Olé

Many people use bikes as a means to commute to and from work each day. You actually need to have good Situational Awareness when you’re walking around the city as many of the cyclists fly through the crowds and it’s very easy to accidentally step in front of one of them. I like to play “Chicken” with them when I’m walking around. I don’t recommend doing that unless you’re my size and can sustain a hit. My scoring system: 10 points if I get them to swerve out of my way and crash, 20 points if they take out someone else while swerving and 30 points if I can get them into rush hour traffic. So far this week I’ve scored two 10-pointers.
That being said, the Japanese are very talented when it comes to riding bikes. June and July are the rainy season for Tokyo but that doesn’t prevent people from continuing to ride their bikes to work. This is where the talent comes in as they can ride and hold an umbrella at the same time. Riding a bike with one hand on a flat road is not all that difficult but they’re riding in and out of people, across various surfaces on slick rainy streets. It’s pretty amazing to watch. The real Sensei’s are the older businessmen dressed in their black suits who also smoke a cigarette while holding the umbrella and riding the bike usually with a laptop bag slung across their back. I’ve yet to score points against one of these matadors.