Bikes and sheep and goats…oh my!

Today we biked over to Mori-san’s house for a bike tune-up. He is keeper of the Earlham bike fleet, a long time SICE host, and an important member of E-Club. In anticipation of the student’s arrival, they pulled all the bikes out of his shed and hired 2 bike mechanics to come do tune ups.

There are few differences between your typical American and Japanese bikes. From what I've seen they are all "girl bikes" without a crossbar. Most Japanese bikes are 3-speeds. This is kind of killer given all the hills, but I’ve rarely seen one with more than 3.  No one wears helmets. I’m actually considered a bit strange for insisting that Catie wear a helmet. Almost all bikes have front baskets- useful for bike commuting, grocery shopping, etc. They also all have a generator-run headlight.

Kick stands are much different than in the US. They actually lift the back wheel and are considerably more stable than the western variety. And my favorite, the bike locks are attached!

I suspect the Catie-Mommy mobile is going to get lots of use as we navigate Morioka!

While Andy was talking with Yuki and Mori-san, Catie & I went with Mori-san’s daughter and 4 of his grandsons to see animals at the Gandai University Agricultural School. Catie and the boys (7, 4-yr old twins, and a not quite 2-yr old) skipped and ran like a pack of wild animals down the bike path to Gandai. I had not expected for Catie to dive right in like she did, but she was in the thick of it all and actually showed the 3 city boys from Sendai how to feed a goat. The 4-yr old twins were too afraid to feed the goats, but Catie and the oldest and youngest boys proceeded to stuff random leaves, weeds, and grass into the goats' mouths for 20 minutes. She definitely enjoyed herself.

We also got to watch the Gandai Kyudo (archery) and taiko (dance & drum) clubs practicing. It was a nice way to spend the morning!