Japan Bike Shop Sales Double on Commuters’ Earthquake Fears

Tokyo residents haunted by the memory of how the March 11 earthquake shut the world’s busiest subway system are returning to bicycle travel, doubling the sales of retailer Asahi Co. in the area last month.

“I was in Tokyo when the earthquake hit, and everything stopped,” company President Susumu Shimoda said in an interview. “Trains stopped, buses were in chaos and cars were jammed. Within that, you could just see bicycles swimming through. Some of our stores stayed open until 4 a.m. to meet the surge in demand.”