Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi rode to work Friday on a Segway scooter, a gift he received a month ago from visiting U.S. President George W. Bush in Kyoto.
Koizumi rode the unconventional two-wheeled vehicle roughly 150 meters from his official residence to his office within the same premises.
"It was relatively easy . . . easy to navigate," Koizumi told reporters afterward, saying he practiced riding Thursday night and rode it Friday morning because "the weather was nice."
Segways are not street legal as they have no brakes.
On Nov. 16, Bush rode his gift to greet Koizumi in a surprise welcome at the Kyoto State Guesthouse.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.