Japan has hosted a strong cycling culture for decades despite the surprising facts on the lack of support it gets from the government. If you get the chance to visit Japan, consider getting around on a bike for some of your stay. You may just stumble upon some of your favourite spots.
Cycling Embassy of Japan: https://cycling-embassy.jp/
Tom Scott: www.youtube.com/watch?v=voYdl7IFZsM&t=4s
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0:00 Cycling in Japan in Different…
1:10 Japans modal share
2:10 Japans bike infrastructure
4:22 Bicycle parking
6:45 Mamachari
8:07 Cycling demographics
8:38 Driving in Japan
9:47 Cycling Laws
10:55 Built environment matters
12:20 More can be done
13:33 Why cycling in Japan is Great
39 Comments
In holland and japan we commute, in america and canada you play
You haven't cycled in Japan until you come across a businessman in the after hours biking home with his smartphone in hand watching something on YT and a chuhai in the other hand.
Just finished this little series and just wanted to say how impressed I was at the way you present my country! It’s easy to forget some of the amazing things my country has to offer when you’re used to it on a daily basis. Personally I don’t live in a super fun city (in my opinion anyways), and I’d much rather to a city with much life like Amsterdam or Utrecht. It’s fun to see how well designed even smaller villages are, and it makes me proud to be from the Netherlands. I hope you enjoyed your time here, and I look forward to future content!
they do it because they're forced to (utilitarian). Americans ride bike to play. Japan will not easily raise the question of something being bad, but America will (starting with car). That's the beauty of the US: willingness to question the status quo.
This was great, I think the only things that didn't get touched on were how common electric assist/e-bike/etc terms is and how basically 100% of the population is healthy enough to ride regularly (out of necessity almost 100% of the population has to walk extensively on a daily basis due to how parking works.
I'm a Japanese living in Japan who likes bicycles, but I can't pay taxes on bicycles, so politicians are not interested and the road situation will not improve.
Any bike over 500 dollars will get stolen instantly in vancouver
bike theft isn't an issue in japan because they have no black people
So well made 👏👏
greetings from germany. here we combine the worst of both worlds. still lacking bike infrastructure, bike riders ignoring traffic rules (sometimes understandably), lots of public transport (buts its unreliable and usually slower than cars) and a long grown car dependency. so you can actually live without a car but its not great.
The reason why bicycles are often used in daily life in Japan, is partly because there is no suitable alternative.
What if the nearest train(subway) station is 2~3km from your house, it's a bit far to walk every day and there are no bus lines.
And owning and driving a car in Japan is quite expensive.
not surprise since Japan has the iconic mamachari bike and one of the best bike parts brands in the world which is "shimano"
is that spiderman at 14:25
Subscribed. Thanks for your analysis! Really insightful
Why folks in Yokohama don't use Bicycles?
横浜って自転車使いにくい理由でもあるの？
I own e-bikes and cycle in both Japan and the US. It’s true, I do find myself more reluctant to cycle in the US because I have to carry a huge chain around, and there’s a good chance there won’t even be anything legit to chain my bike to when I get where I’m going. My wife, in Japan, is afraid my battery will get stolen, but I’ve never been worried and just keep locking the back wheel. But the threshold of effort to leave my home on a bike is so much lower in Japan!
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After Chris Broad did his first bike trip across Japan, he waa asked in a video if it was illegal to ride bike on the sidewalk and he said no; was just surprised as the rest 😂
Japanese don't steal bikes, mostly. And they actually punish criminals! 😮
Japan is amazing!
I find it absolutely insane that Japan has a helmet law (these are stupid and normally discourage people from cycling), and yet the majority of people do not comply with it. They are not deterred and use their bicycles normally for transport. What's up with that? Is the law unenforced in practice?
As a Japanese, I found that the bicycle paths in China's big cities are very good.
Apakah sepeda fixie di larang di jepang?
Americans do not mind dying by car but scream about bikes because the car manufacturers tell them to.
My country Spain 🇪🇸 are the best for cycling
I hate cycling in Texas 😅 The large pickup trucks and f-150s are particularly scary. It's like there's no other option than to drive in the States, which I can't get used to (I've lived in South Korea for a while)
In Japan, public transportation is quite expensive, you cannot buy a car if there is no parking space, and most parking lots are paid parking lots, so biking is semi-compulsory.
So, the laws to solve the problems that arise will be things like banning double passengers or banning umbrellas.
I don't feel like we are encouraging and setting norms for bicycle use for the sake of the environment and public health
In Korea, the neighboring country, public transportation is cheap. There are no restrictions on purchasing a car and you can park anywhere.
Therefore, compared to Japan, the proportion of bicycles for daily use is small and there are many bicycles for leisure purposes.
Because there were too many cars and the streets were crowded, there was a need to encourage bicycle use and bicycle infrastructure was built.
But the law has not caught up with bicycle infrastructure. There are few restrictions on bicycle use in Korea
My issue with every non American country is too many rules
Subscribed 👍🏼🫶🏼👌🏼
So Japan just doesn't have junk bikes? aka a bike so rusty, crusty, and temperamental nobody'll steal it?
9:20, the car slowing down to let the cyclist go first tells you everything you want to know about Asia.
In the US, the car will likely not slow and likely won't even notice the cyclists and thus the much high fatality rate for cyclist. Nevermind some Americans even look for group of cyclists to mow down on purpose…
America is what happens when you have special interest groups dictating how a country should run. Screw what makes sense and question the system makes you sound insane. Yet most Americans feel "free" living in a system designed for them. Much like animals living in an enclosure… I'm fun at parties.
Bike theft is definitely an issue here. It's one the most common crimes.
BIke thief is the largest "crime" in Japan
An enseless comparison, how big is Japan vs America?
The reason cycling in Japan is enjoyable is everyone either rides a bike themselves at some time or loves someone who does so drivers aren't lunatics trying to kill anyone who makes them get to the next red light a few seconds later.
ffs different from what…
I live in Tokyo. I ride my bike in the city and also own a car. There are many cyclists that break the law especially at traffic lights. They will try their very best to speed through an intersection trying to beat the flashing green light and sometimes even crossing when it's red. It's a huge hassle for cars which are also turning into the road, we stop to make sure no one is crossing but since the cyclists are so fast we may not see them at all until it's to late. I have had many close calls and these cyclists just don't seem to bother. They are not supposed to cycle fast through the traffic lights but most don't care and will blame the driver of the car. Personally i want the cyclists to walk the bike across each intersection like the pedestrian and not cycle/pedal through them. I hope Tokyo city will implement this law.
what kind of monster would hold an umbrella while riding?