Jidensha....*shiver*

Everyday I go to and from school by jidensha (or, bicycle). On an average day in Japan you will see at least 100 different bicycles. At certain points in the day these bicycles stretch as far as they eye can see! Everyone rides bicycles to school or work everyday, rain or shine, pants or skirt. This requires much more skill than you would think. First day I rode a bike in Japan was probably the scariest experience ever. It is hard to describe how scary riding bikes in Japan is but these people must have it down to an art form in order to not have many major accidents every day! Streets in Japan are very narrow so as a pro Japanese bicycler you must become very good at judging exactly how big your bike is and squeezing it into the narrowest places possible. This is usually right in between a moving car and a gutter. Mornings and evenings everyone is going to or returning from work so this makes life even more difficult for now you have to add weaving in and out of business men and school girls to your repertoire of skills! As if that is not enough, rainy days make this REALLY interesting. You think riding a bike one-handed is a fun little skill to have at home. Well, try riding carrying and umbrella in one hand and attempting to deftly make minute turns in order to avoid major accidents (you can never turn too hard or you will run into something, or someone).
School girls in Japan have to be particularly skilled for everyday they add a skirt to this fiasco. I guess that wind must be the biggest pervert of them all because it loves to blow right up your skirt and attempt to flash everyone around.

Granted, riding bicycles is great exercise. Yes, when I return to America I plan on buying a beach cruiser and riding to school every day. However, if any of you ever plan on making a trip to Japan. Please, please! hone your bike riding skills because trust me, they aren't as good as you think. Believe me, it will save you AND some poor pedestrian a lot of terror.