Explore everyday life in Japan
Due to the prevalence of English words and phrases in the Japanese language, it is easy to assume that Mama Chari, which is a kind of bicycle, was made by combining and abbreviating the words Mama with a shortened form of the word chariot. I asked a few of my coworkers if this was true, and they confirmed to me that they thought it probably was. As it turns out, though, the term Mama Chari was actually made by combining the word mama with an abbreviated form of the word charinko. Charinko itself is a word that was made by combining the sound of a bicycle bell, which is spoken as charin, charin in Japanese with the Japanese pronunciation of the Korean word for bicycle, jajeongeo, or chajyongo in Japanese.
Mama Chari is a term that has come to describe a kind of utility bike that many women, especially mothers in Japan, ride. It is one of three kinds of City Bikes that you will see all over the country, and it can be distinguished from a typical City Bike by its descending, and typically curved, cross bar, the bar that connects the neck of the bike to its seat post. These bikes sometimes have as many as two child seats attached to them—one that rests above the rear bicycle wheel and one that is attached to the bike’s handlebars—and are sometimes partially motorized. Though it is now illegal to ride a bike in Japan that does not have two hand brakes attached to it, it is perfectly acceptable to ride a bicycle with two children on it.
In fact, seeing a woman riding with children on her bike through all kinds of weather in Japan is a very common site. Many families here still have only one car, and many families living in urban areas do not own a car. As a result, for many families in Japan, bicycles are a necessity. As such, a variety of child seats have been designed specifically for bikes, and many different accessories have been made for these child seats, too, so that children can be transported by bike in any kind of weather. There are box-like, plastic cases that attach to these child seats and surround children to help keep them dry on rainy days. There are blankets that zip up like sleeping bags and can be snapped on to the edges of these child seats in winter. There are lights, toys, and many other things that can be used to accessorize these seats for safety purposes and also to keep children entertained. Mama Chari and the child seats and accessories that attach to them are a quite an industry in Japan.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.