京都河原町でのホムレスの自転車Japan has far fewer homeless than the United States.
Those that are homeless often end up in low-rent areas of major cities - Sanya in Tokyo, Kamagasaki in Osaka - where there are cheap boarding houses and job brokers in search of day laborers.
In other places, like Kyoto, the down and out build semi-permanent structures under bridges: blue tarp covering the roof, generator running outside, and shoes lined up neatly in front of a door.
That is what was so surprising about the scene witnessed the other night on Kawaramachi above Sanjo, in central Kyoto.
A large man in many layers of clothing was slumped, asleep, in front of a building. He was filthy, and bags of possessions formed a low protective wall around him.
While a common enough sight in urban America, this was a first for us in Kyoto.
More amazing though was his bicycle, which was parked directly in front of him. He had leaned it against a railing separating the street from the sidewalk. And on and around it piles and piles of bags.
The tires have air, and the chain appears to be in good shape.
© CycleKyoto.com
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Japan
Touring
Kyoto
Cycle
Homeless
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