It is an excellent form of transport with many benefits. You get a great cardio workout and your blood flows. It gives you the freedom to explore your local area.
Not everyone owns a bicycle. It can be expensive to own a bike, and there are other issues like how to store it. In Japan, bicycle rental services are easy to find. In this article, I will tell you how and where you can rent a bike with ease.
You’ll learn about the popularity of Cycling in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan. Is it possible to travel by bicycle? What are the ground rules to follow and some tips? Take a look.
This article contains
- Is Tokyo Bike Friendly
- Biking in Tokyo – Your options
- Tokyo Bike Rental Companies – Docomo Community Cycle Hello Cycling and More
- Finally, a Word on Biking in Tokyo
Is Tokyo Bike Friendly
Let’s start by asking if Tokyo is worth a trip on a bicycle. Tokyo is more accommodating for bikers than it is popular to ride a bike in Tokyo.
Tokyoites, in majority, prefer to take the train, and we cannot blame them. The system works so well that a real alternative was never needed. As electronic bikes and bike rental services have become more popular, both tourists and locals are using more bike rentals.
Tokyo is a bike-friendly city, as it has lanes on the majority of streets for bicycles. However, whether or not people use these lanes is another matter.
While biking is quite common in the United States, it is not as prevalent in European cities like Amsterdam or Berlin. As a result, people park or walk over bike lanes unnoticed.
Renting a bicycle is well worth the money if you want to escape the crowds in the Tokyo subway stations.
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Your options for Biking in Tokyo
Tokyoites may not prefer biking as a mode of transportation, but that doesn’t mean they don’t do it. Biking is very popular in central Tokyo, especially among foreigners and tourists. You have more choices now than just classic bikes.
You can rent a bike in a classic shop, like those you find in large cities. You rent a bike at a store and return it there or at another branch if that is possible.
In recent years, bike-sharing services have also surged in popularity. These services are similar to the scooter rental that I discussed in another article.
Bike-sharing services usually have stations located throughout the city where you can park and take bikes. Signing up for the service is as simple as downloading an app.
Most bike-sharing services allow you to purchase a monthly or daily membership to use their services for your commute.
You can rent an electric bike in either case, whether you pick up a bicycle at a station or rent one from a shop. E-bikes are now commonplace. These bikes help you to drive more smoothly and effortlessly.
Tokyo Bike Rental Companies – Docomo Community Cycle Hello Cycling and More
If you want to begin biking on the streets of Tokyo immediately, you’ll be happy to learn that you have several options. Here are some of the most popular.
Docomo Cycle (Bike Share)
Docomo Community Cycle is the largest bike-sharing service in Japan.
This service is operated via a mobile application that allows you to find the nearest station on a map. It covers the largest area, 11 wards in Tokyo, as well as nearby cities Sendai and Yokohama.
Docomo Cycle offers only e-bikes with paddling assistance. These are great for steep roads. If you plan to use these bikes for commuting or running errands, you can avoid getting sweaty when you arrive at your destination.
Paying on time is also possible. You can purchase a 1-day pass at 1,650 JPY or pay per minute. A 30-minute ride is 165 JPY. You can also pay 110 JPY to extend the time by 30 minutes.
If you plan to use the service every day, the monthly pass is also available for 2,200 JPY and includes unlimited rides. However, each ride has a 30-minute limit.
GS Astuto Road Bicycle Rentals
GS Astuto offers road bikes designed for long distances. GS Astuto, essentially, is a service for renting bikes online.
Carbon-frame bikes can be used for long distances and multiple-day trips. Unfortunately, this service is only offered in the Tokyo region, and the location is about a 2-hour drive away from Central Tokyo. However, it is for professional athletes who are not afraid to go the lengths.
Hello Cycling
Hello Cycling, a casual bike rental service, is an excellent alternative to Docomo Cycles. Both are available in Tokyo.
Hello, Cycling covers a much larger area, which means you will have a better chance of finding a bicycle near you. Docomo Cycles operates only in 11 of the 23 wards within Tokyo. Hello, Cycling covers the Taito Ward, which is an excellent place to go sightseeing.
Hello, Cycling charges 70 JPY per 15 minutes. You can rent a bicycle for 12 hours for 1,000 JPY.
COGICOGI
COGICOGI is a small operation that still provides fantastic service in central Tokyo. The popular bike-sharing service has stations in the Harajuku, Shibuya, and Skytree areas of Tokyo.
The service is available only during specific hours. Stations are open between 10:00 a.m. and 7 p.m. However, you can’t rent bikes after 6:00 p.m.
The service has been around for a long time in Tokyo and is popular with many users.
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LUUP
LUUP, the country’s most popular bike service, is also available at some of its stations. Like scooters, bikes are available for rent on-site.
LUUP covers a smaller geographical area than the other services that I have introduced. The company, which is relatively new in the market, already has ports in several cities throughout Japan. It’s just a matter of time before the stations are expanded to include more bikes.
Livelo
Livelo, like GS Astuto, is for those who are more serious about biking or biking professionally. The company is international and operates in more than 40 cities around the world, including Tokyo.
You can rent additional equipment for your ride, as well as the company’s carbon road bikes.
Livelo offers a service in Tokyo, but the best thing about it is that you can have your bike delivered to the location of your choosing, whether it’s your hotel room or Airbnb. You can also pick up your motorcycle from the area near Narita Airport.
Final Word on Biking in Tokyo
Before I finish, let me briefly review some rules and tips for your first bike trip in Japan.
In general, there are a few differences between the rules for biking in Japan and other countries: Be aware that pedestrians obey traffic signs and regulations and do not ride on the sidewalk. There is one rule, however, that’s not very common. It has to do with the parking.
In many European cities that are bike-centric, it is common to lock your bike wherever you feel safe. However, in Tokyo, leaving your bike on the road carelessly is not an option.
If you are returning a shared bike to a station at the end of a ride, you must park in designated parking spaces.
While a license is not required to rent and ride a bike in Japan, you should still carry an ID with a photograph since some rental shops require this proof.
If you need an alternative to bike-sharing in Japan when you are in a hurry, check out my article on Uber in Japan, where I discuss ride-sharing in the country. You can also rent e-scooters as an alternative to bikes. I have a post that goes into detail about this.
