Million Petal Bike Park

^{photo from their Facebook Page/Million Petal Bike Park}

The last time we were in Japan, we rode a different bike park. It was big, it was long, and it was epic. Being from the Philippines, it left us with a feeling of “wow, I didn’t know that was out there here in Asia” and it felt great, we were 1,000,000% ready to take the quickest flight back to Nippon and shred those same slopes sooner rather than later.

So when we heard of Million Petal Bike Park, you can say we were more than a little excited, and we of course jumped at the chance to ride it.

A quick search on Instagram and Million Petal Bike Park (“Million” from now on) pops up as this sort of vibe-driven spot, a fun-filled playground for bikers, maybe even a younger sibling of sorts to the bigger, beefier bike parks in the country: Fujimi, Fujiten, Hakuba Iwatake, and the like. But nothing really prepares you for what’s ACTUALLY out there. Are you ready? Deep breath. There’s a dirt jump line, a couple of pump tracks, downhill sections (we did 4 or so– one was pretty gnarly too, there were a couple of gap jumps), a dual slalom course, climbing trails, a coffee shop, a souvenir shop, and a whole lot more. As their reply to us said it best: “we’re still a small park, but constantly expanding!”

And expanding, they are.

ONE-OF-A-KIND RIDING

Located in Mori-machi, the burgeoning bike park is perfectly set in the middle of one of the most beautiful and lush forests we’ve ever been to, with a lot of wildlife, and best of all, an amazing community and team that breathe life into it in a very special way. The moment you arrive at the park, you know that you’re going to be in for a very different kind of day. It’s pretty self-contained: there are all sorts of bikes that you can rent, kid’s bikes to hardtails, full-suspensions to E-MTBs, the park has what you’d need although most of the people we saw arrive and ride that day had their own bikes.

And as you can see in the photo below, the van lifestyle rules supreme in these parts.

We mentioned earlier all the cool riding you can do in Million and there’s so much you can do and explore; the two that stand out though are the gravity riding (that range from green to black) and the dual-slalom sections. The latter being so much more fun when done with a bunch of friends, maybe even a little bit of competition slid in, throw in a lot of yelling and smiling.

You’ve got yourself a lot of party laps.

The park’s myriad of riding sections are interesting– they’re shorter than other bike parks, let’s get that out of the way, but they’re more packed with great moments. It’s instantly obvious, seconds in when riding, that the people who built these gravity lines knew exactly what they were doing, where they were doing it (meaning they knew their land intimately), and how to make the most out of everything they cut, shaped, built, and shred in the area. And as soon as we met the people behind it, we found out why. One of the park’s partners is actually the land’s owner, so yes, they really do know this land like it’s their own. And that we feel, is the heart of the reason why this bike park works.

We spoke with Kotaru, who is a partner and operator of the park, about their future plans to not just add more lines and make them longer, but to also partner with different groups and individuals from in and out of Japan. We were also there that day with our friends from Yamaha and the Japan Mountain Bikers group, with Hiroshi and his crew.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

What makes Million a must-go and must-have in any biker’s Japan itinerary is definitely the community that makes its home there. The people that run it, run it with an unmatched heart for the outdoors and for mountain biking. Their relationship with the place they call their home is something to admire and aspire to, seamlessly integrating themselves and their park into the existing landscape, making sure to leave as much as they can unbothered.

Ginga, who runs the coffee and snack spot “Million Pit Stop”, also handcrafts and sells small bike bags that you can purchase at the park (photo above), her cafe’s selection of refreshments are a definite yes as well. Osamu, mentioned earlier as the partner who owns the land, is present and a capable rider as well. Takeshi, an engineer and designer by trade, cuts tracks and rides them any time he can and as much as he can– he was there teaching young kids how to ride their bikes too. Kouta, who actually named the park, wasn’t there that day but we did get to try his newest track and it was a joy to ride; absent too was Tomoki. Hopefully next time we’ll ride with them.

Basically, what we’re saying is you’ll not only remember the ride in this awesome park, but you’ll also never forget how everything (people especially) made you feel. And that’s really what it’s all about.

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