I’m a newcomer to Japan and before coming, I knew there’d be more than a few things to adjust to: the summer heat, different cultural customs, the language etc. But one thing I didn’t expect to have to deal with is what I perceive to be a staggeringly poor level of behaviour when it comes to cyclists.
As someone who biked a fair bit in my native land and who has never owned a car in favour of public transport, I will say it’s great to see so many people choosing 2 wheels over 4, but I have to say I’m dismayed at the level of carelessness a lot of cyclists here seem to exhibit. It feels like every time I walked down the street I have to constantly look over my shoulder lest one of them crash into me. On busy pedestrian paths bikes will either come shooting past you from behind with no warning, or will maintain a constant collision course with you before veering off at the last possible moment. Even where I’m stood right now writing this, there’s a dedicated cycle lane, and yet 90%+ of the bikes coming past decide to take the very narrow path and nearly take me out.
I simply have to ask, is this a common occurrence around the nation, or am I just experiencing a weird local phenomenon of constantly nearly getting struck by bikes?
39 comments
Welcome to Japan.
Lol, it’s everywhere bro. Fuckers have the right of way and if a car touches them it’s “almost” guaranteed it will be the cars fault according to the police. You seen the ladies with 2 kids and using their phones riding yet?
[Website](https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/traffic/bicycle/info.html#:~:text=%E9%81%93%E8%B7%AF%E4%BA%A4%E9%80%9A%E6%B3%95%E4%B8%8A%E3%80%81%E8%87%AA%E8%BB%A2%E8%BB%8A,%E8%BB%8A%E9%81%93%E9%80%9A%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%8C%E5%8E%9F%E5%89%87%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99%E3%80%82&text=%E8%87%AA%E8%BB%A2%E8%BB%8A%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E9%81%93%E8%B7%AF%E3%81%AE%E5%B7%A6%E5%81%B4,%E3%81%AA%E3%81%91%E3%82%8C%E3%81%B0%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%80%82&text=%E6%AD%A9%E9%81%93%E3%82%92%E9%80%9A%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E5%A0%B4%E5%90%88,%E3%81%AA%E3%81%91%E3%82%8C%E3%81%B0%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%80%82) of the police says clearly that bicycles belong to the same category as automobiles so they should be on the roads. When due to some exception they need to be on the pedestrian part then pedestrians have priority.
However… As with many things in Japan, this is never enforced. This is probably something that you’ll have to get used to.
I think practically it’s also difficult to enforce it.
– Police starts monitoring and fining cyclists.
– They’re forced onto the roads, which frankly are fricking dangerous as they do not have dedicated cycle lanes, and even when there are such lanes, car drivers won’t take notice.
– So then people will get in accidents and what not and demand cities start making cycle lanes and educate drivers on how to drive around cyclists. There simply is no budget for this and change comes extremely slowly.
All in all, I don’t think this will ever change. It pains me as well because I like cycling but after having been cut off by cars multiple times (once injuring myself lightly and damaging the derailleur on my bike with the car speeding away) I think I’ll just have to accept that this country will never be like Holland or Denmark.
Bicycle laws are actually quite new in Japan. Not too long ago they were essentially pedestrians on two wheels and nothing was enforced. With the existing infrastructure being so cycle-unfriendly it will take a while for things to become commonsense.
The rules When on a bicycle basically is
Fuck everyone else! Doesnt matter If its a busy street or sidewalk.
You have right of way on the footpath so if they collide with you, you can expect a nice payment. Though you might also be dead or injured, which sucks.
If they don’t look at you, they can’t see you. If they can’t see you, you don’t exist. It’s not their fault if you, or a car, teleport into their way.
I feel like these bikes about to smash into someone one day. Or everyday. Few days ago saw some okasan with her baby at the front just swirling through people. I hope her baby will be ok
Yup! That’s why I decided to join a very small minority of cyclists wearing helmets. Too many close calls.
When I first moved here I used to get very angry about it. Since come to accept it and be vigilant at all times as a pedestrian especially with headphones on. It’s particularly bad on my walking home route in Nakano. I take the backstreets when possible. Not much else you can really do about it. Do give a few of them some choice words now and again if they are particularly reckless but that’s about it… stay safe out there!
Yup. I’m a cyclist and I hate most other people on bicycles here. The kids, the teens, the moms, the olds… hate ‘em all.
But one category of bicycle rider seeps below them all: Uber Eats delivery people. They are the flaming dog turd on your porch of cyclists. They combine all the worst traits imaginable that can be held by people riding on two wheels. I hate them so much that I categorically refuse to use the service. Fuck them and the people who devised the business model that created them.
I think it is common in bigger cities
The worst bit is when they start ringing their bell telling me to move out of the way and I have to start changing direction erratically and randomly just to stress them out as much as their shitty little bell does me.
Even better when I walk the sidewalk and there’s a bike lane next to it but they ignore it completely coming my way and even complain out loud about me walking in their way.
Wait till you also see 3 people riding their bikes side by side on the sidewalk talking to each other not even looking ahead, so that you, a pedestrian, have to jump away to the side to make it out alive.
Welcome to Osaka, I guess..
Be careful out there!
I remember one night cycling in the backstreets of Harajuku, making good speed down a dark narrow street, and this guy comes barreling down a side street built on a hill to my right and stops just short of me and flies off his bike.
I have no idea who of us was at fault, but he figured he was and apologised to me. And we went on our ways.
No point in assigning blame. Better just be cautious. Take it easy and don’t be in a huge rush to get anywhere.
Hahaha sorry man but I ring the shit outta my bell and love it! I can’t speak Nihongo so my bell speaks Ludacris “whoa bitch, get out the way”
I’m not sure about the countryside; my experiences with most bicycle issues is in Tokyo and Osaka. There are indeed markers in a lot of places, but they’re typically not followed. Unfortunately, you do have to be more cautious when walking on sidewalks where bikes are permitted (and even not permitted). People generally will not be concerned with your safety. This is on the uprise as many delivery food services are now out and about.
Regarding biking yourself, using the bicycle bell is typically seen as rude. Only use in emergency situations.
Funny you post this. Just a couple hours ago I was walking to the shops. Crosswalk light was on, and everyone starts crossing. Two bikes come zipping down the road as if their lights were green. If I just kept walking, one of them would have plowed into me at high speed. So yeah, bikes here act like they’re cars when they want to, then like pedestrians when it suits them.
Thank you for at least considering following biking rules.
In Japan, usually children aren’t taught a lot about traffic rules and the such – pedestrians and cyclists have the right of way, beyond that it’s the insurance companies’ job. There’s some training in kindergarden but it’s mostly to prepare the kids for their commute to school.
I was very surprised that in Europe, they have those cute little parks with small traffic signs and lights where seemingly kids are taught traffic rules. They even have to pass an exam there and get some kind of pennant for their bicycle, similar to a shoshinsha sticker 🔰.
Also, we don’t really have cycling lanes and stuff like that. Somehow, the clumsy cyclist is some sort of japanese trope, just watch some anime, whenever someone’s on a bike they are drawn as clumsy!
So, yeah, there’s not much going on in terms of reigning cyclists in, but it’s part of japanese culture. On the plus side, we rarely have cyclists speed like crazy or people on racing bikes using ordinary roads, I remember in Europe this is a nightmare, you may have whole groups of cyclists on public roads and even though they mostly use bike lanes, they are very fast and sometimes switch to the walkway at a moment’s notice. Japanese people would never ride that fast! If we want to zip around we get a scooter and share the road with cars.
I wish I could find the cyclist rant that was on one of the weekly complaint threads. I laughed so hard I cried. The guy really had it up to here with it, and had been at that level for a long time. I think that rant should be printed out and handed to every newcomer so they know what to expect
Navigation by collision is popular here.
My golden rule of the road: assume every single person or vehicle cannot see me, or even if they can, doesn’t care about me. Has kept me alive so far.
Even if I have right of way, my brakes are already engaged and I’m ready to stop on a dime. Just today, I had right of way at an intersection and a car that should have been stopped at a stop sign decided to gun through it, he was looking in the complete opposite direction.
This rule also works when you are a pedestrian or in a car. Follow the rules but never trust anyone else to follow them.
Wait for the comments lecturing you about “the law” and how cyclists must be on the tiny roads along with the crazy drivers almost hitting you from the back.
Meanwhile all normal people, including cops, just use the sidewalk, and it’s totally fine.
Get this, they even get taught cycle safety in school. And yet, cyclists (95% of them at least) seem to have a death wish here. It is on the daily that I nearly get hit by some of these cretins.
Riding the wrong way down the road. merging onto the road from the sidewalk without looking. Using the smartphone whilst riding. No lights. Jumping the lights. suddenly turning without warning. I could go on.
My favorite was when I saw a guy smoking, holding and umbrella, using his phone and wearing headphones, on the wrong side of the road, at night. We passed a koban and I pointed out to the cop that the guys life was in danger as it is a really busy road. The cop instead asked me if I had lights and carded me. I told him to jog on and left. Absolute pillock.
I got put in hospital by an obaachan who pulled out in front of me as was was going though a crossing. She jumped the lights and I T-boned her. She was fine, I went over the bars and broke my cheek, eye socket and nose. I was carded by the cops and all my details taken. She told the cops she didn’t have any ID, left the scene and was never heard of again. 3 months to heal and the cops actually threatened to prosecute me for getting injured.
But on the flipside. Cycling in the mountains is brilliant and the serious cyclists for the most part are friendly and helpful.
Every morning there is this mom (kids not on the bike) who is on the phone talking while cycling on the right side of the bicycle lane, unlike the other 20 cyclists I meet on the way. She sees everyone of them adjust to them and I think it’s probably her morning power trip.
The high school and college kids have BOTH hands on the phone and the elbows on the handle.
Every time there is a single drop of rain, 60% of cyclists suddenly open their umbrella and drive with one hand, sometimes in high wind and slippery conditions.
Then there are the people who walk their dogs on the cycling lane (walking lane and cycling lane are separated by bushes with drawings at every intersection), bicycles who drive on the narrow walking side, kids who ride side by side…
Only the last paragraph I’m not sure is illegal, but I read a few years back they tried to enforce no umbrella rule and a high school girl got fined and it was a national scandal how they would target a poor highschool girl with this rule…
It just depends. When I moved to a big city here, the really bad bicyclists stuck out. Overall they’re only a fraction of the cyclists on the street, but when they take blind corners at high speeds with multiple children in child carriers, it’s slightly off putting. Or when they ride in the road against traffic and cut off pedestrians who have a walk sign, it makes one cringe.
Overtime I realized that those things are quite rare, at least where I live. It doesn’t make them okay. But most cyclists are being somewhat safe most of the time. Except for the fact that almost nobody wears a helmet.
One thing I never understood is that pedestrians will just take over bike lanes on bike paths. You’d think the bicycle markings on the pavement here, and the pedestrian markings on the pavement there, you’d think those would be easy to follow. But they aren’t.
The craziest cyclists always seem to be the moms with babies strapped to the back. Idk why but I was thinking about it just tonight when almost being mowed down for the 3rd time this week.
I guess my experience must be different than everyone else. I find the cycling to be quite manageable and easy here.
I agree, cycling culture is absolutely weird over here. While pretty much everyone has a cycle and uses it, the majority of people don’t seem to know and/ or care about rules, ergonomics or maintenance.
The stereotypical cyclists here seems to be using a mamachari with almost entirely deflated tires, breaks that are so squeaky that one might go deaf if in close proximity when deployed, and the saddle so low that the rider’s knees will come up to about their chest. With this magnificent piece of technology under their butt, they’ll ride on the sidewalk, unless there is none available, in wich case the street will be used; however, the only way this seems to be possible is by going on the wrong side of the road, against traffic. Should it be dark out, lights are prohibited. Turns are to be taken suddenly, without indication or consideration of other traffic. And if the sun is too strong or there is even the slightest drizzle? Sacrifice one arm – and with it, half of the break power – to hold an umbrella. If the weather is nice, that useless second arm might as well be used for mid-ride entertainment via smartphone.
And by the way, until a couple years ago, driving on the sidewalk was perfectly legal. However, after a grim incident where a smartphone-cyclist ended up killing an elderly person, the rules were changed and you’re now supposed to drive on the street (unless that would pose too big of a risk, whatever that means). However, no one knows and/ or gives a shit – and that includes the police, which is hilarious and sad at the same time.
So, yeah, you just discovered a particularly odd aspect of Japanese culture.
I get quite reckless when on a bike here too honestly, it ain’t just the natives.
Cycling Etiquette 101
1. Mamachari loaded with kids is a reincarnation of Amaterasu herself, you shall bow down in obedient silence, and back out of her way. If you must utter a word, it shall be “kawaii-desne”.
2. Older, non-electric mamachari ridden by an old lady, recall that she was that reincarnation previously, bow down with the respect for the aged.
3. Children riding bicycles.
4. Children on foot, etc.
5. Pedestrians.
6. You and other enlightened cyclists.
7. Your local Kuroneko Yamato delivery man riding a bicycle with a trailer.
8. Scooters, can only go 30km/h.
9. Other 2-wheeleers.
10. Automobiles.
11. Garbage trucks.
12. Ambulances, they have to continuously apologise for causing inconvenience.
P.S. Uber delivery folk and lorry drivers can GFT, I know they are on the clock, trying to make a buck, but seereesly, FT, have they not read the cycling etiquette?
Nearly stuck according to you. I have never met anyone stuck by a bicycle. Personally I walk around 15km a week according to my google stats. Done that for around 7 years now, never even come close to being hit or seen anyone get hit.
I don’t perceive it as bad behavior. Bikes are used by everyone here, including kids and old ladies. They’re treated like pedestrians. So yes, you need to look over your shoulder before ‘changing lanes’ so to speak, on the side walks. But cyclists aren’t forced to share the roads with cars like in North America for examples, where cycling is for brave young much-maligned men ready to battle it out with traffic. Dedicated bike lanes everywhere would be great, but Japanese streets are often very narrow so this is what we have. Some countries do it better, but I’ll accept looking over my shoulder if it keeps people out of cars and let’s me cycle where I want to go. You’ll get used to it.
I seem to recall from my license renewal class a few years back the law was that kids on bikes 13yo and younger can use the pedestrian path and so can adults who are accompanying them.
Anyone can verify that is correct?
Man, I’m more afraid of cyclists than cars here. These people are fucking crazy : a stop? Not for me. A crossroad? Let’s keep on cycling full speed without looking right or left. The country drives on the left? Nah, fuck that shit, I’ll cycle on the right. That little thing on the handle that could signal me to the oblivious walker in front of me? Let’s not use it.
Apart from just dangerous behaviour, the way people don’t use their ringing bell in situations where they absolutely should just baffles me.
I had some idiot riding into traffic at night with no light. I’m all about biking, but these bike riders are imbeciles
I nearly hit a young girl on a bicycle today because as I went to overtake her she decided to swerve over to the opposite side of the road to continue her ride, without looking or signaling in any way. I don’t even know if she realised I slammed the breaks on to stop from hitting her.
Worst part of all of this, would have been my fault regardless of her behaviour. But as I will teach my kids, don’t matter whose fault it is if your badly maimed or dead.
The way cyclists, mostly high schoolers, just go forward without any observation or care for what’s around them terrifies me here.
gotta say though, a lot of so called bike lanes in tokyo don’t deserve that name, unfortunately my choices are risking my life with mfers driving past REAL close, or have a bumpy ride on the sidewalk trying not to hit unpredictable people who can’t walk in a straight line
Its true but the longer you stay the more you get used to it and it becomes your new normal.