Alice the (not-so) Road Racer

I don't have a car here in Japan. When I want to go to Takayama or Kuguno I have to rely on public transportation (train or bus). Or talk someone into driving me. But here in Miya, I have my own wheels for getting to and from school, the grocery store, or the bank, in the form of Alice.

In Japan, if you ride a bike, there's a good chance it's one like Alice. Fancy mountain bikes and road racers beware, here the bike of choice is the Granny ride. Everybody has one. And I mean everybody. This is just a fraction of the number waiting at the station alone in Gifu city

Wide, comfy seats, low bars you can wear anything with, and a basket in front for loading your groceries. Alice even has a little rack on the back I can carry stuff on - sort of like her own little bustle.

I ride her to and from school every Monday and Tuesday, and on Thursdays when I'm at MES. It takes me about 10 mins to ride the distance from my apartment to work. I've only walked it twice; once when I went to a baseball game and was meeting people there for a ride, and once last weekend when I took my Mom and Dave over to see the schools.

Recently, Alice came down with a terrible affliction for a bicycle - a flat tire. Dave noticed it on Friday and tried to get it fixed. But it just went flat again. I didn't get a chance to go back until after work today when I had *gasp* an entire encounter solely in Japanese!

It went like this:

Me: *creeping up to the gas station* "uh, sumimasen! pan-ku shimashita" (excuse me! I have a flat)
Guy: "ah" *gestures for me to give him the bike*
Me: *gives the guy the bike*
Guy: *takes bike over to shop and starts to work*
2 other guys hanging around: *watching*
Me: *follows Guy* *unsure of what to do*
Guy: *sees me looking hopeless* *gestures to chair* "dozo" (please)
Me: *grin* "ah! arigatou!" (thank you)
Guy: *works on tire* *finds hole in tube* *patches*
2 other guys: *watch* *fill gas for customers* *watch some more*
1 of the 2 guys: *puts air in Alice's front tire*
Me: *watch guys working* *look around aimlessly*
Tire: *fixed!*
Guy: *lubes the chain and gears* *stands up* "ok!"
Me: "yeay! ikura desu ka" (how much?)
Guy: sen ni hyaku roku ju en
Me: *in head* uh, one-thousand, two-hundred...
Me: "sen ni hya...."
Guy: "sen ni hyaku roku ju"
Me: "hai, sen ni hyaku roku ju" *furiously digs in coin purse for 1,260 yen*
Purse: doesn't have a 50 yen coin or 6 10 yen coins
Me: *pulls out 1,500 yen* "chenji desu ka" (do you have change?)
Guy: "hai hai hai" *runs off to get change* *brings back change* "dozo" (please) *gives me change*
Me: "hai, arigatou gozaimasu!" (thank you very much!)

It may not be much, but I got my tire fixed and didn't speak a word of English. And now Alice is happy again and we can ride to school tomorrow! And there's just nothing quite like a happy bicycle ^_^