Jinriki-sha (rickshaw) became one of Ito's popular rides as a way of sightseeing since an original factory of jinriki-sha had moved here from Gunma prefecture in 1990. Mr. Hayashi says, "It has been only 1 year since I became a rickshaw man, but I really love to have interesting conversations with my passengers. You will see me all around Ito." He also states, "I used to be a drummer in a band. Jinriki-sha was very new to me and I did not have power to pull this car at first." His job, a rickshaw man, requires a lot of physical stamina. He has to pull and guide a minimum of two passengers from 30 minutes to up to 2 hours. The total number of passengers in one day comes to about 7 to 8 couples. "Many people believe that a rickshaw man pulls the jinriki-sha while running, but the truth is that the rickshaw man walks as he pulls the car," Mr. Hayashi added.
When passengers are happy and have fun talking, it also gives me pleasure
The weather conditions such as the heat of summer and the cold wind of winter can give him a hard time, but Mr. Hayashi looks satisfied and says, " I know this is very tough work to do, but I feel happy when my passengers are happy and having fun talking. I especially find talking to elderly folks about the old-days to be very fascinating." You can negotiate the price and route with the rickshaw man. While taking a ride in one of these jinriki-sha, have fun looking at the sea, enjoying the atmosphere of the onsen spa along Matsukawa River, or just relax while taking a trial course.
Jinriki-sha Ito Gumi / 0557-48-9419 (normally waits for passengers at Ito Station)
