April means back to school in Japan, and for many mothers (and a surprisingly few fathers) this means shuttling their children to and from nursery or kindergarten by bicycle. A bicycle is colloquially called
chari in Japanese and the type typically ridden by a parent taking their kid/s to nursery is called a
mama-chari (even if dad is riding!).
Mama-chari usually have a child-seat at the back and a basket at the front, though an extra child-seat can be added to the front if two little ones need transporting. On top of this, one also occasionally sees a baby strapped to the parent's chest or back papoose-style, making for a grand total of four riders!
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| A Line of Mama-chari parked next to a local kindergarten |
This may seem a little dangerous to non-Japanese and indeed fatal bicycle accidents have risen in recent years, something which prompted the government to revise the
Road Traffic Law in 2015. The new law allowed a cyclist to carry
one child under the age of six in a designated child seat; children under 13 also had to wear a helmet. However, the ban was greeted with outrage by Japan's army of
mama-chari parents who campaigned against the ruling, forcing
the government to back down. Now, discretion is left up to individual prefectures who generally allow two-under-sixes if the bicycle is a proper model, though strapping a third child is usually not allowed (see, for example,
Tokyo's rules here). But, as one soon learns living in Japan, there are many rules but few which are actively enforced: bicycle helmets, cycling on the pavement, and riding holding an umbrella are typically ignored - and mothers with kids are almost always left alone.
Riding with kids front and back is a precarious - and tiring - experience, and recent years have seen a number of lighter electric models introduced with smaller 20-inch wheels giving a lower centre of gravity and a more stable ride. For an example of a popular power-assisted model see the Panasonic Gyutto Annys EX
here which costs a paltry ¥160,000 (£1,160 or $1,440), including tax!
