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Cycling in Japan

 
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jrwhisky



Joined: 07 Jul 2013
Posts: 43

PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 6:56 am    Post subject: Cycling in Japan Reply with quote

I wanted to start a topic on all things bicycle related.

bicycle conduct in Japan What are the preferred rules of the road. What should you know?

Great bicycling trails you would like to share.

Where is the best place to get them? Malls, little bicycle repair shops etc..

I plan on purchasing one this week but I've been cycling since I got here.
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kah5217



Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 270
Location: Ibaraki

PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For the most part, the bicycle is treated the same as a car and thus a lot of the same rules apply. So don't ride your bike home from the izakaya, especially if the officers at the koban are watching.
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Rooster.



Joined: 13 Mar 2012
Posts: 247

PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 10:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kah5217 wrote:
For the most part, the bicycle is treated the same as a car and thus a lot of the same rules apply. So don't ride your bike home from the izakaya, especially if the officers at the koban are watching.


No, the bike is king.

When you are on a bike you are better than everyone else. Traffic laws do not apply to you and both cars and pedestrians are expected to yield to you as you zoom by nearly hitting both while riding on the wrong side of the street or sidewalk. You also don't need to think about where you park your bike.
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jmatt



Joined: 29 Apr 2012
Posts: 122

PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 3:50 pm    Post subject: Re: Cycling in Japan Reply with quote

jrwhisky wrote:
I wanted to start a topic on all things bicycle related.

bicycle conduct in Japan What are the preferred rules of the road. What should you know?

Great bicycling trails you would like to share.

Where is the best place to get them? Malls, little bicycle repair shops etc..

I plan on purchasing one this week but I've been cycling since I got here.


I ride everywhere, all across Tokyo, everyday. The morning commute got to be too much, so I took the advice of friends who ride everywhere and am glad I did.

Rules the same as anywhere. Only thing is to get used to riding in heavy traffic. Most drivers here really good---very little of the road rage shit you see in the US. Just be smart---no earbuds. Other than that---common sense.

Cycling a great way to get across this city. Good luck!
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rxk22



Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629

PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 5:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bought my bike at Costco. Bikes, like a lot of consumer items in Japan, are often pointlessly expensive. I don't see how a regular 3 speed bike needs to cost more than $200, but they often are.
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Pitarou



Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan

PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rxk22 wrote:
I bought my bike at Costco. Bikes, like a lot of consumer items in Japan, are often pointlessly expensive. I don't see how a regular 3 speed bike needs to cost more than $200, but they often are.
I can get one for much less than that! But it's true that bike shops seem to charge a hefty premium for gears.
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Pitarou



Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan

PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 10:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kah5217 wrote:
For the most part, the bicycle is treated the same as a car and thus a lot of the same rules apply. So don't ride your bike home from the izakaya, especially if the officers at the koban are watching.
It's a bit more complicated than that.

As you say, drunk cycling recently became illegal, but my understanding is that bikes have traditionally been considered legally equivalent to pedestrians. This is due to the influence of the car companies, who wanted to preserve the special status of cars.
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rxk22



Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629

PostPosted: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pitarou wrote:
rxk22 wrote:
I bought my bike at Costco. Bikes, like a lot of consumer items in Japan, are often pointlessly expensive. I don't see how a regular 3 speed bike needs to cost more than $200, but they often are.
I can get one for much less than that! But it's true that bike shops seem to charge a hefty premium for gears.


The Costco 3 speeds are only ¥11,000.
Def worth it
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looseleaf



Joined: 20 Oct 2013
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Riding a bike whilst being drunk carries the same penalty as driving a car whilst drunk - 1 million yen and potential deportation for a foreigner.

Also, I'm not sure how many people are aware of this latest rule, but it's now illegal to ride towards oncoming traffice (i.e. on the right hand side of the road). Penalties for this are 20,000 yen or 1 month in prison.

It's not easy being a cyclist in Japan. Not only are you having to watch out for bored cops but you also have to watch out for drivers that frequently run red lights. Happens to me all the time in the inaka. Most of my friends who have bikes have been knocked off. It's only a matter of time until I am as well....
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Didah



Joined: 25 Jul 2009
Posts: 88
Location: Planet Tralfamador.... and so it goes

PostPosted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 10:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Greetings,

This thread made me think about my experiences with a bicycle in Japan. Nice to see bike prices are coming down. In the mid 1990s -- BC -- Before Costco -- I purchased a three speed Bridgestone bike for 40,000 yen. The headlight was powered by a generator attached to the front wheel. It was pretty cool but it was expensive -- especially with today's lower prices. Did I mention that it also had that almost inaudible bell and the goofy Japanese-style rear wheel lock that could be picked with a paperclip.

Anyway, I lived in the Ryogoku section of Tokyo and I would frequently ride my bike to the train station. One day, there was a knock on my door and it was the police. One of the uniformed "officers" asked me in stilted English to see my bicycle registration and sales receipt. I asked him why and he said that I had too nice a bike for a Gaijin. Fortunately I had both documents, despite the fact that the registration sticker was on the bike frame. Back then, the joke was that the Japanese only manufactured technology and didn't use it. I guess that is why they just couldn't look up the ownership from the registration from the sticker on the frame.

While traffic was bad even before all these new laws, the biggest hazard I faced was whether or not the station police would pick my bike up and impound it. There never seemed to be any rhyme or reason why they selected the bikes they did for impound. Never happened to me personally, however, the one time I loaned my bike to a neighbor, it got impounded.

Times have changed. Now there is Starbucks, Costco, Ikea and a host of other Western brands. No longer do we have to rely on the knockoffs like Doubtors, Tokyu Hands (where I bought the expensive bike) or the Loft. Still, back in the 80s and 90s I think Japan was a lot more livable. Even Roppongi was fun, cheap and not so dangerous like today. I no longer live in Japan but I visit every year or so.

Happy Cycling
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TokyoLiz



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 2:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Recycled shopping bikes don't cost more than 6,000 yen. You can get a 3 gear bike for that price.

New rules, folks - http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/09/27/national/cyclists-warned-on-new-left-side-rule/#.UrUBAftQgY0

I took photos of all my docs on my iphone. If someone wants me to prove that my bike is mine, I can show them a photo of the registration. Simple.
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