MATSUYAMA -- A blind woman in western Japan has authored a picture book based on her experience at age 60 of fulfilling her lifelong dream of riding a bike.

       In the picture book, whose title roughly translates to "Ponta rides a tandem bicycle" (A4, 17 pages), a dog named Ponta brings a blind woman to her grandchild living in a neighboring town. They ride a tandem bicycle, which has seats and pedals for two people -- one who controls the handlebar at the front, and the other who does not steer but helps with pedaling in the back seat.

       The story offers readers a chance to deepen their understanding of tandem bicycling as well as of visually impaired people, and teaches children the importance of having dreams.

       Sumie Watanabe, right, is seen riding a tandem bicycle at the Matsuyama cycling stadium in the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, on Nov. 14, 2021. She commented, "It's wonderful to be able to do something you can't usually do." (Mainichi/Yuichi Nakagawa)

       The picture book is based on the experience of Sumie Watanabe, 70, an acupuncture and moxibustion practitioner from the western Japan town of Kihoku, Ehime Prefecture. She suffers from retinitis pigmentosa -- a government-designated intractable disease -- and was born with poor vision, and later went completely blind.

       Watanabe mounted a tandem bicycle for the first time in 2012 after she was invited by an acquaintance to participate in an event held by the certified nonprofit organization Tandem Bicycling Non-chan Club. As a child, Watanabe felt jealousy toward her younger sister who practiced cycling with their parents, and has continued to admire bikes as vehicles that symbolize free movement.

       "Although I was worried whether I'd be able to ride it, those concerns were blown away once I moved forward," she said. "I realized this is what I wanted to do. I was able to ride on a bicycle. My dream came true."

       Watanabe sent the nonprofit organization a draft of the story narrating her happiness following the experience of gliding along in the wind by pedaling on her own, and director Kaoru Tsuga, 70, suggested it be turned into a picture book.

       Watanabe appears in the book as a character named "Suu chan." Ponta the dog, who was inspired to practice riding a tandem bicycle after seeing Suu chan on one, takes her to a neighboring town on the two-person bicycle at the end of the story. In addition, the book contains useful information, including the term "pilot," referring to the person seated at the front, and expressions such as "3 o'clock," indicating "right," and "9 o'clock," indicating "left," which help visually-impaired individuals easily discern which way something is taking place. It was also mentioned that the bike seats can be positioned so that the front and back are set at different heights.

       "Through the picture book, I'd like all children and people with disabilities to be encouraged to have dreams," said Watanabe, who realized her own dream herself after waiting for decades.

       For more information, please contact Tsuga at the phone number 090-3189-5918 (in Japanese).

       (Japanese original by Yuichi Nakagawa, Matsuyama Bureau)

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