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Shimano Bicycle Museum

HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Shimano Bicycle Museum

Experience the history and future of cycling at the only museum of bicycles in Japan

Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau

In Japanese, a bicycle is called "jitensha,” which literally means "wheels rotated by oneself." This means a bicycle is operated by the rider and that there are as many ways of enjoying cycling as there are riders. Located in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, the renewal opened Shimano Bicycle Museum is designed to allow visitors to enjoy, learn, and experience the flow of this familiar vehicle from its birth to the present, and into the future.

The exhibition on the first floor showcases unique bicycles and their relationship with Sakai, a city with centuries of metalworking tradition, while the adjacent theater screens “The Birth and Development of the Bicycle,” a video introducing the history of bicycle. At the Bicycle Square on the same floor, visitors can ride on a replica of a classic bicycle from the 1800s, which is on display in the museum, and experience the history and mechanism of bicycles.

Mural painting showing a virtuous cycle achievable by use of bicycles

Valuable bicycles from different historical stages are displayed in three spacious zones on the second floor, including the world's oldest bicycle. The first zone is for the bicycles of the early period, another one represents the development period, and the last one is for the bicycles designed to help realize a sustainable society. On the fourth floor, exhibitions are held to share technological information and the results of the museum’s research activities. Visitors can also use the library, which features a vast collection of technical books on bicycles as well as a digital archive.

How to get there

From Kansai International Airport, take the Nankai Airport Line to Tengachaya Station (40 minutes), change to the Koya Line to Sakaihigashi Station (10 minutes) and walk 5 minutes.

2-2-1 Minamikoyo-cho, Sakai-ku, Sakai-shi, Osaka