igus:bike worldtour avec RCYL – Japon

Osaka is the second largest city in Japan and its history of commerce is older than that of Tokyo. Today, Sakuma-san from ECS started our journey in Osaka with the city’s 1964 monument, the Umeda station, where in 1964 an underground line was opened from the Shinkansen station to Umeda, the city’s centre, to accommodate the Shinkansen bullet train.

The bike headed towards Ebisu Bridge in Dotonbori, passing through Midosuji, Osaka’s central district. At first it is an office and government district lined with traditional buildings, but when you reach Ebisu Bridge, the scene suddenly changes.

Full of Asian eccentricity and colourfulness, it is considered one of Osaka’s most popular photo spots. Whenever there is a city-wide celebration, such as a baseball team winning a championship, people gather here, often jumping into the canal, which has become a problem. This is a place where you can experience Asian-style chaos.

Next, the bike visited Tsutenkaku Tower. This symbol of Osaka is located 2km from Ebisu Bridge and has a history of more than 100 years, creating a unique atmosphere with a fusion of old and new.

The surrounding area is a commercial zone and again the lively signs are very popular here. People are friendly and some even turned up to ask Sakuma-san about the igus:bike.

The bike passed through the streets full of eccentricity, colourfulness and obscenity, heading for Shirai Tech in the neighbouring city of Higashi-Osaka.

Shirai Tech is a company mainly involved in the design and manufacture of glass processing machinery. In particular, the company focuses on glass processing equipment for electronic substrates for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma displays (PDPs).

The company also provides processing machinery for automotive and architectural glass, and has a wide range of products in precision cutting, polishing and cleaning equipment.

When the engineers from Shirai Tech saw the igus:bike, they asked technical questions, such as how it is lighter than expected and how it is moulded. They also told us that Higashi-Osaka City has a large network of processors and other companies, and that the ability to share work is an advantage for their business.

Today was a day to learn about the technology and history of Shirai Tech, as well as to understand the city of Osaka with its commercial and manufacturing industries.

Stay tuned – you’ll find all updates on the igus blog and selected country highlights here in this blog.