Shimano Inc., a bicycle parts maker whose high-tech products have propelled countless cyclists on roadways around the world, is pushing for a slower pace.

The company, headquartered in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, has been disseminating the “sanso” slow cycling concept since 2006, when it opened the OVE cultural promotion facility in Tokyo’s Minami-Aoyama district.

The concept now appears to be taking off.

An increasing number of organized tours allow cyclists to travel slowly, much like strolling, and take in the charms of local areas.

Specialized cycling maps under the sanso concept have been released, bringing more cyclists to regional landmarks and revitalizing communities.

There are no official rules for sanso. But sanso-related events held across Japan fall primarily into two categories.

Some tours follow designated courses to architectural sites or popular shops under specific themes. The other type of event allows participants to roam freely without fixed plans.

Tokyo’s Ota Ward has created a website titled “Let’s go for sanso.” It states that sanso’s “purpose is not to ride fast but to tour slowly while enjoying fresh encounters and discoveries at a given time and place.”

The ward included the sanso concept in its policy to enhance bicycle use in fiscal 2022.

Eight sanso bicycle tours took place in the ward last fiscal year under such themes as fine cuisine and magnificent night scenery.

“The large area of Ota Ward is dotted with shopping streets, historic locations, public bathhouses and other appealing locations,” said Reiko Atsukawa, head of the ward’s urban infrastructure planning and arrangement unit. “Our town is the best destination for sanso.”

Atsukawa says residents who travel around the ward by bicycle may find new attractions, which will nurture their civic pride and love for their hometown.

In late June, the second national sanso forum ran in Ota Ward. Fifty-seven people, including those who joined by videoconference, reported on sanso tours and other advantageous uses of bicycles across Japan.

One presenter at the forum was Asaka Terazawa, a coordinator at the Noreru? exchange facility in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, which aims to spread bicycle culture.

Terazawa is working under the Iwaki Jiku Sanso (Iwaki temporal and spatial sanso) project.

She is tasked with interviewing local residents and collecting historical records and folktales in various areas of Iwaki. The information is plotted on sanso maps, giving cyclists a range of destinations.

Terazawa is also responsible for arranging tours. She tries to deploy guides born and raised in each area and encourages conversations among participants.

The project, described by Terazawa as a form of “community cycle tourism,” is expected to create dedicated maps and tours for 30 zones over five years from fiscal 2023.

“Talking with each other, participants can visit and experience cultural and historical spots in local regions,” she said. “Their affection for hometowns can be fostered that way.”

Shimano has run an annual contest that solicits suggestions from students at universities and vocational schools on how to address social problems through sanso.

Last year, the grand prize was awarded to a group of students from Kyoto University of the Arts.

Their idea was to get children mainly in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, to cycle leisurely and photograph the townscape with disposable cameras. The objective was to make young people grow more fond of their hometown in a pleasurable manner.

This year’s competition, the seventh, accepted suggestions by the end of July. The final round of screening will be held in December.

Separately, an organization called Sanso Network has been engaged in nationwide activities to raise awareness of sanso since its founding in 2022.

“We will be moving toward establishing a platform for organizations and groups to gradually spread sanso events throughout Japan, share information and cooperate with each other,” said Emi Murotani, secretary-general of Sanso Network.

Details of sanso opportunities are available on the Japanese website of Sanso Network at: (https://sanso.world/).