Rambling in Japan and Cruising Across the Pacific 2005

Observations and Impressions of Japan

Bicycles are used everywhere - right in the heart of the cities but they are obviously not allowed to be ridden on the roads. They share the narrow sidewalks with the pedestrians, navigating speedily around them haphazardly, often narrowly missing calamity. Sometimes we'd hear a tiny bell ring behind us warning their intentions but mostly we were surprised by the sudden veering around us - until we became aware and on guard. The bicyclists lock their bikes to pipes along the road edge of the sidewalks or at huge bike parking lots near the stations. The bicycles are not mountain bikes or racing bikes but the formal upright British style, often sporting a child carrier up front, sometimes surrounded by a windshield and sometimes there'll be another child seat in the rear. All ages rode them, young men in casual attire, older ladies, young women on their way to work in skirts and high heels, and the most dangerous of all, the men in navy suits, probably afraid of being late for work.

Men in Suits - The navy suit, maybe black or slate grey but always dark and never brown with a muted tie is the businessman's uniform. How amusing it was to watch a group of ten or so parting at the station one evening. Each would bow deeply to every other individual in turn and from a distance they looked like those little toy wooden water-drinking birds that sat on the edge of a glass, that I had as a child.

posted by O'Leary @ 9:00 AM