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May 01 2012 19 Comments

A penny farthing rider in Tokyo

For a country renowned for its conformity, Japan throws up a wonderful array of contradictions, meaning one can never be completely sure of what’s round the next corner.

Japanese penny farthing rider

Surprises that, despite Tokyo’s many faults, make it a continually fascinating city to live in.

Japanese penny farthing rider

And it’s even better when you get to know one or two causes of said surprises — especially so when they turn out to be a person whose character is as decent as their bicycle is large.

Japanese penny farthing rider

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Josee says

    5/1/2012 at 9:38 am

    How does he get off the bicycle? And god forbid if he loses his balance and falls off his bicycle…..I think I will lose a limb if I fall off that machine…

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/1/2012 at 4:10 pm

      With great difficulty I think.

      Nah, he’s obviously got used to it by now, but it still doesn’t look easy.

      Reply
  2. Taki says

    5/1/2012 at 9:53 am

    Is that the Tama river? It looks close to my in-laws 🙂 Here in Canada, I think only seen a penny farthing maybe ~4 times…

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/1/2012 at 4:12 pm

      Yes, it’s the Tama River. The photo was taken south of Kunitachi I think.

      This is the only penny farthing I’ve seen in Tokyo. Or anywhere for that matter.

      Reply
  3. Matt says

    5/1/2012 at 10:20 am

    He looks quite the part.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/1/2012 at 4:12 pm

      Yeah, pretty dapper isn’t he?

      Reply
  4. john says

    5/1/2012 at 11:10 am

    wondering if the landing is as elegant as the take off?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/1/2012 at 4:13 pm

      No. Not in the slightest!

      Reply
  5. winnie says

    5/1/2012 at 4:10 pm

    I like the 2nd picture the most!! The expression of the smaller biker is amusing!!
    And such a great contrast between both of them.

    I cannot imagine if I am going to ride this! It’s cool, but too dangerous for my heart to take it!
    I also wonder how is he going to get off the bike?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/1/2012 at 4:16 pm

      Yeah, I like the expression on the other cyclist too. Pretty much my section the first time I saw him too.

      Me too. Really don’t think I’d fancy having a go. Plus getting off looked very difficult, which puts me off having a go even more…

      Reply
  6. Hans ter Horst says

    5/1/2012 at 4:11 pm

    A land of contradictions, you got that right! The moment you think you have figured Japan out, they throw a penny farthing, a punk rocker or a salaryman with a smile at you 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/1/2012 at 4:17 pm

      Exactly. Anybody who thinks they have Japan figured out is merely proving they haven’t.

      Reply
  7. Willy says

    5/1/2012 at 9:01 pm

    bizzare…

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/2/2012 at 11:51 am

      It makes for quite a sight. Great to watch people’s reactions.

      Reply
  8. Lizzy says

    5/1/2012 at 11:40 pm

    Wow. I’m glad he’s wearing a helmet! That is definitely a sight to see. No matter where you are!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/2/2012 at 11:52 am

      It certainly is. It’s the only proper one I’ve seen outside a museum. And definitely the only one I’ve seen being used.

      Reply
  9. Cbasse says

    2/4/2015 at 4:25 am

    First of all, I really enjoy this blog! I have always found the Ordinary to be an interesting bicycle; so much so that I have ordered one myself. I saw an earlier post from 2009 of this same bicycle. Do you see this rider often in Tokyo?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      2/4/2015 at 10:54 am

      Thanks!

      I did, yes. In fact after posting the earlier photo, he found it online and contacted me via Twitter. So the next time I spotted him I introduced myself, we got chatting, and became friends. We’d often head along the river to a nearby brewery, have a couple of beers and a good chat, then work our way back. Needless to say he didn’t use the penny farthing on those days!

      But tragically he died a year or so ago. A man who embraced life with a real passion cut down way too young. Horribly sad. Always think of him when I cycle in that area…

      Reply
      • Cbasse says

        2/5/2015 at 1:56 am

        Thank you for sharing. He seemed like a very interesting person; how unfortunate…

        Reply

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