Add a Special Ambiance to Your Japan Experience!

In earlier times, visitors to Japan, Hong Kong and China invariably came across the famous rickshaws that served as taxis. Rickshaw is “short” for jinriksha (jin-rick-shaw), which itself is a shortened form of the original Japanese phrase jinrikisha (jin-ree-kee-shah), which translates as “human-powered-vehicle.” Oddly enough, it seems that the first rickshaw-type human-powered vehicles appeared in Paris in the 1600s—not in Asia—and were adaptations of wheel barrows used to transport vinegar around the city—thus the French name vinaigrettes for these early “taxis.” As far as Asia is concerned, Japanese sources say that the jinrikisha was invented by three Japanese men, Yosuke Izumi, Tokujiro Suzuki and Kosuke Takayama in 1868 as an adaptation of the horse-drawn carriages that had been introduced from the U.S. a few years earlier. In 1870 Japan’s newly installed Meiji government issued an exclusive permit to these three men to build and sell rickshaws to the general public. The seal of these men were required on every license to operate a rickshaw. According to the rickshaw museum some 40,000 rickshaws were operating in Tokyo by 1872, and for the next several decades they were the chief form of public transportation in Japan. They were especially popular among the thousands of geisha and well-to-do patrons of the courtesan districts. Interestingly, the first rickshaws in Hong Kong were imported from Japan—not mainland China—in 1874, and were a popular form of transport there for many years, peaking at more than 3,000 in the 1920s. During the last decades of the 19th century rickshaws also appeared in many other Southeast Asian cities—and pulling a rickshaw was often the first job for peasants migrating to these cities. In Hong Kong today one sees only a few rickshaws, mainly concentrated at the ferry landings in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island for use by tourists. Back in Japan, most jinrikisha were replaced by cars in the 1930s, but during World War II and in the years immediately following the war they made a brief comeback because of the scarcity of automobiles and gas. However, rickshaws have remained the preferred form of transportation for many geisha, and traditionally styled rickshaws can still be seen in the geisha districts of Tokyo and Kyoto. But there is now something new in the way of rickshaws on the streets of Tokyo and a growing number of other cities. In 2002 Japanese entrepreneurs began importing a modernized version of rickshaws called velotaxis from Germany, where they first appeared in the early 1990s. The three-wheeled German-made velotaxis sport a space-age lightweight plastic cab that is open on both sides, with a passenger seat behind the peddler/driver. They cater to tourists as well as residents who enjoy their ambiance when going sightseeing and shopping in central areas of the cities. As with regular taxicabs, velotaxi fares are based on distance, but are about one-half to one-third of the cost of regular taxis.   One velotaxi operator in the popular Sannomiya and Motomachi districts of central Kobe features sponsored ads on its velotaxis, and does not charge passengers. Most of the velotaxi companies also offer their cabs for political campaigns and other events held by cities and companies—a use that is said to be growing from 20 to 30 percent a year. The velotaxis travel at about 10 kilometers per hour (6mph). On main streets they are required to travel on the far sides of streets outside of the lanes used by regular traffic. Visitors to Japan should consider adding the velotaxi experience to their agenda, both for the novelty of it and because they can often be more convenient and practical than regular cabs, especially in crowded shopping and entertainment districts. Copyright © 2009 by Boye Lafayette De Mente _________________________________________________ Boyé Lafayette De Mente is the author of more than 50 pioneer business, cultural and languages books on China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, including SPEAK JAPANESE TODAY – A Little Language Goes a Long Way! [available from Amazon.com]   To see a list and synopses of his books go to:   www.boyedemente.com .   Also, see his books on Amazon.com.  

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