Pulling Tourists Around the Streets of Tokyo

TOKYO — Ask any local where you can get a glimpse of the Tokyo of the past and you are likely to be directed to Asakusa, an area in the city’s northeast corner known for its temples and entertainments — and rickshaws.

Since early this year, Hiroyuki Inami has been one of the many men and women who work nearly every day — resting only during heavy rain or a typhoon — to pull tourists around the area. It is a demanding job, and not just physically.

“It’s tougher than I thought it would be,” Mr. Inami said, explaining that he has to describe the service to passers-by. “Every day you’re approaching 20 to 30 groups of people, and only some of those will ride. Plus the price isn’t cheap, so the most difficult part is communicating that well.” Charges start at ¥1,500, or $15.48, for a 10-minute ride.

Mr. Inami, who recently turned 25, didn’t plan on becoming a rickshaw puller, although he says he always thought it seemed like an interesting job. He grew up in Tokyo and went to private schools, where he played sports like basketball and soccer, and to Meiji University.

“After I graduated, I got a job as usual at a drug manufacturer. I did that for about a year and a half, then I quit last summer,” he said, explaining that he had decided to take the qualification examination to become a firefighter. “But at the time I quit, the exams had just finished.”

He said came to Asakusa with a friend for fun, “and while I was waiting by myself I saw rickshaw pullers running by and it caught my attention.” He called three companies, went for an interview the following day and began training on the next one.

Rickshaws are believed to have been invented in Japan, and the word rickshaw comes from the Japanese jinrikisha, which loosely translates to “human-powered car.” The vehicles were first produced in Tokyo in 1870, quickly gaining popularity as a convenient and fast mode of transportation in a country where horses were uncommon. Their use declined as trains and automobiles took over as the main forms of transportation, and today rickshaws are only commonly seen in tourist and geisha districts of cities like Tokyo and Kyoto.

While rickshaw pulling was — and in many countries still is — considered a job for peasants, Mr. Inami says the pullers in Asakusa are a diverse group. Some, like Mr. Inami’s boss, have been doing the job for most of their working years, while others, like Mr. Inami, consider it to be a temporary job or just something to do while finishing their studies.

“I wouldn’t say there are many, but there are also university graduates,” Mr. Inami said. “I think there are various motives, but often I hear people saying that they do it because it’s a part of Japanese culture, and because it’s cool. I think most people’s motives are quite simple.” Most of the Asakusa pullers appear to be men in their 20s or 30s, but there are female pullers, too.

On a recent Saturday, small groups of rickshaw pullers were scattered near Senso-ji, the famous temple in Asakusa, and the giant entrance gate called Kaminarimon. As tourists passed by, they called out and smiled often, far more outgoing than the average Japanese worker — sometimes offering directions or handing out business cards with their contact information or that of their company.

While Mr. Inami acknowledges the selling part of the job is the most difficult, he says he still enjoys it: “I like talking to people. I can’t speak much English, but I’ll talk to them, and if they’re in good spirits, curious about rickshaws and want to ride one, it’s fine.”

He also says that, after giving rides to several larger or heavier tourists, his fellow pullers now ask him to take customers they think they cannot manage. “Sometimes even the customers themselves don’t want to ask for a ride, and if I offer one they may decline and say that they’re too heavy,” Mr. Inami said. “But I want them to be able to experience it, so I’m happy to take them if I can.”

On a typical day, Mr. Inami says, he will give three or four rides, a number that may go up to six or seven during busy periods like Golden Week, the Japanese equivalent of spring break. But for all the pullers, business is likely to increase in the future.

Tourism to Japan took a major hit after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, but has been steadily recovering. According to preliminary figures from the Japanese National Tourism Organization, more than a million overseas visitors came to Japan in July, the largest monthly number since well before the earthquake and an increase of 18.4 percent over the same period last year.

Now that Tokyo has been chosen as the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympics, it is widely believed that the numbers of foreign tourists will continue to rise.

With a look of regret, Mr. Inami confesses he does not think he will be pulling rickshaws when the Olympics arrive. But another major attraction already is giving a jolt to business: the 634-meter, or 2,080-foot Tokyo Skytree, the second tallest structure in the world after the 829.9-meter Burj Khalifa, opened to the public in May 2012, just a short distance from Asakusa.

“A lot of times there’s a wait to go up the Skytree, so while they’re waiting people will come to Asakusa,” Mr. Inami said.

He adds that he and his colleagues sometimes talk about how they wish rickshaw rides were permitted in areas of Tokyo like Ginza, where the main streets are closed to automobile traffic on weekends.

“They would need to get authorization to do it, but I think if it happened it would be really good,” he said.