I am an 18 year old looking into exploring Tokyo on a bike. I checked the laws which are very good and have no problem with, but how am I suppose to use Navigation apps like google maps or Apple maps when I can’t use my phone or wear headphones on a bike? Any suggestions?
8 comments
You could get a removable bike phone mount? I don’t really see what this question has to do with Japan specifically…
I was floating the idea last time I was in Tokyo and found it hard to find a bike rental place. Ended up giving up. Might have something to do with bikes having to be registered or something. Good luck.
The idea is to not have the phone in your hand when you are cycling, you need to focus on the street and not on handling a device.
So you can look at the map, get an idea of how long to continue and next time you stop at a light for example, check the map again. At least this is what I did for the times I used a bike in Japan.
While exploring Tokyo on a bike might seem like a good idea:
* you have to make sure that your accommodation has a place to park bikes, or you have access to overnight parking in the neighbourhood;
* parking is allowed only in designated spaces and traffic police will enforce this by towing away the bike (in Tokyo Prefecture over half a million bikes get towed every year) – and getting it back is a substantial administrative hustle (and requires good knowledge of Japanese)
You can have Google maps on speaker, and look at the map every now and then when you stop for red lights etc.
How would you navigate on a bike in your home country when biking in an unfamiliar place? Phone mount will work but I’d be careful not to get a crappy one where your phone may fall out. Personally I bike with my phone in my pocket and play Google maps directions on speaker
I’ve been biking for years in Tokyo and never did the mount thing until earlier this year ( oh it is great by the way) BUT I got by without it. It did mean a lot of checking my phone while at stop lights, but one huge tip i learned to help get around is pay attention to the ‘route numbers’ instead of trying to wind left and right down small roads, just get on a busier route, then look for the route that will head to the place youre going. Basically you can get most places in just a few turns, total, this way. That way I don’t have to check my phone, I’ll just wait until I see a street sign that says the route number I need to turn on and there it is.
It also makes learning in general the tokyo streats/geography much easier (which routes go to which parts of Tokyo etc) but then again if you are someone who isn’t comfortable riding on the routes as they tend to have a much higher volume of traffic, which will be going faster – then stick to the side roads or sidewalks at first.
If you already have a Wahoo Fitness bike computer those have GPS included and they can display maps on screen, and include a mount that fit most handlebars. If you are looking to go to and from specific places, I’m not sure about Google or Apple maps, but I know you can download specific routes onto it from fitness tracking apps like Strava and Komoot. ~~In case it’s not apparent already, I’m a cycling junkie lol~~