I like how all these bicycles, which are actually illegally parked on the side of the sidewalk, are so nicely in line.
I'm sure some people are just inside the store across the street and will come get their bikes after shopping and ride away. But others will be sitting here for weeks and weeks.
That is, until the ward clears the area of bicycles. They pile the illegal bikes onto trucks and make you pay 3000yen to have it returned. And by returned, I mean, you need to go pick it up at your designated district lot where they keep all the bicycles up to 45 days (only open on Tuesdays to Saturdays from 1 to 6pm). After that it's anyone's guess where they go.
So don't park illegally on the streets...but thank you for providing an interesting photo opportunity.
Do a lot of people in Japan use bikes as a form of transportation? Here they're about 98% recreation.
ReplyDeleteI suppose there was the comfort of being in a crowd when the bikes were illegally parked here. And a super photo opportunity with the cool shadows it was indeed!
ReplyDeleteI like those shadows too!
ReplyDeleteHere's another thumbs-up for the shadows!
ReplyDeleteWonderful a place where alike is possible.
ReplyDeletePlease have a good Friday.
I parked my bicycle (legally and for free) here daily for a couple years. Maybe I should go back there some day and see if I can finally find where I left it. Oh, wait. There it is now. Leaving after a quick stop off in Inokashira Park.
ReplyDeleteI really like your shadows also. A good balance of positive and negative space, as it were: Reminiscent of arabesque patterns; or hookah and sitar silhouettes. The neat line belies their illegality. The bicycles don’t look jumbled up and rushed at all.
In Melbourne and San Francisco, people park their bikes by locking them to posts, gates etc. Even so, I lost my bike once, in Melbourne.
ReplyDeleteI am sure most of these are locked, but I love that they don't need to be attached to anything.
Love your photo Kaori.
Happy Weekend, Ev
Hi everyone! Thank you for all your comments!
ReplyDelete@Karin, probably more than your city. But the majority of people don't use bicycles for transportation and those who do mostly use it to get from their house to the nearest train station. Or to go grocery shopping...things like that in their own neighborhood :-)
@Francisca, yes I think you're right! :D
@Lois, thank you! They were what actually caught my eye ;D
@Rurousha, shadows really are so interesting, aren't they? ;-D
@Robert, thank you! :D
@TallGary, I really like how in line they are, as if people are actually allowed to park there! ;-)
@Evelyn, Thank you! I need to get a close up sometime...a lot of our bicycles actually have a lock on it already. It locks the tires so you can't ride it :-)
I think Japanese people are extra-orderly and polite. The bikes here would never look as nice. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the diagonal on this. And the shadows are funny. If you tilt your head to the right they look like a bunch of angry villagers headed to Frankenstein's house with torches and pitchforks and maybe some crosses for good measure.
ReplyDeleteGreat image Kaori, loved the story about all these extremely well parked bicycles!!ps agree btw about the shadows.
ReplyDelete@Halcyon, or maybe we just have a lot of bicycle elves that come out at night to line them up! ;D
ReplyDelete@Rachel, you and your imagination! haha. But now that you mention it... ;-D
@Grace, Thank you! I was glad I took this mid afternoon and the shadows were straight behind the bikes :D
Great photo!
ReplyDeleteIn Finland bikes are popular. There are many special parking lots for them here, though some people just leave them in the grass or snow near bus and train stations ^_^
ReplyDelete