Second hand bike for Shikoku

Hi,
Doing very long way trips (like the Shikoku henro, etc) with rental bikes in Shikoku is apparently not possible so I thought of possibly buying a second hand bicycle in Japan, preferably in a big city like Takamatsu, Tokushima or Okayama.

As I probably will do the trip on Okayama in parts, I am not sure what to do with the bike when finally travelling back home, as I may not return in another couple of months or some years. Leaving the bike in the nature feels not good. Bringing it back on a train to where I bought it and try to sell again?

What could a decent second hand bike cost?

I've seen second hand bikes going for round \4500-6500. You could always try to resell it back or just put a "free" sign on it and leave it out front of where ever you are staying.

Thanks!
What condition was the bikes you saw by the way?

It is not like littering if I would leave the bike somewhere?

Excuse me, but you CANNOT just put a "free" sign on it and leave it out front of whereever you are staying! That would be assumed as illegal dumping! You can get fined for doing that!

If you leave it on the street, no one can touch it except the police. If you leave it on someone else's property (such as a hotel yard) no one can touch it except the landlord, and the landlord would finally have to pay money to have it collected as trash. If anyone happens to just pick it up and ride it, that would be assumed as bike theft.

In order to surrender your bike, you need to surrender your registration along with it. To do that, you at least need to write a note for the new owner to present to the police to get the registration renewed. Same thing for obtaining a used bike. Make sure you get it registered properly.

Bicycle theft is a serious and yet a common crime in Japan. You can get in trouble for handling your bike inproperly, even or moreover if you are a non-Japanese. Don't risk yourselves!

Uco,
It was as I thought then. Maybe I can get it away in another used bicycle shop in Shikoku? I guess that's my only option except put a chain around a tree somewhere and return to it some years later (pretty unrealistic I suppose).

Anyway, it seems to be my only option as I cannot rent a bike for so long and for such a distance. Having to bike all the way back to the used bikes shop is a bit too much, and I am not sure how it would do on a train ride taking up space.

As I am no Japanese citizen I have no home to bring it too and put it on the airplane is ... no good idea and probably more expensive anyway.

I guess that's my only option except put a chain around a tree somewhere and return to it some years later (pretty unrealistic I suppose).

Well, that could be considered as illegal parking, and if it's there long enough to have a flat tire, it would be considered illegal abaondoning.

There are websites and brick-and-mortar sites where people place ads to give and get used items, although they are in Japanese language. This very Japan-guide.com site has a classified section, although I'm not sure if a bike would be available. Quite often, city halls work as a medium for used item exchange, so perhaps you can try contacting one. It is indeed possible to bring your bike on trains as long as you fold them, put them in a bag and pay a small fee, so you might want to consider buying a bike in the city here where there are more options.

I wonder what other foreign travellers are doing. The Japanese government is working hard to increase foreign travellers. Maybe you can get more information by contacting a Japanese Visitors Bureau or Embassy near you. At least Japan would hope for legal travellers!

This Google search result on cheap bicycles is just for reference:
https://www.google.co.jp/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=&oq=%e6%a0%bc%e5...

It would be nice indeed to know what other travellers do from abroad really. As far as I understand the blogs I've seen are from people living for a long time in Japan having more possibilities to own a bike.

As for foldable bikes I doubt they are as cheap as normal bikes though.

Somehow it seems more simple to just rent a car instead, but it would ruin the experience instead.