Wednesday, May 07, 2003

Train Society vs Car Society Photos of a bike parking lot near Kichijoji station, Tokyo. It costs 2,000 yen per month, which is roughly $16.67 (using 120yen per dollar). Thinking about getting us some bikes. Bike to the station - ride the train - walk to work from Yotsuya station. Probably save me around 10 minutes each way. I don't drive in Japan, because they're on the wrong side of the road and there's only centimeters between your car and a pedestrian. Not to mention it costs a couple of thousands of dollars to get a license in Japan and parking/gas prices are outrageous.  I'm not bitching .. the train system here is awesome. Not only the train system, but the whole living system built for people who are dependant on them (like ME). One thing I noticed today is that there are lockers at most stations I've visited, which usually cost around 300 yen, but save you from having to lug around stuff you bought or your briefcase/laptop. I even found lockers outside a department store (pronounced De-Paato in Japanese). In the states, if you pickup something you would normally leave it in your car (hidden from line of site) and drive to the next location. My current Tokyo life revolves around train stations and not parking lots. 3:24:33 AM    comment []