I love the bicycle culture of Utsunomiya. We ride our bikes nearly everywhere we go; I've been inside of a car less than a handful of times since arriving. However, there have been some adjustments.
Everyone has a bike.
I have to ride on the left side of the road instead of the right.
When crossing the street, I look right and then left.
I never buy more than I can carry in my basket.
In Japan, you always obey the street lights, even if there are no cars coming.
We usually ride slow and carry on conversations with our Japanese friends as we ride.
Every bike is locked up individually; there are no bike racks.
My bike has a built-in bike lock.
I have to remember where I keep the key.
When I ride down some streets, the sewer is covered by stones and they make a beautiful stoney noise as you ride over them.
The streets are so narrow, there are mirrors on the corner of most streets so you can see oncoming traffic.
Some places have more bike parking than car parking spaces.
I have learned how to ride a bicycle and hold an umbrella at the same time.
I have learned how to ride a bicycle and hold an umbrella at the same time.
I love riding bikes.
I remember when I visited England with my folding bike last year. I didn't think it was going to be too hard just riding the other direction - but it was much harder than I thought it would be. No crashes though, luckily!
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