Bicycle commuting in Tokyo.

I've recently been researching bike commuting in Tokyo, but haven't really found any in-depth information about it heh. Does anyone here commute around the city by bicycle? I would love to ask a few questions about it. I specifically ride a track bike, but I'm not sure a lot of people here do, so i'll just ask about the general commuting aspects.

For starters, how are the bike lanes in Tokyo? I've lived in both Chicago and Brooklyn, and the bike lanes are really horrible. Sometimes I find it impossible to ride in them because of glass, cars parked in them, oil, construction leftovers, people walking in them, ect. Is it similar in Tokyo?

Also, what is the law concerning riding with traffic? Or the general acceptance of cyclist on the road? I worked as a bike courier, and am very used to traffic not really liking me riding with them. However, there were also a lot of people not too concerned .

Thanks so much for any information that can be offered. I very much appreciate it. I have a couple friends working for bike shops within Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, but can not get ahold of them if my life depended on it haha.

Take care.

I don't live in Japan but I have been to Tokyo several times. I'm also an avid cyclist (600+ hours/year and race) so I'm always paying attention when I see someone on something other than a mamachari. The last time I was in Tokyo I saw an explosion of road/track bikes, especially a growth in couriers. Couriers were using a mix of roads and sidewalks to get to their destinations quicker.

Bike lanes? What bike lanes? You're in with the main traffic. Drivers are respectful. I've done some riding outside of Tokyo and you can get squeezed out at times. Not maliciously or anything, but just enough room for the 2 of you. I've seen roadies commuting on the streets of Tokyo after sunset with no lights and still safe.

Roads are generally clean. Here in Texas I come across broken glass at least once every day. I think I've only seen broken glass once in some 30+ rides in Japan. Road surfaces are also maintained well. You won't be dodging potholes.

I would definitely put a front brake on the track bike. I'm assuming you're riding a fixed gear. While you probably won't experience people darting out in front of you, with the abundance of cabs in Tokyo there's always the odd chance of someone getting out of the right rear door (remember you're riding on the left there - England style). There are no turns on red in Japan, and pedestrians never jaywalk in Tokyo.

At the moment, I don't commute anywhere really, but for years I commuted from Shibuya-ish (Ikejiri for a while, then Tomigaya) to Akasaka.

For starters, how are the bike lanes in Tokyo?

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Invisible.

Also, what is the law concerning riding with traffic?

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I'm sure there is a law, but I'll be damned if it's enforced. My 7k ride to work each morning was 45% sidewalk, 45% road, 10% cemetary. I would run lights all day long...even in front of the koban.

Or the general acceptance of cyclist on the road?

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I have never had any problems. With all the traffic, there's a sort of zen to it all.

Roads are generally clean. Here in Texas I come across broken glass at least once every day. I think I've only seen broken glass once in some 30+ rides in Japan. Road surfaces are also maintained well. You won't be dodging potholes.

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I am from Dallas, and went to school in Austin. I was in the suburbs in Dallas, so the roads were quite nice. Austin wasn't quite as nice, as I was living near campus. Very rideable though, and quite bike friendly. I just finished living in Hawaii for two years, which is about the most bicycle unfriendly place I've ever been. The road integrity sucks (pot holes everywhere) and the drivers are basically the worst in the states. Pedestrian deaths frequently. Far worse than anything Tokyo or Texas can produce. Even riding the curb, I had more than a few instances in 2 years where I was yelled to "get out of the road" despite the fact I had the right of way.

and pedestrians never jaywalk in Tokyo.

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Sure they do. Just not all of them like most places.

I agree with tigermilk's post, except for the last paragraph.

Tokyo isn't especially hilly, but it depends on the area you bike in. I have a relatively short commute (30 minutes tops), and due to my short-term living arrangement, I'm stuck with an old mama-chari that's too small for me. It has only one gear, and there's a considerable unavoidable hill on my route; I would hate to do that on a fixed gear.

Good brakes are important, because people WILL get in the way somehow. Jaywalking is about as common as anywhere else, except for major intersections or when there's a koban in the area. Also, as tigermilk said, there are no bike lanes at all, and I've actually been encouraged by the police themselves to ride on the sidewalks (!?). Because of this, and the fact that one side of the street has a huge sidewalk compared to the other, I ride against traffic going to school, and with traffic coming home, only about 30% of which actually on the road. To be fair, I've never seen a decent road bike on the sidewalks, but I've seen few people that looked like they knew what they were doing with their bikes.

I believe there has been other threads similar to this one, and Mike Cash has put forth his own views on bikers (as a professional truck driver).

I seriously considered buying one of those folding bikes on a trip to Tokyo back in October '05, but the weather then took care of that idea (it rained a lot). I think it would be fun to roam around Tokyo and other places on a bike. Maybe I'll do it in the future. It is interesting reading the posts about the lack of bike lanes. I did see a lot of people riding on the sidewalks without any hassle.

I saw a few jaywalkers in Tokyo.

Thank you for your replies and information.

That is very interesting about the police not being very concerned about blowing stop lights/signs GajingPunch. The police where I am currently are very concerned with such a thing. Are there some places where it is required to ride on the sidewalks, or is it just an option for the rider and some encouragement from the police?

I would be concerned about riding on sidewalks though. Mainly because I am going considerably faster than a walking pedestrian, so safety would be a big concern.

I am also happy to hear about the bike lane issue. I, personally, feel it is somewhat dangerous to ride in bike lanes with the inattentive drivers that are on the streets that I ride/have rode. So being forced to ride with traffic whilst on the road is a plus for myself. However, it was mentioned that the drivers in Japan are attentive, so it sounds like that would not be a problem if bike lanes did exist.

The clean roads are a major plus as well. I am so happy to hear that... honestly. I got very annoyed sometimes when I saw such unnecessary trash on the roads in Chicago and New York. So having a clean surface to ride one would be somewhat of a god-send haha.

The issue concerning brakes is very well offered up. I have no doubt that brakes are an essential part of the bicycle. However, I do feel confident riding without brake calipers on my track bike. I have so for a long time, and especially in the city, haven't experienced too much trouble riding a brakeless fixed gear bike. Who knows though... when my time comes to visit, or even live in Japan, maybe i'll stick one on .

Again thank you for such information. I have since contacted someone who has lived in Tokyo for 3 years commuting on a track bike, so you guys and he have both helped in furthering my education on this matter.

Take care.

GaijinPunch said:

[snip] I just finished living in Hawaii for two years, which is about the most bicycle unfriendly place I've ever been. The road integrity sucks (pot holes everywhere) and the drivers are basically the worst in the states. Pedestrian deaths frequently. Far worse than anything Tokyo or Texas can produce. Even riding the curb, I had more than a few instances in 2 years where I was yelled to "get out of the road" despite the fact I had the right of way. [snip]

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My apologies in advance for making an off-topic post, but the reference to Hawai'i interested me. I was stationed on Oahu for three years in the early 1980s. To tell the truth, I never paid much attention to bicycles (mainly because I never drove!). However, I definitely remember that the locals and the non-locals who had "gone native" were emphatic about only using your horn (when driving) in an absolute emergency. They made such a big deal about it, even going so far as to imply that using the car horn in a non-emergency situation somehow merited punishment! I do hope that people over there aren't so uptight about auto horns these days.

Not sure what they would call an emergency. I generally tend to think a car (or more often a city bus) drifting into my lane warranted a honk. One time, in a parking lot, I was behind a car who put on his breaks, then went into reverse (of course w/o checking) and proceeded to come towards me. He got about 6 inches before I gave him a nice 10 second honk. Morons... the drivers there are completely, and totally "on their own island".