Bicycling questions

I have read here b4 perhaps with some surprise of the fairly rigid rules which apply to bicycling in Japan, with regards to the likelihood of being stopped by police for ownership proof. Does the police station make a charge for this certification, as I was thinking of taking my own bike to Japan to save buying or hiring, but it is not very expensive bike is quite old, although perhaps might stand out compared to local models.Is it really this likely to be singled out and pulled over by police for bicycle check?
Is it true that many airlines carry a bicycle as mere luggage if it is in bicycle bag?
Can bike be taken on some Japanese commuter trains?
t/y

It is not every day that you are stopped by the police while riding on your bike, but it does happen a lot. While Japan is generally safe, bicycles and umbrellas are the two items that people steal like it's nothing, and since the former is precious, the police tend to keep an eye on them.

The worst they can do is to pull your bike over to the nearest police booth, have the ID number of your bike located, and if they see that there is no theft report on it, they will let you go.

Ownership certificates for bikes bought local are free of charge and very easy to obtain, but I have no idea about bringing in your own from overseas.

As for carrying bikes on trains, if the bike can be folded and secured in a bag, you can bring it in with a 200 yen or so extra train ticket. I don't know about flights. You can ask an airline for details.

Airlines will accept your bicycle as checked luggage, but there will most likely be an additional charge ($100ish). Bicycles are easy enough to rent if you're not picky. Road bikes and MTB will be harder to find, but mamacharies are sufficient and available everywhere.

You're most likely to be stopped by police if you're riding at night w/o proper lights or riding 2+ on a bike. I wouldn't worry about them stopping you to check your registration.

You can take your bike on trains. It isn't fun though. Going through turnstiles with a bike bag is a pain and on some trains there just isn't room for a bag. I travel with my road bike, both wheels off and into the bag it goes.

I think you'll find that cycling in Japan is very lax. People ride on the road and sidewalk, with traffic and against it. Drivers are (for the most part) aware of cyclists.

Definitely find a way to ride. Check out bikely.com for some routes.