The Mama Chari is the Japanese equivalent of the family station wagon, it's a cultural icon. These are the utility bicycles relied on by families for a variety of basic transportation needs, including lugging groceries from the supermarket, getting to the train station, or shuttling children to and from kindergarten or daycare. In Japan's urban landscape these workhorses are common sights and are Inexpensive and dependable. It is a slang term and it means "mom's bike," are Japan's ubiquitous city bicycles. Baskets and, often, child seats, these utilitarian machines are mainstays for a slew of errands, including hauling groceries and ferrying children around the neighborhood are their features.

Reliability is the reason to make them popular transport for commuters heading to the train station and students going to school. Even you can be seen office workers traversing business districts on their trusty mama Chari. In the 1950s mama Chari first appearing in Japan, and it has been around for over a half-century. Women's bicycles, before then, were burdensome contraptions weighing 22–24 kilograms. Limiting their appeal mostly to young women in their teens and twenties, these early bikes were cumbersome rides with high centers of gravity. In 1956, after going on sale, however, this changed with the appearance of the Smart Lady, a model that quickly became a bestseller. The features of these bicycles are a lower seat and handlebars, giving it more stability, and its top tube had been designed to make it easy for smaller women and those wearing skirts or dresses to hop on and pedal. A removable basket attached to the front of the handlebars is another popular feature. The bicycles are made accessible to people of all ages and gender by the mama Chari. They have become an indispensable facet of everyday life, over the decades. They are more affordable than road and mountain bicycles, starting from less than ¥10,000, an aspect that has greatly contributed to their diffusion.

The upgrade of choice is a child seat, after purchasing a mama Chari. You can mount these on the rear luggage rack or behind/between/in front of the handlebars. For a mama Chari, it is not unusual to sport two child seats, and on occasion, you'll spot one with three. The government when implemented a ban recently on carrying two children on a mama Chari mothers across Japan campaigned against the ruling and the government was forced to back down. At the front, the child seat is mounted low between the handlebars for added stability and a child seat it converts into a decent-sized basket when not in use. Mama Chari in Japan is much the same as Dutch bikes are in Holland. A mama Chari is just a sort extension of their shoes, for the Japanese. When you need them, there to be used, when you don't, forgotten and often neglected. There are lots of different makes and models of bikes, most are either single speed, 3 speed with internal hub gears or 6-7 speed with derailleur gears.

There are some characteristics of mama Chari are as follows:

1. Step-through frame design

2. Upright riding position

3. Mudguards

4. Front basket

5. Chainguard

6. Rear hub brake

7. Front dynamo light

8. Rear stand

9. Rear-wheel mounted lock - often called a 'Dutch lock'

10. Rear rack – to which a child seat can be fitted

11. An integrated front child seat

Some of the variations are there of mama Chari with, electric pedal assist, and bolt-on sun umbrellas and hand mitts, and more. With special emphasis placed on greater reliability and safety, Mama Chari has continued to evolve. With a variety of features, including a basket, an o-lock, a dynamo light, mudguards, and a bell, Standard mama Chari come equipped. The bikes are easy to ride and require minimal maintenance, in addition to being practically designed. Yamaha is the first company in the world who invented the first electric-assist bicycle, in 1993. In 1998, this was followed by Panasonic and Maruishi Cycle combining, to develop an electric mama Chari, a product that quickly gained attention by reducing the burden of pedaling up steep hills while lugging a child or groceries. One issue that has garnered attention has been the number of children allowed to ride as passengers, as the safety of bikes has improved. With some allowing two and others drawing the line at one, each prefecture enforces its own set of rules. Mama Chari has gained international attention, appearing in media reports and on programs highlighting the cultural role of the bicycles, in the last few years. In London, there is even a shop of mama Chari bicycles, since 2003, which has specialized in the iconic bikes. Imported mama Chari has begun to appear, in Africa, serving as vital modes of transportation and winning fans for their sturdiness and reliability. Being merely bicycles for mothers to become bikes for men and women of any generation, Mama Chari has gone beyond.