Hello, I am considering biking certain parts of Kyoto, but being a non-biking person, I just wanted to know how convenient biking will be and whether it makes logistical sense. The three major areas that I’m considering biking at are:
* Along the Philosopher’s Path: Ginkaku-ji, Shimogamo Shrine, Honen-in, Nanzen-ji, etc. Also would like to hit up Demachi Masugata
* North parts of Kyoto: Arashiyama & nearby temples, or Kinkaku-ji
* Nara Park, Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Taisha, and also the mochi pounding at Nakatanido
I have several general bike-related questions:
1. I want to primary save my legs/feet because there will be a ton of temples & grounds to cover, is biking even a good idea?
2. What are the general biking etiquettes in Japan?
3. What is the parking situation like? Especially on the very temple centric areas, will we be able to find (free) bike parking? What about various shopping alleys such as Demachi Masugata? What if we find a ramen shop or a trinket shop that we want to pop in for a bit, how much ‘baby sitting’ do we need to do for our bikes?
4. How hilly does it get? Especially North parts of Kyoto
Thank you so much for helping out!
8 comments
As far as I remember Nara park has no cycling signs all over it.
Kyoto is really bike friendly, I actually recommend renting bikes to everyone who visits.
I cycled the philosophers path once but it was unusually empty (December 25). Only issue you might have is if there’s a ton of people and it’s too crowded to bike.
Arashiyama is great to bike around. You can rent bikes at a store right next to saga arashiyama station (there’s signs everywhere) and a lot of the sights are kinda far apart to walk, so having a bike makes it easier.
If you just rent a normal cheap mamachari (grandma bike) the rear wheel lock will be enough, exceedingly unlikely someone tries to steal it. I rented a fancy hybrid bike one day, if there was security around (like entrance to temple) I would just use the wheel lock, but in crowded areas I found dedicated bike parking just to be safe. I wouldn’t worry about cost, standard price for paid bike parking is like 100 yen for several hours at a time.
Lots of places will have no bike parking signs but my rule of thumb was always, if I was only going to park for short period of time (let’s say 30 min or less) and I saw other locals’ bikes parked there then I would take the risk. Never had issues
Bike etiquette, nothing too special. It’s normal to bike on the sidewalk or weave in and out of sidewalk + road. For some reason it’s legally required to have a bell but also I think illegal to use it in a lot of situations (never understood that one).
Biking in Japan is kinda nuts…people cycle on the sidewalks and don’t use bells. If you’re not a confident cyclist id stick to areas where the path is it going through a busy area.
I’m also a non-biking person so I did not look for bike-friendly paths in Nara, but I remember the area around the temples having a lot of gravel / I paved areas, stairs, and walking paths in open-air shopping arcades. Some folks walked alongside their bikes in the arcades.
However, the train station is also very close to Nara Park: less than 20 minutes the center of the temple complex.
Personally I love biking, you cross paths and see things you wouldn’t normally while on a train /car, and you can travel quite the distance
I did a lot of biking in Kyoto and I loved it, the scenery is beautiful and you get to visit many more places as the public transportation is not as reliable. I biked from Kyoto to Arashiyama as well, never had problem with parking. Let me know if you have any questions
Regarding bike etiquette/rules, a bicycle always has to use the left end of a road, even the lane is left turn lane. Also it can’t use right turn lane.
But despite this confusing rules, I think it’s a lovely mode of transport in Kyoto.
They have share cycle services in Kyoto and their service stations are placed around the city.
I’ve been thinking about adding a bicycle tour to my Kyoto itinerary, as it seems like a good way to cover more ground and get some insight from a guide. There are a few options on Tripadvisor, etc for a few hours and less than $100 USD. Not sure if anyone has experience with a tour like that and could chime in?