Back in Canada, riding a bike everwhere you go is considered something that kids do, and many adults would be embarrassed to ride their bikes everywhere. But all that changes when we step foot in Japan. With most english schools and their foreign teachers clustered around the major cities, there really is no need for most of us to have cars. In the suburbs of Canada I would have to walk for 20 minutes in the snow just to buy a coke...so of course I always drove my car. But in jam-packed Japan there's a ton of shops and other businesses right on my doorstep, and a ton more within short biking distance. That's one of the benefits of living in miniature world! Not only that, but the majority of gaijin-san only live here for a year or two, so a car is not worth the investment, nor the stress of trying to find parking. I hear that pachinko parlors have free parking, but most pachinko patrons are people I'd rather avoid. So bring on the mami-chari!

My bike has become something akin to a mechanical companion, following me almost everywhere I go and being a bigger part of my experiences here than I could have predicted. Where else in the world can you ride your bicycle (single speed, no less) up to a trendy nightclub, park it out front, and not be laughed off the block? In Canada you have to be worried about being labelled a dork if a bike is your main form of transport, and even if you have a bike, it's got to be a COOL, stylish, expensive bike. Maybe that's fine if mountainbiking is your hobby, but I just want to get from point A to point B (preferably without dying!). I don't need the coolest bike in the world.

Most bikes on the street in Japan are built for practical use, not style. In Canada only old ladies have baskets on their bikes, but here I always have one and I'd never want to give it up. It gives me a place to load my groceries, gym bag, or whatever else. Not only do I transport goods around town, I also transport people!

If your girlfriend lives out in the boondocks and doesn't have her own bike in the city, you can easily double her on the back of your bike, either by having her sit on the back seat (if you have one) or by have her stand on 'steps' (little metal bars that attached to the screws on your back wheel). Again, this is something that would be mocked and ridiculed if you were to try it back home, but it's actually a big convenience when you've gotta get around. Just don't try it in the rain with underinflated tires! It's bad news! Another cool thing that most Canadian bicycles no longer have is a bell. I love ringing the bell and watching everybody run out of the way! I wish I could do that in my car, and make all the other cars haul ass!

Of course there are inconveniences to being stuck with a mere mama-chari as opposed to a car. You can't transport multiple people, you can't escape the heat or the cold, and you can't impress babes with your two-wheeler. But aside from that, you've got to deal with annoyances like the police stopping you for no reason at all, other than your being a gaijin. I know that Japanese people get stopped too, but I was once stopped by the police 4 times in one day!! On the way to the grocery store, and on the way back. Then on the way to the gym, and on the way back. The fourth time I was stopped I told the cop (in Japanese) "You know, this is the fourth time I've been stopped today."
"No, no. That's not right," he replied.
"Yes, it is. Why are you stopping me?"
"Well, ummm, uhhh, there have been a lot of thefts recently."
"So why didn't you check that guy's bike?!" I said, pointing at a Japanese hostboy with an spiky blonde mullet.
"Ummm, uhhhh, sumimasen!" and he walked away bowing to me. That's right, take a hike!! (^o^)

Another time, a policeman saw me from across the street unlocking my bike, then he left his post in front of the South Korean consulate to cross the street and check my bike registration. Luckily no North Korean saboteurs noticed the policeman's absence, because he was supposed to be protecting the place! These bicycle checks have more to do with prejudice than with bicycles, but if you have no bike, they've usually got no excuse to mess with you.

Another pain in the butt is bicycle theft. The crime rate in Japan is quite low, except for the rampant theft of umbrellas and bicycles. Just a couple weeks ago my bicycle was stolen so I had to walk home in the freezing cold (and it was my birthday, too!). A couple of days later I used my credit card to pay for a shiny new bicycle, and then ONE HOUR LATER I found my stolen bike on the ground in front of my gym! So now I have two bikes. What do I need two bikes for?! The theft itself was less annoying than the fact that the thief just dumped the bike 2 blocks from where he stole it. On a different occasion I went to pick up my bike outside of Namba Parks and I caught a guy trying to break the ring lock on my back wheel so he could steal it. I just tapped him on the shoulder and calmly said "Ummmmm, that's my bike". He ran away so fast that he crashed into a few bikes on the way!! Maybe because he was about half my body weight and feared for his life.

In addition to illegal theft, there is also LEGAL theft. When you park your bike illegally (which is difficult not to do), there's a slight chance that it will be impounded by city workers and taken to the "bicycle jail" where you have to go and pay around 2500 yen to bail it out. I think that's fair, since you did park illegally. But for someone new to Japan who can't read Japanese very well, understanding what happened to your bike and where to go to get it back can be pretty tough! I remember taking a shamail photo of my first impound notice, sending it to my Japanese friend and asking him to translate it. When I finally made it to the vicinity of the bicycle jail in Bentencho, I couldn't find it and wandered around in circles for 45 minutes before it finally appeared. Then it was closed for the day and I had to come back another time!!

But if you can deal with those annoyances, and are good at dodging pedestrians who wander out into your path (are you good at video games?), then a bike is the best way to navigate the streets of Osaka. Unlike back home, a bike in Japan is something useful rather than just a recreational item. When I eventually go home to Canada I'm going to miss my granny bike...or disassemble it and take it with me!