I’ve been living in Japan for two years, and I pretty much know all the rules. Laws, customs, etiquette, that kind of thing. I never blow my nose in public, and I always remember to take off my shoes, though at first I would forget. That felt really embarrassing, so I learned quickly.

Stealing is wrong, of course, same as it is everywhere, but somehow it’s more wrong here. In Kyoto, for example, people often leave their shopping in their bicycle basket, sometimes even their handbags, when they go into a store. Their belongings are always there when they come back. This seems unthinkable, but it’s the norm in Japan.

People do sometimes take bicycles — not new ones, but the bashed-in things around the entrance of subway stations. They’re often in big piles, covered in rust, abandoned for whatever reason.

Someone told me that it was O.K. to pick these up and use them. My friend intimated to me that it wasn’t quite legal, but everyone seemed to do it, including the Japanese, so I thought it was fine. Like the way that, twice a year, when everyone receives their bonasu, or seasonal bonus, families put furniture and TVs out on the street. Lots of foreigners I know get stuff that way. I didn’t think bicycles would be much different. Anyway, last December, I decided to pick one up.