VOA文化艺术2023--Japanese Women Drawn to Rickshaw Pulling

Japanese Women Drawn¹ to Rickshaw Pulling

Rickshaw comes from a Japanese word that means "human-powered vehicle." The vehicle was first used in 19th-century Japan and then in other Asian countries to transport passengers.

Rickshaw pullers are traditionally male. Through social media, some Japanese women are drawn to the profession. And now, they have developed a strong local and international following.

Yuka Akimoto is one of the women who have chosen to pull rickshaws in Tokyo.

"I don't deny it was extremely hard at the beginning," Akimoto said, as the rickshaw can weigh up to 250 kg. "I'm not athletic² and the cart felt so heavy."

Now, she says she loves her job and wants to work as long as she is physically³ able. She wears a small sign that reads: "I don't want to give up."

Akimoto joined Tokyo Rickshaw two years ago. The company mainly operates in the Asakusa area, where many people visit. The company says about a third of their 90 pullers are now women. They are seeking more females to work for the company.

"The first girl who joined was cool," said Tokyo Rickshaw President Ryuta Nishio. "Since we posted videos of her on social media, many girls have followed... and joined us."

Nishio said he wants to create a place where women feel at ease and can be involved.

Rickshaw pullers wear special, traditional clothing on their feet. The pullers walk or run an average of 20km a day, no matter the weather.

In addition to being physically strong, rickshaw pullers must know a lot about Tokyo. They also need to communicate with visitors who want to see the city.

The most popular pullers earn over 1 million yen⁴ (about $6,700) a month. That is three times the national average. Tokyo Rickshaw noted⁵ that less than 10 percent of all applicants⁶ are offered a job.

The pullers actively⁷ use social media to increase their popularity⁸. They want people to request them personally and repeat rides.

It was those social media posts that influenced college student Yumeka Sakurai to join Tokyo Rickshaw.

"I've watched many videos of women training hard and becoming rickshaw drivers themselves. They gave me confidence that I could do it too if I tried hard," the 20-year-old said.

Sakurai's friends and family disapproved⁹ of her choice. But after four months of training, she says she feels pleasure pulling passengers in her rickshaw.

Shiori Yano is 29 years old. She has been pulling rickshaws for nine years. She balances the demands of the job and her family.

She took a four-year break after having a child. 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.

"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. Still, she says she will continue to work because she enjoys it.

Tokyo Rickshaw's Nishio said sometimes people are not satisfied women are doing such physically demanding work. Female pullers also sometimes face unwanted sexual¹⁰ behaviors or have their knowledge questioned by male riders, he added.

"We treat both male and female pullers completely equally," Nishio said. "The women say they want to be treated the same as the men, and in fact many of them are way tougher."

Words in This Story

cart–n. a vehicle designed for transport that has two wheels and is pulled by a person or animal

athletic–adj. physically strong, fit and active

cool–adj. pleasing, desired

confidence–n. belief in oneself

flashy–adv. desirable, fun

tough–adj. strong

1 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

2 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

3 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

4 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

7 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

8 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

9 disapproved   

v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。