Mama-chari

The Mama-Chari is probably the national symbol of road transportation. Used by almost every housewife in Japan for buying groceries and fetching the kids from Kindergarten, you will almost always see them plying the residential streets.

'Mama' means Mummy (duh) and 'Chari' means bicycle or wheels. I own one too, and it doesn't make my look sissy or anything. That is because everyone including students and salarymen ride them. I wouldn't be caught dead riding the same bike back in Singapore though.

These mums on wheels are truly a special breed. A common sight is the mother maneuvering through congested traffic with 2 toddlers in tow, and with bags of groceries balanced on her. It is actually illegal to have 2 children riding in the bicycle with you, but people don't give a hoot about it. The photo below is a Daddy on a 'mama-chari' with his 2 daughters waiting at a train crossing. It's very unusual to see a daddy do the chores like this. His wife must've been sick or something...