Biiiike!!!!! 自転車

So, I finally got a bike. Mind you, this is the first bike I ever bought for myself, so it's the first one that is actually the right height for me and my stubby legs. :)

Yellow, so I can find it easily. :) 

 So, biking in Japan is a serious matter. I got the bike for almost nothing, at 9980 yen (around $100 USD). When I bought it, the man at the store led me to a counter where he and I filled out about 5 pages of forms. In Japan, there is a bike registry system. For several reasons.


First of all, if your bike is stolen, it is easier to find. Not sure how many bike thefts actually occur in Japan as opposed to the U.S., but it is infuriating to go outside and find only a wheel or chain hanging on a pole where a whole bike - YOUR bike - used to be. So this, I appreciate. My bike has an ID sticker on it, kind of like a license plate.

On the other hand, foreigners are the usual suspects for bike thieves in the mind of the Japanese police. Many non-Japanese have been stopped on bikes and asked to see their bike registration documents and Alien Resident's Card. (License and registration?) Though this is true, I've had all positive experiences with police officers here, especially when I've been lost and asking for directions. Then again, I was never on a bike before. :)

In Japan, bikes can ride on the street or sidewalk, though most people prefer the latter. This is great for a rider with my level of experience (those of you who know me well know what I mean...), but as a pedestrian, it gets tricky. People generally don't use their bells. Every bike MUST have a bell by law, but I've yet to hear it used. Some days I turn around while walking outside to see there's a biker riding very slowly and frustratedly behind me down the sidewalk.

All in all, I'm pretty excited about it. :) Nagoya is a safe place with infrastructure for bikes and is such a nice size of a city for biking. :)