Keirin: The war on wheels w/ Justin McCurry
Episode 100, Sep 22, 2021, 10:00 AM
The Guardian's Tokyo correspondent Justin McCurry takes us inside the world of keirin, Japan's billion-dollar bicycle races.
At every Olympics there is one cycling event that stands out above all the rest: keirin. It’s been in the Olympics since Sydney 2000, but it’s actually based on a form of track cycling that originated in post-war Japan.
Keirin is a gambling sport in Japan, and though it’s nowhere near as popular as the national pastime baseball, or held in the same regard as sumo, it is still a multi-billion dollar industry, with races taking place up and down the country on an almost daily basis.
The War on Wheels
Justin's book "The War on Wheels: Inside the Keirin and Japan's Cycling Subculture" is out now via all major book retailers. Get your hands on a copy here, or read The Japan Times' review. Find out more about keirin and where to watch it at keirin.jp
On this episode:
Justin McCurry: Twitter | Articles
Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram
The War on Wheels
Justin's book "The War on Wheels: Inside the Keirin and Japan's Cycling Subculture" is out now via all major book retailers. Get your hands on a copy here, or read The Japan Times' review. Find out more about keirin and where to watch it at keirin.jp
On this episode:
Justin McCurry: Twitter | Articles
Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram
Announcements:
Subscribe to the show and sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list to be notified when new episodes come out. Get in touch with us at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp.
Support the show! Rate us, review us and share this episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. Follow us on Twitter, and give us feedback.
This episode of Deep Dive may be supported by advertising based on your location. Advertising is sourced by Audioboom and is not affiliated with The Japan Times.
Photo: Keirin riders race around the Omiya velodrome in the outskirts of Tokyo. | Oscar Boyd