Japan: 18 months in 18 pictures – February 07

Part 1 with explanation of the series is here

My second month in Japan continued the incredible feelings of alienation and illiteracy but having got over the jetlag and various surprises of work I discovered the pleasures of bike rides around the Tokyo suburbs. Bike rides done not with some pimp bike that would enhance my maleness in someway and make me look cool but with a mamachari, the mother of all bikes (excuse the pun).

The picture above was taken during my first proper ride, as I set to discover the surroundings of my flat on a day off in early February. I lived in Kiyose for a year, which is proper suburb territory, about 25 mins from town by train and close to Saitama which is the next prefecture along from Tokyo. On that day I not only discovered the pleasures of exploring a city and its (in this case gigantic) suburbs, something I had forgotten about after ten years of living in London, but also how wonderful Japan can be when explored in ‘unconventional’ ways. I didn’t see that much in that first ride, but what I did come across, from private vegetable patches with pick up and pay boxes to cemetaries and a crazy collection of architecture (temples to American-style road side dinners), was an insight into a culture and a country I had little understanding of, and what I did understand and/or know of it was based on stereotypes and borrowed culture. Funnily enough 18 months later as I went travelling around Asia and North America I realised just how much you can learn about a city from riding around the suburbs, something I am decided to do whenever possible from now on.

This was to be the first of many bike rides in my first year, and I learnt and discovered more about Japan cycling around Tokyo suburbs at random than I ever imagined could be possible. This might be a bit of an obvious cliche I guess but it’s true, there is so much more to Tokyo than the hyper-capitalist city center and bright neon lights of Blade Runner fame, and most people never get to see that or experience it, even though it’s right next to them.

Runner up pics:
Sneak attack on a post, the colourful streets of Ebisu, house found while looking for Totoro’s forest and workers having coffee outside Lawson one bright morning.

Flickr set(s):
Looking for Totoro’s forest
Road to Nowhere
Sunday in Ebisu part 1 and 2

Just realised if I do one post a day that’s 18 days and I probably won’t have time with work and holidays. So I guess there might be a few days with multiple posts. I’m aiming to have it all done by xmas. If you like it tell a friend, spread the word. Thanks.