Archive: 2004-04-08
Killer Cyclists
Bicycles are a common mode of transport in Japan, thanks to several factors: high population density means that many journeys are too short for a car but too long to walk; cars are very expensive to keep and run (parking charges are astronomical in the cities); finally, most cities are built on flood plains (the only habitable parts of three-quarters-mountain Japan) so there are few hills to struggle up.
R&R
I spent a fantastically relaxing week in England. The first four days I spent in London, where I spent lots of money on the inexcusably overpriced Tube. Not everything in London’s expensive, though: I spent a happy afternoon wandering around the Tate Modern gallery (entrance £0), although to my infinite disappointment, the nudes gallery was closed for renovation. The recording of The Now Show was extremely funny, although completely different to how I had imagined it just by listening to the radio.