Despite the high-tech nature of much of Japan’s transportation system, the humble bicycle (jitensha, じてんしゃ, 自転車; compare with the kanji for car: 自動車) still plays an important role in the everyday life of many in the country. Although the streets aren’t heaving with cycles in the same way that you might see in Beijing or Amsterdam, they are frequently used to get to the nearest station and back as part of a commute. In fact, newly purchased cycles played a key part in enabling people to get from their offices to the suburbs of Tokyo and other affected cities when the Great Tohoku Earthquake struck earlier this year, when most public transport was shut down for safety reasons. The machine of choice for this role is usually the mama chari (ママチャリ) , a basic, sturdy, and reliable bike utilized by all different types of people. These can be purchased new for under 10,000 yen, and must be registered. This is usually completed by the bike shop (じてんしゃや, 自転車屋) for new bikes, and can be performed at a local police box (koban, こうばん, 交番) when buying second-hand bikes.

Bicycle parking

Ownership of a bicycle in a big city in Japan means that you will soon become familiar with chuurinjou or bicycle parking areas (ちゅうりんじょう, 駐輪場). The limited amount of space in the cities, and the sheer number of bicycles that can be left in some places, particular stations, mean that you can’t just leave your bicycle wherever is convenient for you, and there are numerous attendants around to ensure that you don’t and who remove those bicycles whose owners haven’t used the spaces designated for bikes or paid as necessary (signs saying 有料 [charge] rather than 無料 [free] should be looked out for). An eight-hour stretch usually costs 100 yen, although monthly passes can be bought for parking spaces at local stations. In fact, Japan is leading the way in terms of storage of bicycles at such sites; as it can often be difficult to find a space, a machine has been developed that can automatically whisk your bike off to some remote basement at the touch of a button, and deliver it back to the same point when you return (www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE4fvwTBtno).

Cycling Away from the Cities

Besides the usefulness of bicycles within the cities, Japan is an ideal location for longer-distance cycling. From Tokyo (東京), the slopes of the Japanese Alps and Mount Fuji (Fuji-san, ふじさん, 富士山), the beaches of the Shonan (湘南) coast, and the rugged terrain of Miura (三浦半島) and Izu peninsulas (伊豆半島) are all within easy reach. Similarly, from Osaka (大阪), the Kii peninsula (紀伊半島) and Lake Biwa (琵琶湖) are accessible. In fact, Japan boasts one of the world’s top cycle links, on which one can cycle from Shikoku (四国) to mainland Japan across six islands and bridges over the Seto Inland Sea (瀬戸内海), exclusively on cycle lanes. It is a great country for avid cyclists.

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