I am thinking of buying a used bike when I visits Japan to travel on and then selling it for half the price back to a used bike shop once it’s time for me to leave. But I’m wondering because Japan has such strict laws regarding bikes, where can I park one if I’m staying at an hotel without paying for parking fees? Also where my bike is safe since I won’t be around!
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FYI if you’re planning on doing this in Tokyo you need to register your bike with the city and fill out some transfer of ownership forms.
You need to register bikes to a Japanese address, so I don’t know how this plan would work.
There are hotels that offer their own bike rentals. That might be your better bet. Otherwise, just eat the cost of a rental for the period that you need it. Far less hassle in the long run.
You need an Japanese address (and to a lesser extent, japanese phone number) to register a bike here, which is mandatory and often done at point of purchase, especially at used bike sellers. And in Tokyo, you need insurance, too.
If you’re staying in Tokyo, or any larger city, there are not many ‘free’ bike parking areas. Free bike parking is more for smaller cities and the rural places, for sure. The only free space you might find is at shops and malls, for short term (no overnight) parking.
Ask the hotels you will be staying at if they have available parking for your bike. Otherwise the safest bet is payed parking at the nearest station. Not paying parking fees the duration of your whole trip is unrealistic.
As other people are saying, I would assume you should pay for paid parking. I’ve rented a bike and left it for a few hours at a time in an area where I technically wasn’t allowed to leave a bike (I saw other local bikes parked there so assumed it would be ok), but I’m sure any extended period of time, or overnight would be a huge risk. And unfortunately Japan isn’t the Netherlands or something where there are a million free places to lock your bike all over the place
That being said I have stayed at hostels that also rented bikes, and I bet if you asked kindly you could borrow one of their bike rack spots if you were staying there. But hotels are a different story
Are we talking, Bicycle OR Motorbike?
Could you not rinko bag it and carry it to your hotel room?
No idea how legal this is but someone i know went to Japan for 3 months, bought a used bike and traveled the country the entire tlme by bike (sleeping outside at night wherever he was, never sleeping in hostels or hotels or so). So it IS possible to get a bike without address or anything but whether it is legal… I doubt it honestly. He also just left the bike outside the last station he reached before leaving for home.
I rode a bike while in japan but I was able to take it back with me you should set aside plenty of money if you plan on staying more than a month around 100,000 JPY