I’ll be visiting Okinawa in a few weeks and I’m trying to decide how to get around. I live abroad and my home country car license is expired so renting a car is a no go. I do have a small motorcycle license that’s been translated into Japanese so I could use that. I’m also open to hearing about others choose to get around without a car.
A few questions:
1. Is the bike share system easy to use, especially for someone who doesn’t speak or read Japanese?
2. My wife will have a SIM card but I wasn’t planning on getting one. It looks like bike share is done through a phone app, so would we both need SIM cards each to rent from the bike share? Is there a card I can add value to that I can use instead to rent the bikes?
3. Do I need a helmet? I thought Japan has a helmet law but when googling the bike share in Okinawa, a lot of the pictures of cyclist are shown without helmets. Should I pack one in my luggage?
4. Are ebikes from a rental shop an affordable and convenient option?
5. Is it difficult to find places to lock up bikes?
6. Is it pleasant to bike around the cities? Are drivers careful of cyclists? How is the cycling infrastructure?
7. If I want to rent a scooter to ride around, is it fairly hassle-free to just decide to rent one when needed? Is it likely that a reservation is necessary in advance?
8. I’ve heard that Chinese tour groups are now returning to Japan. Is that affecting any of the modes of transportation, or anything in general? Is the tourist industry or site swamped with people?
9. Are there any other ways to get around for short distances in the city if I don’t feel like walking all day? For example I’ve seen foot electric push-style scooters in another country for rent for tourists.
Any ideas or input is appreciated, thanks everyone!
by dtails
