Virtual cycling phenomenon Zwift adds a Japanese-inspired world – Yumezi and the Makuri Islands

Virtual cyclists worldwide are heading to the Makuri Islands to sample traditional Japanese culture based on a poem by Meiji-era poet, Shiki Masaoka.

Zwift has added a traditional Japanese experience for virtual cyclists at the Makuri Islands and Yumezi, a Japanese haiku-inspired name, with its two characters (夢路) taken from a poem by Meiji-era poet, Shiki Masaoka.

Over the past year on my trusty rusty bike, I’ve ridden through Trafalgar Square, around the Arc de Triomphe, through Central Park New York, and through southern France along the same routes used in the Tour de France. There’s also been rides alongside the picturesque mountains near Innsbruck Austria.

I’ve ridden around a cluster of fantasy islands that include a volcanic island with lava flowing underneath bridges, through underwater tunnels with transparent roofs and whales swimming overhead, and in a Jurassic panorama with dinosaurs grazing by the roadside as you cycle by. I’ve also cycled off-road on a challenging dirt track.

Of course this is not real world cycling but virtual cycling with Zwift, where you plonk your modified bike with a rear-wheel smart trainer in front of the TV, and ride, pretending you are somewhere else. It proved a great psychological antidote for lockdown confinement.

In a year I virtually rode 2,547 kilometres, climbed 18, 288 metres and consumed 31,618 calories in the process, so my Zwift stats reveal – all in the living room. If you think that’s a lot for an old bloke, my much younger colleagues and friends on Zwift have probably done three or four times that or maybe more.

The above serves to show that when Zwift decides to expand the worlds available to its cyclists, there is a rustling excitement in the virtual cycling world. Particularly after a lull of new content. That has happened today in the rollout of Zwift’s latest world. We are all now heading to Japan, or should I say, virtualised Japan, to the mysterious Makuri Islands.

The Makuri Islands don’t appear to exist in the real world; the closest I found on Google Maps was the Makuri River in New Zealand.

Makuri Islands and Yumezi. Picture: Zwift

Zwift, in a media release, says the first map within the Makuri Islands is Yumezi, a fantasy countryside inspired by Japanese culture. Yumezi is a Japanese haiku-inspired name, with its two characters (夢路) taken from a poem by Meiji-era poet, Shiki Masaoka. “Some key features of Yumezi include ginkgo forests bristling with life and mystical creatures, cherry blossom trees, gushing waterfalls and ancient temples,” Zwift says.

Yumezi overall will feature eight new routes across 85 km of roads. The routes include a short challenging climb from the peaceful fishing village, a scenic loop filled with temples and shrines, a 15.9km ride from farmlands to mystical mountains, a route that explores two villages, and a flat route winding around the countryside.

“Yumezi boasts a wide variety of road types from tight, flat, winding roads ideal for fast races to dirt roads and cobbled market streets,” says Zwift.

Riding Makuri Islands and Yumezi. Picture: Zwift.