I live in the USA and I will be going to Japan for the first time. I previously posted I was going to do the Virginia area, but I YOLO’ed and I am going to Japan instead! I am leaving November 1 and returning November 12. I will be brining my Brompton P-line (12sp). Here is some of what I am bringing:
Bike transported in Vincita SiteSeer 4.0
Bike outfitted with Vincita Voyage Atlas (front), R&B Bag (rear rack), Voyage Frame bag (short). I have a smaller Baby Birch bag I plan to use after dropping the bigger bags at the hotel.
Vincita Invisibility Rinko Bag
Magicshine Lights
Hiplok D1000
I bought a Rockbros kickstand as when the bike is packed out I wont be able to collapse.
Basic Tools, patch kit, tube, master link
Helmet
I am only bringing what I can fit in the Vincita bags. When I get to the airport I will ditch the SiteSeer at bag check service and pick it up on my way back home. I am planning on packing 3-5 days of clothes and I’ll do some laundry while I am in Japan. I am bringing toiletries, camera (maybe a couple lenses), tablet.
For staying warm I was just going to bring a few layers, a nanopuff, hoodie and maybe a shell (I don’t own a shell yet, not sure if i will need one)
I plan to hit Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. I have the Lonely Planet pocket guides on my iPad.
I don’t think I need any special adapters from what I read US two prong power devices should work.
I am planning on using trains for transportation between Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. I would love to do as much riding as possible. When I plan to go inside somewhere I am hoping I can collapse bike and take it with me. Otherwise I will use the D1000 and X-chain and lock it best I can, remove lights, and front bag.
I am going to hit up the Brompton store and a Bluelug. I am looking for any advice on places I may want to visit, especially where it would be a nice bike ride and bike friendly. I am also looking for any advice on any equipment or gear I should consider.
I am Vegan, I am sure they have all kinds of vegan food, but I have not researched this yet.
I don’t speak Japanese, just have some vocabulary but really not much. I do have the AirPods that can do live translation although, I have never tried it out yet, but I am anxious to see how it works.
I appreciate any advice!
by bfeeny
5 Comments
It wasn’t in your post so, obligatory reminder that to bring a bike on a train (yes even a folding one) you need a rinko bag. Rinproject sells one which fits in the Brompton main tube, it’s very cool. You will likely be stopped by station staff if you try to enter beyond fare gates without one.
I wouldn’t expect places to be amenable to you bringing your Brompton indoors by default. You’ll have to be careful/respectful, especially with no Japanese speaking skills. On my tour in the countryside I left my Brompnot locked outside with a cheap lightweight cable lock if I went in to eat and even outside hotels, but I would be more careful in cities.
I tend to see two types of people online, people who break the rules and say it’s fine, and people who are extremely cautious about unspoken rules in Japan. Try to follow the rules, be respectful, have fun. I would recommend leaving the cities if you’re curious, unless you’ve never been before to the metropolises. The lakes near Muji and Shimanami Kaido are popular cycling destinations. Japan is great for cycling, enjoy!
I have a kickstand not the same as yours, but you will have the same problem I’ve had; That is when the bike is unfolded it has an attendance to get blown over with the wind gusts; Most of the time it tips to the chain drive side, the back rack takes the brunt of the impact and bends the stay bars thus sifting the rack over to the kick stand side, and with fender fastened to the rack it also gets affected, Park it near a wall or tree or fence to stop it from falling and doing damage.
The local riding style can seem idiosyncratic, and even chaotic, depending on where you’re from. Riding on the footpath is often legal (mostly, in theory, “if the road is too dangerous”), just ride slowly and always defer to pedestrians. There aren’t many dedicated bike paths, and usually a bike lane on the road is just some painted arrows. Japanese drivers are generally pretty respectful though (with taxi and truck drivers being the sadly predictable exceptions). If in doubt: watch the locals for a while.
River paths can be great places to ride, when traffic gets too much. Most major rivers will have something along the levee banks. In Tokyo, Arakawa, Edogawa, and Tamagawa, all have quite long paths. Even the smaller rivers will usually have low speed roads following them. Kyoto > Osaka can be done entirely along the Yodogawa paths.
Parking is an arcane art. There are plenty of parking lots around train stations, so use them if you can figure out the system (seems different every time; google translate is helpful). If you need to park in the street, try to find somewhere out of the way – preferably where other bikes are parked. Again, watch what the locals do. Kyoto can be very strict on this, especially around tourist attractions, so it’s best to find the lots there if you can, or risk impoundment.
I’m not vegan, but I’ve seen a lot of recommendations for the Happy Cow app.
Helmets are technically mandatory, but there’s no penalty for not wearing one …
Liability insurance *is* mandatory and enforceable. As far as I’ve gathered, travel insurance will cover this, just check their liability clause, and if cycling is covered. I’ve never had to test this officially (touch wood).
Most of all, have fun! Bromptons are ideal for sightseeing in Japan.
Yay for YOLO! That’s a great plan, you’ll have a wonderful trip. Your kit sounds good, I always suggest less rather than more. You may not need the Birch day bag. The R&B Bag, frame bag and a backpack that scrunches into a tiny pouch is probably enough.
I travelled for a month with the Sightseer and Brompton Borough backpack as my carry on. I had more than enough space.
About train travel: Bring an Ikea Dimpa bag with you – you will have to put the bike in a bag to bring it on the train.
An alternative worth considering is shipping the bike via Yamato Transport, anywhere in the country. There isn’t much room to store larger luggage on the trains. It fills up quickly, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find a place to put the bike. And luggage isn’t welcome on city public transit (too crowded already).
Here’s my experience: I used the Sightseer bag to ship my bike from Kyoto to Tokyo, and again from Tokyo to Narita Airport. The Sightseer fit the within the measurement restrictions, and they were strict with the weight.
I dropped the bike at a 7-11 in Kyoto, filled out the form, paid for shipping (maybe $25 CDN) and it arrived at my door in Tokyo the next day. It made train travel so easy and convenient that I used it again to ship the bike from the 7-11 near my accommodations directly to my departure terminal at Narita Airport. I picked the bike up very close to my check-in location (just make sure you match your departure terminal with the correct Yamato Storage location). I kept track of the bike with an airtag, and although there were a few times it wasn’t transmitting, I was reassured when I saw that it was at the airport before me. It’s another way to experience Japan’s next-level commitment to service, and a nice change of pace to travel a little lighter, especially on crowded train and through confusing metro stations. Of course, you could also do a taxi!
I regularly left my bike locked up outside in Japan. It felt safe, and I wanted to be a gracious tourist, and not try to bring a street bike into restaurants and stores. Definitely not temples. So many people have bikes there, it felt a bit precious to try to bring mine inside. One caution – sometimes it’s hard to find a place to lockup outside.
For Kyoto, I just cycled around and around and around the town – down all the side streets and back streets, along the river, up the hillsides, stopping wherever looked interesting and not too busy. One recommendation is Ninnaji Temple – it’s very beautiful, and has a short version of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage on Shikoku. A lovely walk in the woods with great views overlooking Kyoto.
However you do it, it’s an amazing cycling destination. Have a great trip, send photos!!
I haven’t been to Japan, but I had a trip booked last year that I had to cancel so I had everything planned out already, including vegan food.You should check out Happycow.net if you haven’t. Tons of options in all the places that we were planning to go.