A Short Visit to Circles, Nagoya

There was only a short window of time during my stay in Nagoya, but given the opportunity to be in the city, there was one place I knew I wanted to visit.

Circles and Circles Tailored had been on our radar for the past few years. We had admired not only the bikes and products that came out of their world, but also the way they approached cycling as a whole.  The spaces they created, the things they chose to surround themselves with, and the lifestyle that seemed to sit naturally alongside the bikes.

So, with a little time to spare, I decided to make the trip.

Circles Tailored

Circles Tailored is slightly out of the way, and after about fifteen minutes of walking from the nearest subway station, I finally spotted the store.

My wife immediately questioned the rather obvious grin on my face.

The exterior is beautiful in a very understated way. Neat, considered and welcoming, with plants outside and a Wilde greeting me through the window as I walked past.

Two cargo commuters were parked outside without a single lock in sight. I assumed they belonged to the staff , judging by how they were built and the parts they were carrying and, sure enough, there was a mechanic and a store manager inside when we entered.

I suppose this is one of those small reminders that you are in Japan.

The moment I stepped inside, it became very clear that this was not going to be a quick visit.

The space is beautifully done, with each area carefully arranged without feeling overly curated. There was something to look at in every direction. I wanted to stop and examine everything properly, but I could also sense the eyes of my wife and the inevitable boredom beginning to set in, so I tried my best to make quick glances and mentally catalogue whatever caught my attention.

An old Bicisupport bike-fit rig was one of the first things that caught my eye. Then came the Ritchey, Breadwinner, Doppo and all the other little pieces of candy that made it increasingly difficult to move along.

One particularly clever detail was the use of a building pillar as a display. Featured pieces from Wilde, Doppo and Sycip were arranged around it, along with a Tomii Cycles frame that immediately stopped me in my tracks.

I have admired Tomii Cycles' work for some time, so seeing one of the frames in person was a real treat. There is a sculptural quality to the work that photographs do not quite convey. Given the builder's background in sculpture, the details make a lot of sense when you see them up close. The shapes, transitions and small touches feel almost more like an object of craft than simply a bicycle frame.

The open-plan layout of Tailored also makes the store feel considerably larger than it actually is. Nothing feels cramped or suffocating, and it is genuinely enjoyable just to walk around and explore.

Even the changing area has been given thought. The apparel is presented alongside Bedrock sandals and other lifestyle pieces, creating a cosy little space that feels more like someone's beautifully considered wardrobe than a conventional retail display.

There were Bike Fridays, Wilde bicycles and countless smaller objects that I could happily have spent an afternoon browsing.

I deliberately did not photograph the workshop area. The mechanic was working on a bike when I was there, and it felt intrusive to point a camera at someone simply trying to get their work done. It was, however, a lovely workshop to see, part of the store without feeling like a performance for customers.

The store manager was incredibly friendly, and before we left, he even gifted me a bag after finding out where I came from.

As I made my way towards the door, I noticed one more thing.

The newly launched RAL Commuter was sitting there.

Circles had launched it a few months earlier, and by the time we were able to get around to ordering some for Cycle Project Store, they had completely sold out. Seeing one in person was therefore a particularly nice surprise. It is an affordable commuter with a simple, practical appeal, and exactly the sort of bicycle that feels right for everyday life.

And then there was the gachapon machine.

Finally, as I was about to leave, the door handle made me smile. The handle of the sliding door had been made from a vintage Sugino crank arm.

A crank arm.

As a door handle.

It is such a small thing, but it perfectly captured what I liked about the place. Nothing felt unnecessarily flashy, yet everything seemed to have been considered. Even the door itself felt like part of the identity of the store.

If I lived in Nagoya, I could easily imagine this becoming one of those places I would visit once a week without really needing a reason.

The Walk to Circles

From Tailored, it was another fifteen to twenty minute walk towards the main Circles store.

By this point, my wife had probably accepted that this was going to take longer than expected.

Then Circles appeared.

The first thing that struck me was the scale of it. It felt as though Circles had the building almost entirely to itself, with different parts of the cycling world occupying their own spaces across the building.

The ground floor houses the main shopping area, café, workshop, components, accessories and frames, while the second floor takes you somewhere quite different, apparel, outdoor pieces and a collection of more unusual finds.

It was, once again, a very dangerous place to be left alone with a credit card.

The main shopping floor is not as deliberately decorated as Tailored, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it works in a completely different way. Tailored feels like a carefully designed lifestyle space; Circles feels like the ultimate candy store.

You can spend hours simply looking.

And I nearly did.

One of the things that particularly caught my attention was the Chris King selection. There was an entire fridge-like display filled with Chris King components and parts, including the limited bourbon.

Naturally, I tried to buy one.

Naturally, I failed

There were so many other little details throughout the space that I eventually gave up trying to remember everything. The photos will probably tell that part of the story better than I can.

Moving from the shopping area towards the café, there were more accessories, memorabilia and small objects displayed along the way. These were the sorts of things that make you stop for a moment and think, I could probably find a place for that at home.

If not for my wife.

The workshop was another highlight. Unlike many bike shops where the workshop sits directly in the middle of the retail floor, Circles gives its mechanics a proper space to work without being constantly surrounded by customers.

While passing through, I spotted an interesting Bike Friday tandem being worked on and managed to sneak in a very quick photo before the mechanics realised what I was doing.

As I headed towards the second floor, another RAL Commuter appeared, alongside a really nice display featuring the Crust Cargo Fork.

At this point, I was beginning to realise that Circles was not really a single shop.

It was an ecosystem.

Upstairs

The second floor was where I finally abandoned my wife and son.

I ventured upstairs alone, risking my life.

The entrance itself was beautifully done. Even the signs and doors felt considered, almost as though I was entering somewhere rather than simply walking into another retail floor.

And then came the apparel and outdoor section.

This was probably the part of the store where I could have spent the most time. There was a mix of cycling apparel, outdoor goods and a collection of American cycling pieces that I honestly did not expect to see casually,  at least not without paying some rather impressive prices.

I did not ask whether everything was for sale, nor did I ask about the prices.

Sometimes it is better just to enjoy the collection.

I wandered around taking it all in, thinking about how different the experience would be if I was not travelling with a family waiting downstairs.

Eventually, I made my way back out.

While waiting for a car to come around and pick up the missus and kiddo, there was one final bicycle waiting outside.

A Rivendell Hillborne.

Unlocked.

Just sitting there.

By now I had to wonder whether people in Nagoya simply leave their bikes everywhere and trust that they will still be there when they return.

Maybe that is just Japan.

More Than a Bike Shop

What stayed with me most from the visit was not any particular bicycle, component or piece of clothing.

It was how naturally everything seemed to fit together.

Circles Tailored and Circles are very different spaces, but both reflect the same idea of cycling as something much broader than the bicycle itself. There are bikes, of course, but also clothing, tools, outdoor equipment, food, coffee, furniture, small objects and all the little details that make cycling feel like part of everyday life.

The Sugino crank arm used as a door handle might be the simplest example of it.

It did nopt need to be there.

But someone thought about it.

And that is perhaps what I enjoyed most about the visit. The experience was not built around trying to impress you with how much they had. Instead, it felt like stepping into a world where someone had taken the time to decide what belonged there , and what did not.

We often admire Circles from afar through the bikes, products and projects that make their way out into the cycling world. Visiting in person gave me a slightly different appreciation for what they've built.

It is not just a bike shop.

It is a place with its own rhythm, personality and point of view.

And if I ever find myself living in Nagoya, I already know where i will probably be spending a little too much of my free time.

Probably once a week.

Maybe more.

Assuming my wife allows it.

Here is a beer at the end of that night ,  enjoying what I saw, and drinking it because I could not buy much with the family around. Haha.