Hm. Aspects of Japan I've not seen, but then I was last there so many decades ago,...
Those 'streetcars' look like the old trolley busses I recall from my childhood in Montreal (Canada). Sadly they were all removed from the transport system in the 1960s. Toronto has kept its trams. Sydney (Australia) supposedly dumped many of its trams in the harbor when it moved to bus transport in the (so I was told) early '60s, but has now put in mini rail/monorail system in its central business district, those are trams of a sort so the tradition continues in its own way.
Ditto Melbourne. Car drivers hate them as they clutter up the streets and make often right turns a hazard for the unwary who do not know the 'rule' that to make a right turn, you pull to the left and wait for the light to change before zooming across the intersection. Life in the CBD of Melbourne can be an adventure!!
Also in Melbourne the unofficial (or maybe it's official) rule is, if a car, van or truck has a collision with a tram, even if the tram has hit the vehicle, it's legally the motor vehicle driver's fault. As a few friends have found out to their dismay (and their insurer's cost). Fortunately for the 'at faults' it would take a Sherman Tank to even make a small dent on a Melbourne tram. On the other hand, even a small tap from a tram and often as not many small cars are a wipeout, as my partner found out in the obvious (and hard) way 20 years ago.
Trams do move people around quickly and efficiently, until one breaks down somewhere along a line and blocks all the trams behind it. As happens regularly in Melbourne. Then the trams pile up, motor traffic slows to a crawl, everybody complains and grumbles. Eventually a repair crew turns up to fix the problem or the tram is towed away and all returns to normal. Such is life in Marvelous Melbourne.
For all those road risks Melbourne is a unique and charming city and we who live there or close to, love it.
Interesting to see rickshaws still in operation in Japan. I would have thought pulling a rickshaw to be widely considered as 'coolie' work, but obviously it's a tourist draw. Did you take one, Mike? That young driver looks super fit. Obviously, pulling the thing around the precinct is far cheaper than a gym membership...
In East Java where I hang out, becak(s) are still a popular mode of local transport in many smaller communities. Most trishaw drivers are Madurese men who have gravitated to Java as they could not get work on their home island. Surabaya is (unofficially) thought to have about 1 million, mostly casual workers. I photograph them as I see them during my city walks. I must post a few images of those in a new thread, yes- I'll get to checking all my portable hard disks today.
Wonderful photography as always, OP. You have a great eye for the casual moments.
