Nice to meet you! My name is Kyoko Kunimitsu, and I have started working here at Circles. Please call me Kyon! I look forward to working with you all.
To start off, let me introduce myself. Although I work at a bike shop, my hobby is actually mountain climbing.
My introduction to the mountains was on my college graduation trip to Yakushima. The atmosphere of the nature and the feeling of walking through it were incredibly comfortable, and after I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about that experience.
From there, I started mountaineering, beginning with the Seven Mountains of Suzuka and then climbing Mount Yari during my first trip to the Northern Alps. I was moved by the scenery I saw there, the sense of accomplishment, and the deliciousness of a beer enjoyed in the mountains.
From that point on, I became deeply immersed in climbing.
Four years after I started climbing, I became interested in going abroad, so I went to Nepal alone for a month and a half. I was simply overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the scenery, which exceeded anything I could have imagined. At the same time, it made me want to walk further on my own two feet to discover even more unseen vistas.
My current goal is to through-hike overseas trails like the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.
I’m also interested in climbing and canyoning, and I am currently studying rope work.
My Encounter with Bicycles
As for how I got into cycling, it started with a fixed-gear bike I bought as a means of transportation to work.
At first, I used it strictly for commuting, but after occasionally going on long rides, such as cycling around Lake Biwa or the Shimanami Kaido, I wanted to learn how to do my own maintenance since I had almost no bike knowledge. That led me to start working at a bike shop. There, I was invited by some people I met to join an event cycling around Awaji Island, so—only owning a fixed-gear bike—I borrowed a road bike and started training.
As I practiced, I started to really want to ride my own bike, and before I knew it, I was already picking one out! (Haha).
My criteria for choosing a bike were: first, that it could be used for approaches to my mountain climbs; second, that I could use it for camping and touring; and third, that I could take it on long-distance rides, just like a road bike. Those were the three points.
When I visited various bike shops with that in mind, I found the perfect bike for what I wanted to do at Circles: the All-City Space Horse.
After that, our staff member Aya invited me on a ride to Kyoto and a gravel ride. It broadened my perspective on the ways to enjoy cycling, and while that first gravel ride was very tough for me in terms of both physical stamina and the course itself, it gave me a feeling similar to that first time I went to Yakushima.
Everything felt so fresh. I realized that cycling could be enjoyed this way, too—it was tiring, but I loved that sensation of riding through nature. My passion for cycling surged at that moment, and now I find myself constantly thinking about how mountains and cycling intersect.
I hope to broaden my own enjoyment of both cycling and the mountains, and I look forward to sharing that with all of you!