So we got our bikes today. We'd been told that past years had bikes provided for them by some mysterious, unknown party. Only, once we got here, the premises were notably bike-free. It fell to us to track down this mysterious, unknown party, challenge them to a fighting tournament for our bikes, take on their colorful goon squad, wait for one of us to develop a fierce rivalry with their strongest contender, and then beat them in a glorious finale, giving us not only our bikes, but friends for life (nakama in potentia for those of you manga readers). Or, y'know, just ask nicely if we could have bikes.
Sadly, we were all feeling boring last week. We contacted the real estate folks to see if they could wrangle us some bikes. They told us they'd look into it, and that was the last we heard of them. A few days ago, the Osaka University students threw us a welcome BBQ. Amid a storm of delicious meats, veggies, and rice, one of us let slip that we were looking at bike shops in case the real estate people proved unsuccessful. Kiyoshi-sensei, one of the professors there and one of our main contacts here, would have none of that nonsense. He whipped out his smartphone, placed one call, asked us if 500 yen would be acceptable rent, and it was done. Our bikes were on the way. Kiyoshi-sensei is the man, if you couldn't tell.
They told us the bikes would be here within a week; we got them in two days. Still don't have the proper registration to park them on-campus, but our days of half-hour walks to campus are soon to be over. Kai and I decided the best use of our new bikes would be to ride them down to the McDonalds and get dinner. Y'know, because we'd work off the meal on the way. That's how food works, right?
As soon as we started off, I remembered a rather important fact; I hadn't ridden a bike in about ten years, and we were about to go riding on the streets of Japan. Which, in case you didn't know, don't usually have sidewalks. They only have a small (about 3-5 feet) space on the side of the road for pedestrians and cyclists. To say that this would be a harrowing adventure would be a gross understatement. Whenever I pedaled, I had this alarming tendency to swerve just a little bit. And when you've only got a few feet between yourself and flaming death, those little bits count. More than once, I had to stand on tiptoe, straddling the bike, and scoot myself along through a tricky section of road.
But practice makes perfect, and rare sections of sidewalk don't hurt either. On the way home, I was zipping right behind Kai, keeping out of the road, and navigating minefields of pedestrians, parked bikes, and roadside stands with ease. And to make it all better, the road home was mostly downhill. We coasted back home, enjoying the cool evening air and quiet streets, letting gravity and our wheels do the work for once. It was one of the most exhilarating journeys we'd taken since coming here. Being forced to walk for these past days may have been hard, may have been awful in the hot sun, may have kept us from going out and exploring all the area has to offer. But I wouldn't have had it any other way. For without those weeks of walking, I don't think I would've been able to enjoy tonight quite like I did. Sometimes, a little trouble is worth it, if only to appreciate the end result all the more.
Oh, and if you happen to have parked a bike outside the McDonalds in Toyonaka City, and you found it knocked over, you deserve to know the truth.
It was Kai's fault.
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