Japanese Women Drawn to Rickshaw Pulling

2023-10-02

00:00 / 00:00
复读宝 RABC v8.0beta 复读机按钮使用说明
播放/暂停
停止
播放时:倒退3秒/复读时:回退AB段
播放时:快进3秒/复读时:前进AB段
拖动:改变速度/点击:恢复正常速度1.0
拖动改变复读暂停时间
点击:复读最近5秒/拖动:改变复读次数
设置A点
设置B点
取消复读并清除AB点
播放一行
停止播放
后退一行
前进一行
复读一行
复读多行
变速复读一行
变速复读多行
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1
  • Rickshaw comes from a Japanese word that means "human-powered vehicle."
  • 2
  • The vehicle was first used in 19th-century Japan and then in other Asian countries to transport passengers.
  • 3
  • Rickshaw pullers are traditionally male.
  • 4
  • Through social media, some Japanese women are drawn to the profession.
  • 5
  • And now, they have developed a strong local and international following.
  • 6
  • Yuka Akimoto is one of the women who have chosen to pull rickshaws in Tokyo.
  • 7
  • "I don't deny it was extremely hard at the beginning," Akimoto said, as the rickshaw can weigh up to 250 kg.
  • 8
  • "I'm not athletic and the cart felt so heavy."
  • 9
  • Now, she says she loves her job and wants to work as long as she is physically able.
  • 10
  • She wears a small sign that reads: "I don't want to give up."
  • 11
  • Akimoto joined Tokyo Rickshaw two years ago.
  • 12
  • The company mainly operates in the Asakusa area, where many people visit.
  • 13
  • The company says about a third of their 90 pullers are now women.
  • 14
  • They are seeking more females to work for the company.
  • 15
  • "The first girl who joined was cool," said Tokyo Rickshaw President Ryuta Nishio.
  • 16
  • "Since we posted videos of her on social media, many girls have followed... and joined us."
  • 17
  • Nishio said he wants to create a place where women feel at ease and can be involved.
  • 18
  • Rickshaw pullers wear special, traditional clothing on their feet.
  • 19
  • The pullers walk or run an average of 20km a day, no matter the weather.
  • 20
  • In addition to being physically strong, rickshaw pullers must know a lot about Tokyo.
  • 21
  • They also need to communicate with visitors who want to see the city.
  • 22
  • The most popular pullers earn over 1 million yen (about $6,700) a month.
  • 23
  • That is three times the national average.
  • 24
  • Tokyo Rickshaw noted that less than 10 percent of all applicants are offered a job.
  • 25
  • The pullers actively use social media to increase their popularity.
  • 26
  • They want people to request them personally and repeat rides.
  • 27
  • It was those social media posts that influenced college student Yumeka Sakurai to join Tokyo Rickshaw.
  • 28
  • "I've watched many videos of women training hard and becoming rickshaw drivers themselves.
  • 29
  • They gave me confidence that I could do it too if I tried hard," the 20-year-old said.
  • 30
  • Sakurai's friends and family disapproved of her choice.
  • 31
  • But after four months of training, she says she feels pleasure pulling passengers in her rickshaw.
  • 32
  • Shiori Yano is 29 years old. She has been pulling rickshaws for nine years.
  • 33
  • She balances the demands of the job and her family.
  • 34
  • She took a four-year break after having a child.
  • 35
  • She now works the rickshaw for eight hours a day, hurrying to pick up her daughter from childcare before going home to cook dinner and do housework.
  • 36
  • "This job looked flashy from the outside but I've had some hard times, including when I was rejected in favor of a male driver," Yano said.
  • 37
  • Still, she says she will continue to work because she enjoys it.
  • 38
  • Tokyo Rickshaw's Nishio said sometimes people are not satisfied women are doing such physically demanding work.
  • 39
  • Female pullers also sometimes face unwanted sexual behaviors or have their knowledge questioned by male riders, he added.
  • 40
  • "We treat both male and female pullers completely equally," Nishio said.
  • 41
  • "The women say they want to be treated the same as the men, and in fact many of them are way tougher."
  • 42
  • I'm Gena Bennett.