A new pair of wheels...

Ladies and gentlemen, I am finally the proud owner of a brand-spanking-new bicycle! Yes, this weekend I finally could no longer stand not having a bike, and C and I trekked out to the Takabata Asahi Cycle and bought me a nice, dark-blue bike with a black basket for 10960 yen. Not bad, taking into account the basket, rat trap, fenders, built-in (bike-powered) light, bell, kickstand, and automatic back-wheel lock that came with it. I bought an extra bike lock so as to be able to anchor it to something, but that only cost me an extra 525 yen. The type of bike is called a ままちゃり (mamachari), and it is what housewives, little old ladies, and college students ride around on, because it's comfy, convenient, and has lots of storage space. I have christened it FROMAGE: le choix, because that is what it has printed on it, and honestly, I don't think I need to be any more creative than that.





The bike has already paid for itself, as these past two nights I have come home from work, scarfed a quick, conbini supper, turned the a/c on low, and hopped on the bike to explore. Much to my chagrin, the two good-quality grocery stores are closed well before I get home in the evenings, but the sheer joy of coasting merrily along, enjoying the summer night's breeze, is such that I haven't minded so much the fact that I haven't actually been able to do anything on my jaunts. It's stopped being oppressively hot in the evenings (although the days are still scorching, with unbelievable humidity), and it's perfect weather for biking.

I have found out, especially tonight, that I am well and truly stranded in suburbia. I hesitate to say "suburban wasteland", because at night, Japanese neighbourhoods are alarmingly poorly lit, and only conbinis, fast-food restaurants, and bars are open. So my idea of the place has, of course, been skewed because of my nocturnal point of view, but there really is a whole lot of nothing around here. Apartment buildings, houses, a junior high school, a bunch of parks for kids... it's mostly residential. It's the sort of place you settle down when you're first married, or have some young kids, or you're looking for a quiet, affordable retirement. I'm okay with that, though - it's lovely and quiet almost all the time, the people are friendly, and it actually kind of reminds me of certain parts of Toronto, weirdly enough. I suppose that, though there's no international standard for large apartment housing blocks, they just don't differ that much the world over.