Japan Facts; Bicycles

Probably one of the few Japanese Facts that I was aware of before coming to Japan was the importance of Japanese bicycles.I remember when I first started working in Toronto and was at an age where physical fitness was of the utmost importance. My first job was about forty minutes away by car, taking into account a day that was fairly clear of traffic. However, the parking spaces were limited and paying for gas meant digging into my savings and that wasn't really something that I felt keen on doing. So, after a stubborn one-sided argument with my parents, I ended up riding my bike to and from work. In the beginning, it was tough climbing all those steep hills and negotiating across several lanes of traffic, but it got me from ‘A' to ‘B' in a decent amount of time and burned off several hundred calories per day in the process.

When I changed jobs, I came to the realization that I could no longer ride my mountain bike to work due to the increased distance. It would take me nearly three hours one way! It was with great disappointment that I gave up my cycling habits and reluctantly took up the habit of driving to work. During the winter, I was forced to take public transportation thanks to the driveway being snowed in without a snow plow in sight.

Living in Japan has given me the opportunity to get back on a bike so that I may also get back into shape and save some extra cash. Sometimes, depending on where I want to go on my days off, the transportation costs really start to add up. I find that this is easily avoidable by sticking to my bicycle and taking more direct routes to my intended destinations.

Whereas in Canada it is considered to be strange for someone, especially fully clad in a pristinely ironed business suit, to ride their bike to work, it is perfectly normal in Japan. I see men and women everyday cycling to the station, crossing over the bridge to Umeda, or racing around corners to make up for lost time. Bicycles are a very important means of transportation in Japan, and not just for saving money and staying fit. They are convenient for navigating the back roads where most motor vehicles dare not tread. Shorter distances travelled by bicycles makes more economic sense, allowing the cyclist to make use of the basket connected to their front handlebars for shopping and carrying baggage. Since children cannot ride on the backs of scooters, parents without cars use bicycles to chauffeur their infants and smaller children around. There are specially designed seats for children that attach to either the front handlebars of the parent's bicycle, or over the rear fender, to make the ride a safe one for the child.

I used to arrive at my destination in Toronto via my bicycle and then spend precious minutes scouring the area for somewhere to lock it up. In times of desperation, I would choose a spot far from where I was headed. A couple of times I ended up chaining my bicycle to a nearby fence, stop signs, and slender trees crawling with ants. In Japan, locking up my bike has never posed much of a problem. There are parking areas for bicycles just about everywhere. In front of or next to train stations, alongside the shopping malls or department stores, at the bottom or underneath apartment buildings etc. I never have to worry about finding a place to park my bicycle so long as I don't accidentally leave it in a bicycle restricted zone.

Japan is quite amazing in that just about everybody owns and/or rides a bicycle. One of my private students takes her children everywhere on her bicycle. Bicycles are incredibly flexible when it comes to weaving throughout the city because they can navigate through paths that are inaccessible by car. Seeing as how finding a parking spot in Japan is also quite a trial, especially during rush hour, the convenience of locking up a bicycle just about anywhere really is a great thing.

I, myself, am not too skilled when it comes to finding my way along the many unmarked streets in Japan because I am so used to the main roads of Canada. Speeding along a direct route is more enjoyable for me when I'm not exploring so I tend to stick with the riverside and parks to race around in. Luckily my wife always seems to know where she's going so when I'm feeling like a leisurely bike ride, I let her map out the trail for me. A couple of my other friends who set out early in the day, and aren't averse to getting lost, test their directional skills by shooting off for a random destination.

My friends, and myself included, have used those wonderful bicycle baskets to carry home all sort of wonderful items. Returning from the supermarket with grocery shopping stored in the basket is a bit too ‘normal' for some of us. We've tried to pile just about anything imaginable into our bicycle baskets. One reason is of course for the sake of convenience. The other is just to have some senseless fun. Probably the largest object that I've balanced on top of that basket was a very big heavy box filled with an assemble-it-yourself expanding laundry rack. And was it ever heavy! Another friend rode all the way to Yodobashi Camera from nearly Takatsuki and returned home with a stereo and speakers jammed halfway into the basket and the rest balanced precariously over the handlebars. Someone else I know likes to stack a week's supply of ramen of all shapes and sizes into his bicycle basket. It wouldn't seem so odd except that ramen is the only thing that he regularly shops for.

Japanese bicycles really are exceptionally sturdy, designed to take the pressures of daily use and withstand the elements. I've had my bicycle for three and a half years now and it's put up with more abuse than any of my previous bicycles have. For one thing, I have always been annoyed at how easily the chain falls off of bicycles when I go over high curbs or backpedal. In the entire time that I've had my Japanese bicycle, the chain has never once fallen off. Much to my amazement, the tires are also very durable because I've never punctured them accidentally riding over glass or broken umbrella parts after a major typhoon. And speaking of typhoons, although my bicycle has gone through several of those it is still rust-free!

Apparently, my amazement at the workmanship of Japanese bicycles is nothing new. Japanese bicycles and bicycle parts are well known in the world for their unique designs, quality, and attention to detail. While I was aware that the really amazing Shimano gear-shifting system was Japanese in origin, I hadn't known that many of the popular bicycles in North America were also Japanese brands or made in Japan. Names like Bianchi, Bridgestone, and the short lived American Eagle.

There are a number of interesting types of bicycles in Japan, including the very common basket-in-the-front type that I own. The right bicycle is chosen based on many factors, the most important being comfort according to the market research on bicycles in Japan. A smaller but still significant percentage of the population will elect to buy a bicycle for sport or exercise, favoring racers and mountain bikes. An equally significant portion will pick a bicycle suitable for a specific age group, like children.

While I hadn't seen adult bicycles with baskets in Canada, these standard forms did not surprise me as much as the electric bicycles. The first time I saw one buzz past me at a moderate speed, I whirled around to stare at it in bewilderment. It wasn't going very fast but the main point of interest was that the cyclist wasn't peddling at all. After seeing this bicycle in action, I began to wonder why the cyclist had chosen an electric powered bicycle when she could've just bought a scooter capable of travelling several times faster. I did a bit of research, asked some questions, and came to this conclusion - the electrical device attached to these bicycles is only intended to support the cyclist. If the bicycle were to travel any faster, it would no longer be considered a bicycle. The limitations of electric bicycles are what differentiate them from scooters, separating them into two different categories. Therefore, the same laws that apply to scooters are not placed upon electric bicycles. I'd imagine that it would be pretty troublesome to have to apply for a special license to operate an electrically assisted bicycle.

Just the other day, as I was returning from Kyoto late at night, I felt sympathy towards a foreigner who'd somehow managed to get into the Hankyu train station... with his very expensive looking racer. There aren't any ‘no bicycle' signs located in any of the train stations in Japan (that I've noticed anyway) so I could understand how he might have assumed that it was okay to take his racer with him. Unfortunately, although he had gotten as far as the tracks without anyone noticing, one of the station attendants did spot his bicycle before he was able to board the train. I overheard a bit of their discussion where the foreigner was explaining that he'd cycled to Kyoto from Osaka! Just thinking of the time and distance separating Kyoto from Osaka really impressed me. The downside was that he'd ridden all the way to Kyoto, burnt himself out, and didn't have the energy to make it back again.

I can think of several times where the same thing happened to me in Canada, where I'd been riding for several hours and exhausted myself before starting off on the return trip. The only difference is that in Canada it's okay to take your bicycle onto the public transportation system so long as it isn't during rush hour.

The station attendant looked surprised to hear such a story, and it wasn't hard to believe considering the matching cycling attire that the man was wearing and the fact that he looked absolutely exhausted, but rules were rules. Much to the dismay of the cyclist, he was forced to leave the station with his bicycle because bicycles are not allowed on the trains. Well, now I know why I've never seen a bicycle on a train.

I think that if that man had been riding a bicycle equipped with an electric-powered unit, he could have switched over to it upon wearing himself out. Some people that I've talked to think that those types of bicycles are for lazy people while others claim that they're useful in such a situation. While opinions are divided on electric bicycles, I think that having the option available could be a lifesaver if you ever find yourself with a leg cramp or lost in the middle of nowhere. After all, you can use the bicycle as you would a normal one when the electric power is not in use so it isn't so different from a regular bicycle. In fact, if I had such a bicycle, I might find myself venturing off further into the far reaches of Japan, and more often. It might just provide a sense of security that will encourage people to use bicycles to travel greater distances and more frequently.

In terms of pollution, regular bicycles are completely harmless to the environment so they seem like the logical choice for keeping the planet green and clean. They're also fun and help me stay active so I prefer cycling about as opposed to worrying about the traffic and gas consumption of driving a car. If I had my way, I'd have 3 or 4 bicycles in my possession for different purposes. One for shopping, another for racing, one more for going through rougher terrain, and an electric one for long unguided treks.

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