Riding around the streets during this first week, I’d noticed blue netting folded up neatly at corners or by the sides of building and kept wondering what it was for. This morning the mystery of the blue netting was revealed. It’s for the neighbourhood to put their garbage in on garbage pickup day, the net presumably so the large black crows don’t tear it apart, and also to keep everything contained.
Another thing I learned about bikes in the city is there are quite strict rules about where bikes can be parked, especially downtown. Heading over to the Maruzen bookstore, I parked my bike in one of the bike parking lots.
You don’t usually have to pay if it’s a short time, and there’s a locking mechanism that locks the bike. When it’s time to pick up your bike, you go to the payment vending machine and punch in the lock number. I did this, but when I went back to my bike, I couldn’t get the bike out of the lock rack.
After several times of trying, unable to decipher the instructions broadcast out of the vending machine and no attendant in sight, panic started to set in. Finally, another person came in to get their bike and he helped me; I wasn’t yanking it out hard enough.
The bike parking lot at one of the subway stations is quite cool. You wheel your bike to an underground parking lot for bikes. The best part is, when it comes time to wheel your bike back up to ground level, an automatic conveyor belt gives an assist.
The river flows south
Shijo bridge packed with people
I can ride away
