Obliviousness and Bicycling in Japan
Commuting on our bikes is a routine for us now, and it's interesting how differently bicycling is perceived here. Almost everyone bicycles. Old men, old ladies, tiny children, students, mothers with kids piled in the baskets, everyone. The most common bike is a beat-up, rusting piece of crap with U-shaped handle bars and baskets. Almost everyone rides them incorrectly with their knees jutting out at a ridiculous angle and maintaining a speed that's not much faster than walking. It's rare to see someone on a properly-fitting road bike or commuter hybrid. And helmets are practically nonexistent except for on really small children.
But bicycling here is so pleasant. Bicyclists ride wherever they want, however they want, and drivers are obligated to watch for them. Everyone's told me it's because the laws automatically favor the smaller vehicle in any accident. So even if a bicyclist is doing something wildly dangerous, if a driver hits them, the driver is immediately responsible for the accident. It's refreshing because I'm not constantly worried a car is going to clip me or turn in to me as I'm going through an intersection, because most of the drivers are remarkably cautious. I still pay attention, but I don't feel paranoid/on the verge of death when riding down the road.
The flip side of this is that it makes all the other bicyclists way, way more dangerous. They ride out into traffic without looking, they ride the wrong way down the road, they text while bicycling, the ride with an umbrella in one hand, they ride five abreast down a busy street while chatting, they ride while completely plastered. The obliviousness of Japanese bicyclists and pedestrians is mind-boggling. One of our neighbors jokes that it's the lack of iron in their diet. There might be something to this theory. Anyway, I'm not sure what the deal is, but it annoys the crap out of me. One of our neighbors, C, was in a bike-on-bike accident in which a schoolgirl came flying around a corner (going the wrong way) and plowed into C. SO hard that it tacoed her front wheel and sent her over the handlebars.
I just got a faster bike and I want to ride it to school, but not before I buy a helmet and look like a total square. You can't be too cautious with those dangerous schoolgirls zooming around.
But bicycling here is so pleasant. Bicyclists ride wherever they want, however they want, and drivers are obligated to watch for them. Everyone's told me it's because the laws automatically favor the smaller vehicle in any accident. So even if a bicyclist is doing something wildly dangerous, if a driver hits them, the driver is immediately responsible for the accident. It's refreshing because I'm not constantly worried a car is going to clip me or turn in to me as I'm going through an intersection, because most of the drivers are remarkably cautious. I still pay attention, but I don't feel paranoid/on the verge of death when riding down the road.
The flip side of this is that it makes all the other bicyclists way, way more dangerous. They ride out into traffic without looking, they ride the wrong way down the road, they text while bicycling, the ride with an umbrella in one hand, they ride five abreast down a busy street while chatting, they ride while completely plastered. The obliviousness of Japanese bicyclists and pedestrians is mind-boggling. One of our neighbors jokes that it's the lack of iron in their diet. There might be something to this theory. Anyway, I'm not sure what the deal is, but it annoys the crap out of me. One of our neighbors, C, was in a bike-on-bike accident in which a schoolgirl came flying around a corner (going the wrong way) and plowed into C. SO hard that it tacoed her front wheel and sent her over the handlebars.
I just got a faster bike and I want to ride it to school, but not before I buy a helmet and look like a total square. You can't be too cautious with those dangerous schoolgirls zooming around.