CycleKyoto HP LInk

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Homeless Person Bicycle Kyoto

Homeless Person Bicycle Kyoto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

CycleKyoto Home Page

Tags





No comments: