A to B by Bicycle
Extremely convenient is how I would sum up the public transport systems here.
I do not own a car here because for two reasons; it is too costly and there is no need. Owning a car here is definitely a liability. People get by quite well using bicycles, trains, subways and buses.
Bicycles
Parking space is really scarce here that is why bicycles are so popular. I park my bicycle under the stairwell of my apartment for free, a car on the other hand would cost around 20,000 yen mark per month.
Many of the streets are narrow and car parking is not permitted but most people find some place to squeeze their bicycle in to. I definitely recommend parking bicycles in designated areas. Especially near the station, so as they donft become a nuisance or get confiscated by the city council. Bicycle parking in front of the stations costs approximately 150 yen per day and is paid directly to the parking attendant on duty.
Japan does not have thousands of people riding their bicycles on the road like China. But it is a convenient way to travel short distances for both the young and the old. Be aware that here the roads are for the cars and the footpaths are the freeways for bicycles, also nobody wears a helmet. I think itfs great to see grandmothers in their seventies and eighties on their purpose-built 3 wheelers, no wonder elder people here are more able than those in our home countries. Go pedal-power!
