Hello, this is Eri from the Circles Web Shop photography team.
Since March 8th is International Women’s Day, Nagoya—where Circles is based—gets very lively around this time, with the Nagoya Women’s Marathon held on March 9th.
Originating from a 1904 demonstration for women's suffrage in New York, the United Nations designated March 8th as "International Women’s Day" in 1975, a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
While participating in the Circles Tokyo 1st-anniversary event or helping out with booths at the MADE Bike Show, I often find myself thinking about how male-dominated the bicycle industry is. Circles, whose livelihood is bikes, is no exception and has many male staff. However, I want you to feel more connected to the women who work so hard here, so in honor of International Women’s Day, I’d like to introduce them!
Chan-Mai
Chan-Mai is becoming the face of Circles after just one year with us. Leveraging her experience working at an outdoor shop, she sells apparel and outdoor gear on the second floor of Circles. She is a reliable presence who can answer any of those tricky questions about apparel that you might feel uncomfortable asking a man. She’s great at combining travel and cycling, so I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of rides she goes on this year.
Da-chan
Da-chan is steadily sharpening her skills as a mechanic. Since mountain climbing was her original hobby, she’s confident in her physical stamina, and seeing her power through rides right alongside the men is incredibly cool. I can imagine her leading our mechanic room with her attentive service and outstanding sense! Stay tuned.
Nacchan
After giving birth, Nacchan, a mother of two, made a major move from her old stomping grounds at Early Birds Breakfast to the Circles World Distribution department (our domestic and international wholesale division). She uses her Burley—a favorite among the parenting generation here at Circles—for daycare drop-offs. Thanks to that, her daughter loves bikes, too!
Nami-san
Nami-san works at our headquarters, and her whole family rides track bikes. While she is one of the driving forces behind the Tokai Tracklo, she works as our accountant day-to-day. She frequently participates in the Critical Mass hosted monthly by the Daisy Messenger, so if you're interested, why not join us? There are many children and women who participate, making it an easy ride for first-timers.
Nami-san's daughter, Micchan, also loves bikes, of course!
Taji-san
Taji-san is in charge of logistics for the Circles Web Shop. Back in her younger days, she worked as a messenger in Nagoya, and in 2023, as her parenting duties settled down, her passion for cycling was reignited by participating in that year's CMWC! She even got her bicycle mechanic certification and seems to be fully immersed in a bike-centric life, both personally and professionally. She commutes over 10km by bike every day, so she’s nothing if not a cyclist!
Riebo
Riebo, who is working hard at SimWorks USA, doesn't just act as a bridge between Japan and the US; she is a powerful force connecting bicycles to women, and SimWorks to people. Who could have imagined that a "ganguro gyaru" (a Japanese fashion trend) would move to the US and build such a rich cycling community? From bikepacking to downhill, her "let's try everything!" spirit brightens the world of the cycling community.
The Pine Fields Market Crew
The team at Pine Fields Market, a Circles Group eatery, is all-female. They commute by bike every single day starting at dawn (or rather, in the middle of the night) to provide delicious bread and baked goods.
Matsubara, where Pine Fields Market is located, is a flower wholesale district. Once a week at 6:00 AM, seeing them load sandwiches and coffee onto their bikes to go sell them is truly beautiful, and you can really feel the strength of these women who use their bicycles to the fullest.
Elly-zin
I’m Elly-zin, and I take photos for events around Circles and web shop product images, as well as handle shipping.
I’m always at the back of the pack during rides, and I’m way too slow on both climbs and descents, but I’ve managed to fly with my bike, ride all the way to Kyoto, and try bikepacking in the US, so I’ve done my fair share of things. I hope to be an example that you don’t have to be fast or skilled to make things work!
Minami
Minami is our incredibly skilled designer. Many of the pop illustrations for SimWorks are by her, and with her uniquely feminine attention to detail and natural brightness, she is in high demand from clients who want to work with her.
She’s a physical powerhouse with an athlete-level cardiopulmonary capacity, the type who can go anywhere if you let her on a bike.
So, looking at it like this, there are actually quite a lot of female staff here at Circles. Though our styles differ, everyone enjoys, loves, and lives on bicycles. I would be so happy if more and more women were drawn into this gravity-like pull and started cycling.
Also, regardless of gender, religion, or nationality, we work using the common language of "bicycles" to engage with society. I believe we have the potential to make the future bicycle community even more attractive and interesting, and I will continue to hold hands with the members of this community all over the world.
I realized it way too late this year, but next year for International Women’s Day, I’m going to plan a women’s-only ride! Let’s have a lot of fun together.