Hi all,
I am looking for places/options to rent a preferably touring bicycle in and around Kyoto or Osaka. Ideally I want to go on a bicycle tour for a couple of weeks from Kyoto to Hiroshima. My questions are :
* Are there any places which rent out bicycles for touring for couple of weeks without it getting more expensive than buying a 2nd hand bike . If these places can have different drop off points (rent from a Kyoto , drop off at Hiroshima) then that’s a huge bonus too!
* Or should I just buy a used bike instead and sell it to a used bike shop when I am done ?
* For both of these options what should my budget look like to do it cheaply but not too uncomfortably?
If you have done touring/bikepacking or cycling trips around this area please share your experiences from your trips or any hot tips about how to do it!
The when of the trip is still undecided but if things start resembling normalcy then September-November 2021.
Thanks!
10 comments
One big store is [Giant.](https://bicyclerental.jp/en/lineup/) You can pick up and dropoff to different outlets. That said, if you’re looking to use it for 3 weeks, maybe buying would be a better option? I’m not sure about the costs of high-end touring bicycles but the website has rental prices.
Just checked the site Kyoto Renta Cycle Mukashi.com (https://京都レンタサイクルさがし.com/service/long/), there seems to be a few rental shops in Kyoto that had one to two weeks rental plans, average charges at about 6000-8000 yen per week. Up to a month, the charges varies. Do check that site out through Google Translate, you might find what you need.
I think you’re better off buying a second hand bike than renting one, as Kyoto is a pretty touristic area and the renting is directed to tourist that rent for a day or two.
You could talk to a hostel that has rental bicycles
Check out: https://globalwheels-japan.com/
I rented a nice road bike from them last year while in Osaka and they were fantastic, slightly more expensive but the bike was in great condition and they were very knowledgeable about some great place to ride.
I know they offer a delivery service to send/pick up the bike. Definitely worth checking out.
EMUSICA near Demachiyanagi Station does long-term rentals at a reasonable price: 5,000 yen for one month. I rented from them back in the day when I did language study for a month (before later moving here.) Here’s their English site: https://emusica-dmcy.com/en/
Personally, I would discourage you from buying used bicycles for such a short time unless the shop you buy it from agrees to take it/buy it back from you at the end of your stay. It would probably end up being a pain to deal with otherwise.
P.S. This would be for just going around Kyoto, not serious cycling. You could possibly email them about a more “serious” bicycle if you’re planning to go outside of the city
Before you commit yourself to biking around Kyoto for weeks: it’s a pretty hilly city and the main attractions are best approached on foot – also because of the crowds. I rented a bike a few times to visit neighborhoods that look like eastern Germany and where no tourists ever go (fun) but I actually thought that Tokyo was a much better place to be biking around.
On the side note, if you enjoy biking I can’t recommend enough [Shimanami Kaido](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3478.html) bike trail (it’s designed for renting a bike at one end and dropping it at the other). This was one of the highlights of my 3 months long trip last year and I’m pretty sure I want to do it again 🙂
If you want to have a decent bike, not high end road bike, but like ok road bike, typical price look around 1500 yen by day for a bike you can buy new for maybe 800$.
If you go cheaper, it tend to be more bikes with a basket in front, the type of bike you use to go to the grocery store in the neighborhood and not a bike I would use to ride almost 400 km.
The second hand bike option seems to be logical, but where do you plan to buy and sell it ? And how do you know price of decent second hand bikes ?
You also have to think that you need to register the bike when you buy it and change the registration when you sell it, so, make sure you check that if and how you can change the ownership if you register and sell in a different prefecture.
There are plenty of renal places you can get one from in Kyoto. I got one for 10 dollars a day and it came with a bike lock. I got it same day without making a reservation. Just use google and you can find them.
If you plan on doing a lot of miles and don’t want to ride a lower end bike which may be too small for you its often more affordable and enjoyable while there to just bring you own bike over.
Going to a local bike shop and asking them if you can have one of their old bike boxes works both at home and while in Japan and you should be able to pack other items like basic tools in the same box.