Jama on the Tama

Autumn is a delightful time for cycling, and unfortunately for running, too, which means almost daily encounters with one of my least favorite Japanese words: jama.

Jama, 邪魔, literally translates as “evil magic,” but means something like hinderance, impedance, or, as I prefer, bloody nuisance.

Autumn brings out all the joggers onto the Tama Cycling Road and, despite a perfectly good path below the levy on which the track for cyclists has been made, runners take over the path.

They’d be fine if they kept to the rules and ran to the edges of the path, but rare is the runner who does so, and most joggers have pods in their ears, so can’t hear when you approach. Their sheer numbers make cycling a precarious task, and the general inattentiveness heightens that.

So many runners make riding on the cycling road dangerous and unpleasant, often leaving those of us who prefer to pedal to hit the roads and take our own turn to be a jama, this time for drivers.

And they have the whole track next week, when the Fuchu Tamagawa Marathon will be run. Bring back the oppressive weather and keep the jama joggers in their holes!