Getting rid of my stuff is not really working out as I have planned.
Yesterday I went to have my bicycle fixed. I had to get a valve adapter first because – obviously – my bike had a different valve than the Japanese standard. It was fairly easy after I figured out that my valve is called “French”. (Ever tried asking for something at a store that you didn’t actually know the name of?)
The bike was outside the whole winter and it looked like that. I am a pretty bad bicycle owner it seems. At least I managed to snatch one of the two stalls that have a makeshift roof – still almost all the screws were covered in rust. I spent an hour or so in the blazing sun cleaning the parts as well as I could then pushed the bike to the store to put some air in the tyres.
I haven’t ridden fifty meters from the store when at a stop sign the chain broke. At least I was close to help: I crawled back and asked for the chain to be fixed. Funnily enough the store owner was either born with a frown or he hates foreigners but he regarded me all along as one might look at a particularly disgusting roach. It was quite a change after all the bowing and pleasantries of the usual Japanese way of treating customers.
I ended up paying ¥1.500. (He could have said five hundred or forty-five hundred for all I know – very convenient if you want to skin a rich American foreigner.) He also told me off for having too much grease on the chain. Like I said I’m not very well versed in bicycle maintenance.
Anyway, today I set off to look at stores that might buy some of my household appliances and books. I learned fast that no bookstore ever buys textbooks for some unfathomable reason so that option’s out. And then on the way to the recycle shop my chain broke again. The closest bicycle shop I knew about was close to my ex-dorm but I only arrived there to find a notice that it has permanently closed business.
This is where I said Fukitol.
I locked the bike up at the dorm. (Conveniently it boasts the sticker that is needed to park there and the room number is nicely blurred.) I took the rest of the afternoon to take pictures for the daily photo blog and buy food at Sannomiya.
If life gives you lemons find a small child with open wounds.
