Transportation
Trains in Japan: きしゃ The Kisha
Apr 11th
I don’t know about you but I love trains and commuting on them! It just makes life a lot easier to not have to worry about finding a parking spot, paying for parking, paying attention to the rode, and of course paying for gas. Here is a diesel train that goes from Karatsu to Saga. Most trains in Japan are electricity powered and are called “Densha” (Den for electric and Sha for vehicle).
Here is a really small station in Japan. So small that there isn’t any staff at all.
No need for a caption on this picture.
Fukuoka Pictures: Nishitetsu Train Line
Dec 12th
This is a picture of the Nishitetsu Train heading toward Tenjin just in the evening. You can notice the the train is pretty packed. It’s not Tokyo packed but pretty crowded none the less. If I remember correctly I was a couple stops past Ohashi Station filling in for a friend at a language school. Ahhh…I love the Nishitetsu line for some reason. I guess it’s the charm of a small simple train that is used by thousands of people daily.
Fukuoka Pictures: Uras VIP Drift Car
Dec 11th
Our friends over at URAS turned a usual “Jiisan” (old mans car) car into a VIP Drift Car. It took them a couple months to finish it and the biggest problem they had was the wiring. Unlike a lot of American turners that just scrap the wiring and run a stand alone computer system to run the basics (ie. Engine and guages). Most Japanese sports car/drifters want their performance and they air conditioner!! I am with them on this one especially when the temperature hits 35 degrees C (over 100 degrees F). You never know what car URAS is going to tune, but they are always fast and interesting.
Mamachari: The Urban Transportation Vehicle
Nov 20th
ママチャリ
What is a Mamachari? A Mamachari is a bicycle but not just any bicycle. A Mamachari is a “Mothers” or “Grandmothers” bicycle. It’s a bike that if you rode it in any other country then Japan, or perhaps another Asian country, people would laugh at you. It’s a bike that technology forgot about. It’s a multi-purpose urban transportaion vehicle. It’s a bike that you can use a 100 Yen lock and not worry about.
A Mamachari is very popular among the students in Japan. Most students usually lower the seat as low as possible and ride pretty slow to where ever their destination is, if there is even a destination. I guess you could say that they ride it “lowrider Style”. These “Grandmother” bicycles can also be called “Charinko” and I am sure there are several other nicknames out there.
A Mamachari must have the following:
* A basket
* A rack in the back
* A bell
* A single speed and freewheel
* A light
The best thing about a Mamachari is that it’s easy to ride your friends around, if they don’t have a bike of their own. You can either have them site on the back rack or if your cool enough you will invest in some pegs for the back wheel hub so your friend can just stand on them, although the police are sometimes not happy about this.
One thing you probably want to do to your Mamachari is trick it out a little bit with some stickers or something that will help you identify it in the sea of similar looking bicycles in the city. I personally like to put some cool stickers on the chain guard and I also leave some unique trash or something in my basket. That way I know exactly which bike is mine. I have also had friends get some paint and paint their bike crazy colors to help them stand out. Basically the sky is the limit.
Long distance, short distance, it really doesn’t matter because a Mamachari can handle all of the above. To me these bikes just have a lot of soul. If you are the type of person that likes to get places fast then I would have to say a Mamachari isn’t right for you. If you are a person that likes crusing around, checking out the sites, going the long way home, then this bike is perfect for you.