good day :)

Hello. It's inky here. I'm 19 and I'm milky's sort-of-kouhai. I've been living in Kyoto for bang on one month. Like milky, I've been adapting to a lot of things.

For me, too, a big one has been transport. Wellington is a hilly town, and although one sees a lot more cyclists there than in New Zealand's other major towns, they all seem to have a degree of hardcoreness about them (not a bad thing). Here in Kyoto, ordinary people ride bikes anywhere to which it's too far to walk but too annoying to take the train or bus. Kids and grandmas inclusive! Even babies get to ride, in little seats attached to the fore or aft of the pedaller. The bikes generally have one gear - if you come across a hill, stand up off the seat and feign not-botheredness with a cool expression. 頑張って！I've come across tonnes of bikes branded "Carrot", by the way.

At first just looking at my new bike freaked me out; my last time on one of these contraptions had been about 10 years prior (!?!?!). However the English expression "it's like riding a bike" proved true, and now I navigate the streets (footpaths mostly) with relative ease. It takes about 40 minutes to get into town, for which I save 200~300 yen in trains and gain some fun and exercise, perfect for balancing out the many delicious breads that have caught my eye since moving here.

I hope we can provide some little glimpses into our lives for you. I'll cover the aforementioned bread situation soon.

☆