Urban Biker

Pic by Joan Veldkamp/L.A. Times

Great story from the L.A. Times about the Tokyo police nabbing a bicycle thief, then tracking down the bike’s owner and returning it personally.

“But the guy who stole my bike from outside a Tokyo train station one recent Saturday night wasn’t looking for anything flashy. He was drunk — it was payday and he had over-celebrated. He had slept well past his stop and was kicked off the last train of the night at the last station on the line. It was a crime of necessity: Steal the wheels or walk.

My bicycle was available because I never lock it. Not even when I’m leaving it outside a busy train station overnight.

This is Japan. Nobody steals your stuff here. Safest place in the developed world. You can look it up in the guidebooks.”

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