Cooperative Chaos

Biking in Kyoto. In most posts, I say "we biked over to . . . " or "we jumped on our bikes and . . . ." It's our major and most frequent method of transportation. If you're picturing something orderly, like say Amsterdam, with marked-out bike paths and rules (even laws), think again. In Kyoto, bikers ride anywhere and in any direction. Bikers ride in streets and on sidewalks, on the left or on the right, in the bike path but probably not, in the rain with umbrellas, while texting, with children and huge packages aboard. Yet it all works. Everyone is polite and moves aside, or swerves, or does whatever is necessary to have harmony amidst the chaos. At first I was terrified. And I still often run an American soundtrack through my head--what you would hear on an American street: "You idiot!" as someone steps in front. "What are you thinking!" "Get the f--- out of the way." In Kyoto, never a word, not even a dirty look. Everyone just moves through it all--business as usual. Here are some pictures, but they don't capture the action very well.

The bike path--just a suggestion. I did see one sign, on the far south side of town, warning of bike-pedestrian collisions. But mostly it's a non-issue, and a non-event. Everyone bikes. The driving age is 18 here (a fabulous idea!), so teenagers use bikes; housewives bike to the grocery

store, even salarymen bike to work.

Here I am, biking in the rain. I found it a little challenging to hold an umbrella and ride, so I had an umbrella holder, fairly common, installed on my bike.

Best of all--the locks, pictured here. A thin circle that goes through the spokes. You park your bike, click the circle through, remove the key, and you're on your way. No big heavy chains, no post or bike rack necessary. "Gone in 60 seconds!"you're saying. Not in Kyoto.