Rickshaw puller Yuka Akimoto breathlessly dashes down the streets of Tokyo under a scorching summer sun, two French tourists enjoying the sights from the back of her black, two-wheeled cart.
When the 45-minute tour comes to an end, the 21-year-old bows deeply to her clients and offers a blistered palm — covered with a clean cloth — to help the couple alight. Sweat pours down her flushed face.
Akimoto is one of a handful of women who have chosen to pull rickshaws in Tokyo, attracted to the male-dominated profession through social media, which in turn has given some of these female pullers a strong local and international following.