Japan is one of the best countries for cyclists, in my opinion. This is especially true if you get out of the cities -- in the countryside you'll find beautiful paved roads and walkways, even in the middle of nowhere, and be able to enjoy Japan's lost decades of government largesse. Plus there are convenience stores and hot springs all over the place to keep you fed and clean, and pretty lenient rules on camping.
The situation in the cities is pretty good too. Just a couple of clarifications on
railroadtycoon's excellent response above:
Originally Posted by
railroadtycoon
1. Finding a parking space, though often people park in clearly designated "no parking areas", though the "bike patrol" often comes and tows rows and rows of bikes away. In which you have to pay some 3000-5000 yen to get it back from the inpound. Luckily it hasn't happened to me..yet.
Almost all of the "no parking areas" I have encountered are around suburban railway stations, where they are a necessity because of the sheer number of people who bike to the station and take the train to work. You'll see a lot of bicycle parking lots around these stations, which charge a monthly fee for the privilege of leaving your bike there.
In central Tokyo, you can park a bike pretty much anywhere as long as it isn't in someone's way. It generally isn't hard to find a fence or utility pole to park at.
Originally Posted by
railroadtycoon
4. Depending on the area, technically you're supposed to ride on the street with regular traffic, however many people ride on the sidewalk/pavement, and there are some areas where there is shared bike/pedestrian pavement areas.
The traffic laws say that bicycles can ride either in the street or on the sidewalk/pavement, whichever makes more sense from a safety and traffic flow perspective. Drivers in Tokyo can be complete nutters, though, so people generally avoid the street, which can make walking in bike-heavy areas a real challenge. You'll find that large road bridges often have special ramps for hauling bikes up onto the pedestrian section.
Originally Posted by
railroadtycoon
6. Police checks, many bikes in Japan are registered to prevent theft, so the Police do occasional bike checks, they usually don't stop me, (maybe I look honest) any case, since you're bike is from overseas and there's no registration plate, just be able to explain that in case you do get stopped for a bike check.
From what I understand, the police will not bother stopping you if you have no registration sticker, because they have no way of checking your ownership of the bike. I know some people who have intentionally not registered their bikes for this very reason. The pointers about lights, phones, umbrellas, etc. certainly do apply though, and cops will harass you for any of those reasons.