Sanpo hits different in Japan
Walking in America impression:
First of all, it feels like a “walk.” And, you could get hit by a car.
Or, you walk two blocks, and there’s suddenly a free-way and loud.
Japan:
There are more people walking than in cars. All the streets feel connected, so you can go on a “new route” and still get to where you’re headed. And, discover your favorite “route” to different locations for different moods or feelings you want to experience. And then, at least in a relatively decent sized city, you can just take the train or the bus, or even a ride-share rent bikes back home.
Longest Walk
Walking Across Rainbow bridge
You can walk across it! It has rainbow lights at night!! You have to take an elevator up to the walking path. Would maybe possibly not recommend walking across this bridge…
Ota-ku
My (Chie) favorite part about taking a 散歩 in Ota-ku where I mention in the podcast, and also Fukuoka and Kumamoto is that you can run into unexpected shrines or a really calming alley-way or a small park on the side of a hill. All the while experiencing the flowers people have planted on side walks or in their front yard space. If you’re a morning person, you can also catch パン屋さん baking fresh breads that fill the air.
Niko and I show relevant pictures and maps in these podcast episodes. Check out the video versions if you ever get curious of what some of these things we’re talking about looks like^^
some places mentioned:
- 山王公園
- 博多駅
- 下北沢
- 中目黒
Sakura Streets
中目黒の夜桜 is super famous and Niko has some vivid memories walking home with Rei(his partner) at night after the crowd has died down. The sakura season is serious business, so if you are going to an even during that season, go prepared knowing that it will be very very crowded. You might also find common 屋台 at any events that are out on the streets or at shrines like たこ焼き or りんご飴, etc. (they usually only take cash, too).
桜吹雪. What a beautiful word to describe the blizzard of sakura petals as they fall and fill the streets and small canals that they’re near.
Experiencing the passing of seasons
銀杏の木 or a Ginko tree That turns a golden yellow in the fall. Everywhere in Japan I have been to has an unspoken tradition of having plant life that signifies the changing of the season as they come and go. You’ll also see flowers that are labeled in the neighborhood 花壇 what they are and sometimes who or what organization helped plant them there, like elementary schools near by or a community organization.
明治神宮外苑 and Synchronized Exercising
ラジオ体操- Radio Stretching/Exercising
Often seen done in situations like where Niko was describing, early morning parks or a rest area where older people gather together and listen to the ラジオ体操 guided-music played on a speaker, or at other organizations like a factory where the workers all gather around and get their bodies moving before the day, or on the TV at night for people to follow along.
散歩 or チャリ
this is a tough question! Which would you choose to enjoy a leisurely Sunday morning to soak up some sun?
- 公園
- チャリ
- 大濠公園
Having a bike in Japan is life-changing^^ If you’re just visiting, there are some places you can rent bikes, or apps that let you use rentable bikes. Definitely recommend purchasing one if you live in Japan.
Mom-Bikes
ママチャリ- common bicycle of choice (historically more popular amongst women) that has a nice basket in the front to carry groceries or purse, and the lower bar in the middle to avoid having to kick your legs up so high if you were wearing skirts or dresses, etc. It can be equipped with with 1 or 2 child seats to hull your young kids around in if you have children. One in the front where the basket would be, and one in the back. These days, there are a lot of variety of these ママチャリ, and there are ones with heavy duty electric motors on them (電動自転車、or 電チャリ）, too, so it’s not as tiresome to carry around two extra humans around in.
バイク in Japan will mean motorcycle (exception:マウンテンバイク if you say the whole word). So, if you mean bicycles, use 自転車 or チャリ・チャリンコ）
Trivia for the day: the word チャリ referring to a bicycle comes from the sound the bicycle bells make: チャリンチャリン。
Bike Parking
If you take your bike to the train station or into the city, you’ll most likely have to pay for a bike parking spot. They are sometimes located underground, and have bike-elevator-conveyor belts where you can push your bike up on more easily. You might also see bike parkings that sort of stack on top of each other, too.