Rikisha

I want to talk about rickshaws. There was the following questionnaire the other day. “What part-time job do you want your lover to do the most?” The number one answer was the rickshaw man.

This job may seem traditional, but it is actually new. A jinrikisha is a vehicle designed to transport people by human power, with one wheel on each side of the axle, a pedestal for passengers to sit on, a cover to protect them from the rain, and a handle connected to the pedestal. The rickshaw man pulls it forward. It was mainly used as a means of transportation in urban areas during the Meiji and Taisho periods, but today’s rickshaw is a “sightseeing rickshaw” that runs in tourist areas. Rickshaws are often seen in Asakusa, Chinatown in Yokohama, and Kamakura.

So what do the passengers on the rickshaw expect from the rickshaw man? It would be communication with those who perform absolute devotion to carry them by the power of their bodies alone. The communication is mainly carried out by the rickshaw man, who is the speaker, with his back to the passenger who is the listener. Of course, it’s not just words. A rickshaw man shows through his back that he drives places he wants his passengers to know. Then he and his passenger run in the same direction. It is the ultimate human unity.