Okonomiyaki and Bicycle Mishaps

On Wednesdays, we work only half a day, so I went out to lunch with some of my coworkers after work ended. We went to an okonomiyaki shop, my first in Japan. Okonomiyaki are sort of like pancakes with shredded cabbage and meat mixed into the batter. At this restaurant, there was a griddle in the center of the table for us to cook our own food. I had chicken okonomiyaki. Other options included beef, pork, and seafood combinations. After lunch we went to Baskin Robbins, and I explored a Studio Ghibli shop before riding home.

One of the things I've had to learn since coming to Japan is how to ride a bike while wearing a skirt. I wouldn't have tried it in the U.S., but here it is quite normal. I've figured out that some types of skirts work better than others. Wider skirts that come down just a little below the knee seem to be optimal, whereas pencil skirts are too tight to allow for normal riding. Today I tried a new skirt which comes down to a few inches above my ankles. I figured it should work out well since it is flowy enough that I have good range of motion. How wrong I was...

Getting to the office and going out for lunch went smoothly enough. Occasionally I stepped on my skirt when I was putting my foot on the pedal, but it wasn't a major problem. It wasn't until I started to ride home that things went wrong. I was a little over halfway home when I felt a sudden jerk at my waist. My skirt had tangled in the rear wheel and was pulled most of the way down my butt. I stopped the bike immediately and pulled frantically at the skirt, trying to free it so I could cover up again. The skirt tore a little, but remained stuck. After another second or so I realized I needed to lift the rear tire off the ground so it could rotate while I pulled out the skirt. Soon after, my skirt was free.

I'm not sure whether anyone noticed me or not. I imagine so, but at least it couldn't have been many people, as the sidewalk was fairly empty at the time. I didn't look behind me to find out for sure. In any case, it was pretty mortifying. I'm just glad it wasn't on the way to lunch, when the streets were crowded and I was riding in a group with my male coworkers. Anyhow, once I got my skirt back up, I wasn't too willing to risk being depantsed again, so I walked my bike home. When I got back to the apartment, I checked the damage to my skirt. It was pretty torn up in the back and had rust colored stains where it had wrapped around the back wheel. I won't be wearing it again. From now on, if I want to wear a long skirt at work, I'll be wearing pants for the ride and changing into it when I arrive.