Well, it was raining this morning, so of course the first thing I did was NOT take my umbrella along. I figured, since I was gonna be riding my bike anyway, I didn't need it.
Well, halfway to the nearest train station, I realized that not only was it raining, but it was COLD, and it was doing shit for my visibility. So I decided not to make the rest of the trip on bike. I parked it by the station and took the train/bus from there.
Going home, I certainly wished I had taken an umbrella along. The morning's light drizzle had turned into a down-pour. Waiting in the rain for the bus was not a lot of fun, and for some reason there was no covered bus stop going towards the station, just by the school coming from the station. But I can deal.
Make my trip from the school to the station by my homestay. Time to pick up my bike. It wasn't going to be a pleasant trip, but it would only be around five minutes in the cold.
The place I parked my bike is run by this elderly couple, and they are both super sweet. Not only do they offer space to park the bike, but they also take care of it! So all of the bikes had little plastic seat covers, to keep the seats dry for us. It's awesome. I unlocked the bike-chain and was about to leave, and the old man comes up and asks me if I have an umbrella. Well, no, but I'd be fine. He could lend me one, he said. I should just bring it back next time I pass the area. Um, no, it's really, seriously okay, I don't need one.
Well, he hands it to me. And now I've got this umbrella, and it'd be rude not to use it, right? And I see Japanese people riding the bikes while holding an umbrella ALL THE TIME, it can't be that hard, RIGHT?
.... Um, terribly, incredibly wrong.
I kind of stumbled after I got on the bike, and you'd think that would have been a hint to give up. Instead, I decided to try again. I COULD DO THIS.
Except where I couldn't. I ended up crashing into a sign for one of the snack pubs on the way home. Not more than ten feet away from the bike parking lot. I apologized to the owner profusely, but after that, I didn't want to risk it anymore. ESPECIALLY since the road to come had a lot more traffic going through it. So I walked my bike home. At least part of me stayed dry, thanks to the ojii-san's umbrella.
:( Moral of the story? Holding your umbrella while riding a bike is illegal for a reason. (Incidentally, using your cell phone while bike-riding is also illegal, and I ALSO see Japanese people doing that a lot.)
AND HOLY CRAP THERE IS A SLUG IN MY ROOM WHY????
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