An Example in Shinjuku City

The general view

At recent year, the bicycle use in Tokyo has been inconvenient.

The one is securing bicycle parking place nearby the station. I can go by bicycle to the destination if being in the most part of 23 cities of Tokyo Metropolis, but being in the suburb, where along with private railway line, and out of Tokyo, I cannot so. Then "park & ride" is needed. That is, getting the train after going with the bicycle to the station of the terminals such as Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, but it becomes difficult to secure the bicycle parking place nearby such stations.

There is a place where no difficulty to the passage of the person and car and moreover not to be used nearby the station, so we have stopped bicycle such a place. However recently, it is increasing such a situation that putting labels such as the ""hochi (left) " bicycle " on these bicycles and it deprives us of bicycle parking place, and instead, the administrative authority establishes a charged bicycle parking place and enforce to use it.

Moreover, recently the workers who are forced to pay commuting expense by themselves, especially part-time and sending-staff workers, are increasing, so more persons are to be unable to reduce expense by bicycle ride. The students going to school are also so. It is necessary to say that it becomes the victim of the exploitation from the people by the administrative authority already. Railroad company has often constructed a charged bicycle parking nearby the station as well as the administrative authority from before in the area along the private railway line, it means that the bicycles and riders are also to be victim there.

The vacant place along with the track at the east side of JR Shinjuku station,
on the north side of My City (Shinjuku City. Tokyo, 2000.10.25) Following the home less people expulsion from underground "passage" in west side, a suitable place for bicycle parking was destroyed.

The substitute emerged nearby that place.(2001.5.22)
But it is not aplicated but as the de fact.
Let's keep the parking place!

South exit of Shinjuku Station(2001.9)
There is a bicycle parking under the steps down to the east from the station building Lumine
along with Koshu-Kaido street.
Of course it needs fee. small and difficult to find, it keeps high rate coefficient of use is high.
This has become excuse of banishment of bicycle parking around the station.

Kabuki-cho(2001.9)
It is strange thatthe color cone lines up into such an area.
In this area, civilian such as hooligan and muscleman,
force to acquire connection to the bicycle rider parking in/nearby their territory.
It is example of the civilian whose character is worse than the administrative authorities.

As the object of the exclusion

One cruel example of the attitude to the bicycle of such a railroad company and an administrative authority is here. When the graduate school student, I go to Shinjuku station by bicycle and get on Keio Railway line. It is in the place before the advertisement along with the track northern next to the My City nearby the east entrance of JR Shinjuku station that I parked bicycle mainly at the time. Here, more than 100 bicycles were parked and there was often a person of the home less.

It kept from the misfortune of the trick and damaging, in addition to stolen. That is, this home less person is the volunteer which was a honourable bicycle guardian moreover. Once parking a bicycle on the place, without anxiety for it I could be driven into the research in the university al day long. Because I got the master's degree as the result, it should be said that he was near the benefactor.

At the same time, an accident was caused that the home less persons who were increasing in the underground "passage" of west entrance of Shinjuku station -- once called "piazza" but changed into "passage" to suppress "folk guerilla" -- were driven into remove "independently" by the small fire accident which happened at one of the corrugated cardboard houses as their dwelling. It leaped to the eastern side of the station, finally.

One day JR (Japan Railway company) began to enclosure by making up an excuse such as constructing ticket vending centre, which the attitude of the authority which neglects and abuse the home less persons and the bicycle user too much, is apparently reflected, and Shinjuku City, which will have intended to increase users of the charged bicycle parking place, followed. Then, after enclosure with the fence, it is never made such as the betting of JRA (Japan central racig horse association) in addition to ticket vending of JR, and the flower planter is arranged in this way only and let alone until the present.

There are another examples to use a flower to conceal the excluded thing itself after accomplishing exclusion and erasure by the power and the violence. There will be already few persons who know that it robs the place of the conference in the campus which was used for the student conference after the student power swept over a university all over Japan and the world in the 1960s, changing into a flower bed and arranging a flower planter for prevention from re power of the movement. There is one more example that some "tsuppari (aggressive)" students dyeing their hair gold were erased from yearbook of the junior high school and there are flowers at the space for their portraits on it when school violence was in power.

The flower which is used for the means of the exclusion is miserable but sometimes, when seeing a flower, we should think about the things which have existed there formerly and excluded and erased. Also we should refuse the side which takes part in the exclusion with unconscious with firm determination.

Underground "passage" at the west side of Shinjuku station (Shinjuku City, Tokyo 1998.2.16) A home less expulsion and exclusion were actually enforced after the little fire accident in the corrugated cardboard house. In the place where there was a corrugated cardboard house, temporary fences and obstacles were made for them not to return in. It was the symbolical turning point which converts into the one which the Metropolitan government lead by Aoshima Yukio, Gov. of Tokyo is inclement to the habitat living in. Next, the blade of the feelings to feel that their existence is "offensive " was turned to the bicycle.

The ""hochi (left)" bicycle" made by administrative decision

That so-called the ""hochi (left)" bicycle" is not a concept having to do with ontology and to be a political concept are as described to the others. To repeat as to being the one which is different from the letter will not be necessary now. Actually the administrative authority decide whether giving a parmission to bicycle parking or not. The purposes and the situations on the side of who use a bicycle are various It is necessary to say that it is the obstacle to bicycle use that the discretion with one standard and by the administrative person itself Don't miss being creating cutting-off and opposition , in addition, among the bicycle users and also between the bicycle user and the other citizen through such a process, too.

Near the subway east and west line Waseda station (Shinjuku City. Tokyo, 2001.1.1) The bicycle parking place which utilized space at the walkway If saying in the relation between the number of the accommodating and the cost, it is the most effective one. There is demand as much as this when there seems to be little use in year. However, the City authority force to apply in the use, without application will regard it as the ""hochi (left)" bicycle ". This means not only that whether or not it is the ""hochi (left)" bicycle " leaving " depends on the discretion of the administrative authority, but also that the way of the bicycle use are interfered according to the condition and the standard. this has dangerous possibility of the infringement of the "traffic right". Similar example is seen in Bunkyo City and so on.

(Feb.14.2001)