How to get a momma's "mama-chari" in Japan

The style of bike you will see almost everyone riding to and from the grocery store or work or wherever else people seem to go is the “mama-chari” it is designed for comfort and leisure. These bikes are not meant for speed nor power. They are heavy as ...something very heavy. But they are sturdy and stable. It is not likely that you will fall over even on the most bumpy and gravel-y types of roads. I know, because i've had plenty an adventure on my mama-chari. But why is is called that? Well as a mama of a two year old boy, I get it. Before I was married, I rode one of these bad brothers around but soon wanted to upgrade to a road bike. Mama chari are slow. Now, when my 11 kilogram son swings his full body around while I'm attempting to pedal up hill over bumps and I barely even sway off path, I know that this is a mother bear of bikes. 

I took a long time running around to different stores comparing prices and perks before settling on my bike. So here is what I found to be my list of things most needed to still stay within a budget.

First off, the cheapest place I found, and the place I ended up buying my bike was Joyful Honda. This is a home improvement store that has many stores across the Kanto area (I'm not sure about elsewhere). Cainz Home and Sekichu also had some nice prices on their mama-chari. Other places you can purchase bikes are Aeon malls, and home improvement style stores, or local bike shops. The mom and pop type places often have great deals on used bicycles, or you can check out a local hard-off for whatever they happen to have. 

Also the best time of year to buy a bike is the beginning of the school year. There are more styles of bicycles on display, and if you happen to be a student, fantastic deals. 

Features on the bike that were what I considered necessities.

1. )    25kg rack on the back. I wanted to be able to install a child seat on the back of the bike. I decided against the front seat because I felt that it would make the bike more unstable. Most are also designed for small children and I intend to use mine for years.

2.)    Automatic front light. There are manual lights that run by flipping the light down onto the side of the tire using the tires motion to power the light, creating a hum and pull on the tire. The kind I wanted is built into the tire so that it doesn't create a pull from the friction.

3.)    Built in gear shift. I believe most bridgestone bicycles have this. The gears are built into the back tire, so nothing can get caught up in the gear shift. Great for all the flowy pants I wear in summer

Things that are standard on most models of bikes here that I wasn't used to back home are things like built on key locks. They wrap through the back tire and snap open when the key is inserted. Another feature of the mama-chari is the kickstand. The bike does not lean on the stand but is instead perched on it. I like them except trying to lug my heavy baby and bike up to kick the stand under the back tire when there isn't space to roll it backward.