How much a bicycle in Japan cost?

How much it cost???

A basic one with a basket on the front is about 7000 yen. With three gears, about 9000 yen. What kind are you looking for?

really depends what you want but as mention a basic bike runs around 7500 yen but for something decent your looking around 12000 yen. Of course the prices get 50000 or more very quickly if you want something fancy.

Some store and areas are much more then others as well.
In Kyoto I bought a cheap bike for 12000 yen, it was a rip off but I couldnt find a better deal.

hi, can i know wheres the shop they offer such that price?
so far i knows the cheapest is 9000yen! its area somewhere Hanokoganei/Tanashi.

You can get a used one for under 5000 yen at small bike shops. Just make sure they do all the paperwork of registration for you.

There are a lot of used bikes offered for sale on classified ads, too. You might even be able to get one for free.

Are you trying to find the cheapest bicycle possible?

Most of the bicycles you see are made of steel, and have either no gears or only 3 gears. That means these bikes are heavy, and hard to peddle up hills.
My wife has one such bike, but I have an alloy mountain bike as does my 11yo daughter. My daughter can lift my bike with one hand, but she cannot lift my wife's bike off the ground AT ALL!!!!
If you are going to be riding your bike in a hilly area, you should consider spending more for an alloy frame bike. I see so many people walking their heavy Japanese bike ups hills that I can ride up with ease!!!

Have a look in Tokyo Hands, as they often have alloy bikes on special. My daughter's was about 20,000 yen.(discounted from 35,000 yen) And mine was 34,000 yen, discounted from 70,000 yen.

If you live near a university, you could try asking there if and when they have bike sales. It's so expensive to transport bikes that a lot of students simply leave their bicycles at the uni when they graduate. I lived in Kyoto and picked a decent bike up at Doshisha for 3000yen.

I am also doing research on biking in Japan,there is a fantastic site I think called www.kancycling.com maintained by an American cyclist in Kanto where he discusses in depth issues of buying and riding touring japan on cycles from a Western perspective-- he seems to be of the opinion that when it comes to road-bikes for some reason they are far more expensive in Japan than they are in other countries, and that it is worth actually bringing in your own with you,as burdensome as that may seem, in rinko baggu etc, if you do not want one of the basic urban "shopping bikes" but want even something with 10 or 12 gears for some touring or longer distance commuting.Or else it sounds like you may get there, and find the new prices high, and although no doubt 2nd-hand bargains are common having one drop in your lap at short-notice?
It seems strange as so many bikes are either abandoned or confiscated by parking police etc, that they are a disposal problem-but how to access this resource cheap?

I moved to this area about a year ago, there's this field right next to the street and there's this bicycle that has been sitting there for I assume longer then I have been living here (1 year+).

The bicycle's condition looks like it can be repaired to riding state. However, I know I just can't take it as the police are strict on bicycle enforcement.

Is there any way I can report this to the local city hall or police as "abandoned" and after they check it out, get the bike?

What agency should I be looking into here.
I know just taking what is obviously an abanodoned bike can still be illegal in Japan. I want to do it legally.

ask at the koban, if they tell you no they're lying, it's possible to do it with both bicycles and cars. a friend of mine makes a living by noting abandoned cars all over japan, reporting them then towing them once the claim period expires. then he sells them to people overseas. pretty nifty racket

Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, etc. are cheaper in the States. So buy one there and ship it over.

Hi,
My question is just out of interest.
Somebody mentioned that the bike needs to be registred. Is this true and can a foreign visitor registrer a bike? What are the requirements and the cost and how long does that take?
This just in case i decided to buy a bike on my next trip to japan to get around (cut down the local walking). Oops this pops up another question. Can you bring a bike on the local Tokyo train and subways?
Butch

B. Slager,

Somebody mentioned that the bike needs to be registred. Is this true and can a foreign visitor registrer a bike? What are the requirements and the cost and how long does that take?

By law, bikes are supposed to be registered, but there is no penalty if you don't - other than a lot of hassle if you get stopped by the police and they want you to prove that it is your bike and not stolen.
As a foreign visitor, you would probably just have to give a nominal address, such as the hotel where you are staying. Most people register their bikes when they buy them. I recall it costs a nominal fee (something like 500 yen?) and takes as long as it takes for you to fill in the form.

Can you bring a bike on the local Tokyo train and subways?

Only if they are folded (or dismantled) and fully enclosed in a carry bag.

I have a bike, I didn't bother to register it because I think it's a big 500 yen scam, 500 yen better spent on a better lock so it doesn't get stolen in the first place!

But that's just me of course.

I do however carry the receipt of my bicycle in my wallet with me at all times.

As for registration as mentioned you usually do it at the shop you buy it at, it is known as:


Ž©“]ŽÔ–h”Æ“o˜^

It doesn't matter if you are a foreigner or not, as long as you are the legal owner of the bicycle. If you purchased it online (like me) usually the shop will send you the forms and you can take the forms to a police station or a bike shop to register.

I always wondered, what if you rented a bicycle from a bike rental shop then the police shop you, they check it but you aren't the owner, but I guess they see it's not stolen and it is from a bike rental shop or something? I'm not sure, I guess the only thing they can check to see if it's stolen or not. Which begs the question, someone could just rip the sticker off and say it's their bike.

As for trains, folding bikes can just be folded and placed into a bag that covers it (i have one). Other full sized bikes require them to be dismantled (wheels taken off) and covered.

Much info about all of these issues on sites like Kancycling, it is actually entertaining general reading, it can seem daunting to a prospective foreign visitor planning to get around Japan by bicycle , including by taking it on train.Its only really part dismantling that is necessary on trains, the front wheel and peddles are usually ample( in other words the same sort of presentation as you would make to ship the bike in plane luggage) but many people also say that if you have a cover-bag over the bike, and you dont have to have an often expensive proper bike bag, you will often get away without any dismantling of it.
Finding a cheap bike there is also shaping up as an interesting challenge, this suggestion about university unwanted bike disposal sales is also a good one.
Getting stopped by police during a short stay and ownership checked is also surely a long shot, even though possible, unless there is something about you that catches the cops eye...there are so many bikes, what are your odds of being singled out?
Have the bike in apparently good shape, they have a keen eye for such things as lights and even reflectors, apparently.
The common sense measure in any country maybe when putting bikes on trains, is to completely avoid the busy direction in peak times...in other words, coming up to 9am mornings, there is usually a stampede on public transport towards the city hub..from 3-6pm, there is a return stampede in the opposite direction, from the city to burbs.
People packed like sardines on a train carriage do not want to share it with some bozo with a bike or any other large luggage item.