Hello, I’m Eri, in charge of web shop photography. Since the end of February, I’ve been in Tokyo preparing for the opening of Circles Tokyo and handling photography.
At our pre-opening party on February 27th, I was surrounded by colleagues from our partner companies, people from various bicycle shops, and friends from the bicycle community, and I couldn’t help but beam at all their kind words of celebration.
I wonder if people think, "A bike shop on the third floor of a building? A bike shop on a fashion floor?" Who knows. We are fired up and determined to bring a fresh breeze into Toranomon Hills that will subvert everyone’s expectations in the best possible way! (From the very first day, we even had someone bring in their bike for a consultation on fitting an OUTERSHELL bag. I’m so happy!)
Many of the people who stop by tell us, "This is my first time in the Toranomon area." That’s no surprise, as Toranomon is a business district lined with government offices and office buildings—often called a "messenger’s garden"—and it certainly wasn’t a place for shopping or sightseeing. The way it’s now building functions as a city with clothing, food, and housing is very "Tokyo," and we’ve actually enjoyed the feeling of fumbling our way through opening a shop in this uncharted territory.
Some people have told us, "I used to live in Nagoya and shopped at Circles, but since moving here, I lost the chance to ride, and this has given me the spark to start riding again," while others have said, "I’m so happy we can ride together here in the Kanto region!" I truly hope that by hanging out, riding, running, drinking, eating, and laughing together, the Circles Nagoya and Tokyo communities can help invigorate the Japanese bicycle scene.
Even now, I still can’t believe that Circles Tokyo is actually here, but I’m looking forward to seeing this new community spread from the very heart of the city—Tokyo!
Regardless, I know for sure that I’ve only made it this far because I’ve been supported by so many wonderful old and new friends. Thank you.
I look forward to being with you all for a long time to come!
