...Japanese style. Otherwise known as a mama-chari, these motorized bikes can be seen all over Tokyo. Since Ariana's new school is a few miles away, this seemed the best way to get her back and forth. She and I, both with helmets securely fastened and with shouts of "mama, be careful" from the little back seat driver, made our way carefully through the quiet streets and up the steep hills (hence the need for the motor) to school.
Unscathed.
So far.
Most adults here don't wear helmets and only some of the kids do, so I was quite relieved to see one of the other mothers pulling up to the school in a helmet. "I'm from Chicago", she said when I commented how we seemed to be the only two who were risking looking silly. True, in any big city in America, all you see are people in helmets and for kids, it's the law.
Since the bike "rules of the road" are fluid here (ride on the street unless you can't and then ride on the sidewalk) , you are competing with cars, motorcycles or pedestrians at any given moment. I wonder why more people don't"risk looking silly" as the potential for an accident is pretty good.
I am happy to say that our trips to school have so far been incident free.
So far.
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