At midnight I received a phone call. “Nick, I missed the last train!! What do I do!?” It was Claire from the apartment two storeys above me, slightly tipsy. “Where are you?” “I’m at Mukonoso Station!” That was 10km away from where we lived in Shin-Osaka and the only vehicle I had was a bicycle. What could I possibly do? “Wait there, I’ll come and get you!”
So began a memorable late-night bike adventure across Osaka, Japan, with Claire sitting on the back of my mama-chari (Japanese ‘mum’s chariot’) for the fun-filled ride home. Fourteen years later I’ve cycled in to see Claire again, now living with her new family in Wodonga, Australia. Thank you Claire for the fun memories and for letting me stay!