Yomiuri Newspaper 5 Day Feature: The Mamachari Bicycle Tour

I should have done this a few months ago... but a HUGE thank you to the EXTREMELY talented Mayumi Oshige from the Yomiuri Shimbun for giving me a bit of a write up in the しあわせ小箱, "Little Box of Happiness" column MON - FRI in December!! A long-running, popular human-interest column featured in Japan's largest national newspaper.

So if you’re up to date with your Shohei Otani home runs, bear attacks and BOJ interest rate hikes then feel free to have a bit of a read. Nothing too risqué sorry…

Thanks again Mayumi for both the awesome opportunity and write up!!

The following is a rough translation of Mayumi's 5 day series.

The Real Japan: Visitors in Awe

Little Box of Happiness: The Mamachari Tour (Monday, Part 1.)

"Welcome to the real Japan!" says Andy Miller, an Australian who guides visitors through the streets of Tokyo’s Koenji neighbourhood by bicycle. At 9:00am, he pedals through the archway of a local shopping arcade alongside eight guests from the Netherlands and the United States, all riding mamacharis (traditional Japanese utility bikes).

They pass pharmacies, butcher shops, Buddhist altar stores, and local dive-bars. Many of the shops are still preparing to open or have their shutters down, yet the group is fascinated by the dense rows of diverse storefronts and the sea of ​​Japanese signage. "Ginza and Shinjuku aren't the only Japan. This is the real daily life," Andy thinks, unable to suppress a proud, smug grin.

Andy moved to Japan nine years ago when his Japanese wife was transferred to Tokyo. At the time, his two sons were five and two years old. While his wife worked, Andy took charge of the housework and childcare. He wanted a job that was both flexible and enjoyable; the idea for a self-organized "bicycle tour" struck him while he was pushing a mamachari to pick up and drop off his sons at preschool.

As they emerge from the shopping arcade onto a main road, the eight guests tuck into "standing-style" soba noodles and let out a collective "Oh!" of delight. Seeing people from completely different backgrounds and languages ​​widen their eyes at Japan's unadorned, everyday reality is what Andy finds so rewarding.

He named his business "DIG Tokyo Tours." If you want to "dig" deep into Japan, he's your man. His proud smile only grew wider.

Credit: Mayumi Oshige

Publication: Yomiuri Shimbun Monday 22.12.2025

Re-evaluating the "Ultimate Lifestyle Tool"

Little Box of Happiness: The Mamachari Tour (Tuesday, Part 2.)

In 2017, Andy Miller, the Australian founder of "DIG Tokyo Tours" in the Koenji area, let out a heavy sigh. He was at a sale for abandoned bicycles that had been refurbished by staff from the Silver Human Resource Center. He had come hoping to buy more mamachari for the tour business he had recently started, but within minutes of the opening, all the high-quality bikes were gone. Only two plain-looking ones remained.

Andy first saw a mamachari 23 years ago when he first came to Japan from Australia on a working holiday. His honest impression at the time was that they were “unfashionable". It was during this period that he met his wife, and they married after his second trip to Japan.

However, his perspective changed nine years ago during his third move to the country. He realized that for living and raising children in Tokyo, the mamachari was the "ultimate lifestyle tool". He was struck by its mobility, the front basket that could hold a mountain of groceries, and its reliability in safely carrying one or two small children. He wanted to introduce this "cool" Japanese staple to international visitors, which is why he decided the mamachari would be the "wheels" for his tours.

Back at the bicycle sale, fortune smiled on him. Of the two remaining bikes, he managed to snag the relatively newer one for 6,700 yen. Andy isn't particularly fluent in Japanese, but there is one proverb he knows well: "Nokorimono ni wa fuku ga aru" —there is luck in the leftovers.

Credit: Mayumi Oshige

Publication: Yomiuri Shimbun Tuesday 23.12.2025

Zero Accidents with a "Safety First" Approach

Little Box of Happiness: The Mamachari Tour (Wednesday, Part 3.)

Safety is the top priority for Andy Miller, the Australian guide behind "DIG Tokyo Tours", which takes visitors through the Koenji area on mamachari . However, keeping everyone safe is easier said than done.

His most popular tour is a 15-kilometer route from Koenji to Asagaya, lasting up to four hours. Although there are fewer people out around 9:00am, the shopping arcades are narrow and see constant foot traffic, making them difficult to navigate. Many participants wobble and sway, unable to handle a mamachari skillfully until they get the hang of it. Andy makes sure to tell them, "Don't worry, don't rush. I will always wait for you". Hearing this, their expressions soften. His record of zero accidents to date is likely the result of accumulating these small moments of care.

However, the biggest challenge he faces is dealing with "people who cannot ride a bike". He can't forget a group from eight years ago: a mother and her two daughters from the United States. The mother couldn't ride at all. Andy suggested they cancel the tour, but they insisted on going. As expected, she fell twice and ended up covered in scratches. While she laughed it off saying, "I'm fine", Andy was concerned for her safety and felt terrible for the daughters who were watching their mother in distress.

Since that day, his website explicitly recommends that participants MUST "be able to confidently and competently ride a bike". He also encourages everyone to wear a helmet during the tour. No matter how much he wants his guests to have a good time, his "safety first" policy is non-negotiable.

Credit: Mayumi Oshige

Publication: Yomiuri Shimbun Wednesday 24.12.2025

Struggling with High Schoolers During the Pandemic

Little Box of Happiness: The Mamachari Tour (Thursday, Part 4.)

"Don't take your mask off there!" Andy Miller, an Australian living in Tokyo, was busy urging high school students at an international school to keep their masks on and maintain social distance.

Five years ago, the global pandemic put restrictions on international travel, and "DIG Tokyo Tours", which had finally been gaining momentum, was forced into an unavoidable hiatus. While his wife supported the household finances, maintenance costs like garage rent for the mamachari bikes and insurance fees continued to pile up.

It was during this time that an international school began recruiting staff for a "COVID-19 safety officer" role. Without a teaching license and with limited Japanese proficiency, Andy felt this was the only place where he could work. He applied immediately and was hired.

While the job of managing the students' health was rewarding in its own way, he desperately wanted to restart his bicycle tours. He spent those days eager for the pandemic to quickly end.

In October 2022, when the Japanese government finally reopened the country to individual foreign travelers, Andy made his long-awaited return to the tours. Today, Tokyo is teeming with visitors, and his tours are a huge success. He feels deep gratitude towards his former workplace that supported him through those lean years, the local community and past guests who sent him messages of encouragement. Thanks to them, his business managed to stay upright and avoid total collapse.

Credit: Mayumi Oshige

Publication: Yomiuri Shimbun Thursday 25.12.2025

One Day, With My Wife…

Little Box of Happiness: The Mamachari Tour (Friday, Part 5.)

Andy Miller, the Australian who runs "DIG Tokyo Tours" for international visitors in the Koenji area, has one thing weighing on his mind: the fact that his lovely wife has never once joined one of his tours. She is, quite simply, too busy with her own work.

Still, he desperately wants to share the joy of these tours with her. He sees the visitors whose eyes light up at the sight of Japanese life and the local residents who look out for the tour every morning to wave hello. His sense of fulfillment comes from introducing the beauty of ordinary Japanese daily life while bringing joy to both the visitors and the community. Someday, he would even like to try organizing a tour that specifically includes local residents.

This month, the sound of "Jingle Bells" echoed through the Koenji shopping arcade. His wife cheered him on, saying, "You always seem so busy this time of year. Good luck!". Andy hopes to make the tours even more captivating, so that one day, his wife will utter the words, "I want to join".

Today's tour is bustling once again. Leading a group of visitors, Andy pushes down hard on his pedals. As he recalls his wife's words of encouragement, the biting winter air brushing against his cheeks feels just that little bit softer.

Credit: Mayumi Oshige

Publication: Yomiuri Shimbun Friday 26.12.2025