feel far away. This time, I rode a route following the ancient pilg […]