Hello all, I just bought a bike today, I’m living in Saitama city, Sakura ward, and when I bought it they told me I can’t receive the registration sticker until I set up a Japanese phone number. I need to do so anyway but should I be worried about riding it? Is this normal? What do I do about this situation
4 comments
It is normal, some people do have their bikes unregistered.
However, if you ever get stopped by the police on a routine patrol, you might have to explain why it is not registered yet. In the meantime bring proof of purchase with you just in case
The only problem is when police stop you and the serial number will not be registered, so they cannot know who owns that bicycle. Bring proof of purchase all the times with you to avoid headache and register it as soon as possible.
IIRC the form has phone number field, but I never got any calls or sms, I think you can put in any number – your office, your friend, your hotel or your Real Estate agent, they won’t know any better.
You need to get that registered real quick and from my experience don’t ride it if you are drinking. It’s very unpleasant being held up for a couple hours until they tire and eventually let you go. I was using my flatmate’s bike but he was overseas at the time so no rego papers