Close Menu
東京都

Biking in Tokyo is Terrible… but Great?



Biking in Tokyo is Terrible… but Great?

If you had asked me when I first visited Tokyo 24 years ago, I would have told you that cycling in the city was great. But the latest report by the Copenhagenize Index doesn’t rank it nearly as well as it used to. What’s up with the ranking?

Editing: Bobby from @Q2Japan and Greg

Sources:
– Copenhagenize Index https://copenhagenizeindex.eu/
– Average cycle trip in Japan https://cycling-embassy.jp/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Bicycle_Infographic_Embassy.pdf
– In Tokyo, bicycle is the fastest means of transport for trips under 5km https://www.toshiseibi.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/bunyabetsu/kotsu_butsuryu/pdf/katsuyo_suishin02.pdf
– JNTO Cycle Guide https://www.japan.travel/en/sports/cycling/guide/
– Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Cycling Rules https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/traffic_safety/traffic_rules/SAFE_BICYCLE_RIDING.files/public.pdf
– Japan Cycling Handbook by the Cycling Embassy of Japan advocacy group https://cycling-embassy.jp/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Handbook_English_Web_final.pdf
– One year after road law revision, few cyclists in Japan wear helmets https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/04/02/japan/japan-cyclists-helmet-wearing/
– Crime in Tokyo Statistics https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/about_mpd/jokyo_tokei/jokyo/hanzai.files/tokyo.pdf
– Bicycle prices at Cycle Base Asahi https://www.cb-asahi.co.jp/
– Number of bikes sold in Japan each year https://jbpi.or.jp/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2022.pdf
– Japan’s National Bike to Work Ban by Tokyo by Bike https://www.tokyobybike.com/2013/10/japans-national-bike-to-work-ban.html
– Accident Insurance, Bicycle Commutes, and You https://generalunion.org/4334/
– Bicycle Modal Share in Tokyo https://www.tokyo-pt.jp/info_provision/traffic
– Bicycle boom: Why transportation in the ‘new normal’ is on two wheels https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2021/02/13/lifestyle/bicycle-boom-japan/
– Bike Share Programs are Taking Off https://www.toshiseibi.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/bunyabetsu/kotsu_butsuryu/pdf/katsuyo_suishin02.pdf
– Bike Network planning in Tokyo https://www.toshiseibi.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/bunyabetsu/kotsu_butsuryu/pdf/katsuyo_suishin07.pdf

Video Gear I Use
📷 Camera: https://amzn.to/2NEokdl
📷 Drone: https://amzn.to/2GAURv8
📷 Wide Lens: http://amzn.to/2BcJCGJ
📷 Prime Lens: http://amzn.to/2C2LEpt
🎤 Microphone: http://amzn.to/2BJi114
📺 Monitor: http://amzn.to/2E8XzUI
📷 All the rest: https://kit.co/lifewhereimfrom/youtube-filming-gear

Connect
🗲Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lifewhereimfrom
🗲Life Where I’m From X Channel: http://bit.ly/ytlwifx
🗲Website: http://www.lifewhereimfrom.com
🗲Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifewhereimfrom
🗲Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifewhereimfrom
🗲Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifewhereimfrom

Music by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/bad4aw/

Share.
View 34 Comments

34件のコメント

  1. @LifeWhereImFrom on

    I've been meaning to make this video for a while, so I'm happy to finally have it out. For a long time I didn't think I could make it because I just didn't know enough about urban design or city planning to figure out how to talk about why I like biking in Tokyo. After seeing the Copenhagenize Index's rankings and seeing how all these other cities ranked similar to Tokyo, I felt more confident that I could at least talk about what I like about Tokyo as well as understand why it doesn't rank so well. If you liked this video, I think you'll like a couple other creators that just made content about Japanese cities and its streets. One is from Not Just Bikes https://youtu.be/jlwQ2Y4By0U?si=TH3aNA9UeWNu2oyO and the other by City Beautiful (it's on Nebula only right now) https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-tokyo-has-the-best-streets-in-the-world

  3. @larrymcgill5508 on

    I lived in Japan as a very young U S Air Force brat in the early 50’s (think Korean Conflict). Everywhere you went, there was a river of bicyclist. When we came back home after five years, I thought it was so weird that nobody rode bikes in the US. When I visited Japan 20 years later (think Viet Nam war), I was saddened that many of the old traditions of my youth in Japan had largely faded away.

  4. @Paul-t5q7x on

    I've just come back from Tokyo with my bike. I'd say cycling is good because
    1. There are lots of 30kmh roads.
    2. Not many cycle lanes. But i lived next to a river which had a great cycleway to near the train station.
    3. No street parking.
    4. Respectful drivers. Though i did nearly get left hooked !
    5. Covered bike parking at train station's.
    6. You can safely leave lights, computer, panniers on bike. They wont get stolen. Less thievery than european cities. But nearly all Japanese bikes have a kick stand. So a gravel or road bike has to be locked to a pillar or fence.

    What I'd say is bad in urban cycling are all the traffic lights. Roundabouts just don't seem to exist.

  6. @LeCVSUVL on

    Great video as always. This is the side of the story we don't often get to see or hear about.
    As for me i live in Montreal. Cycling here is for the most part rather good. It has come a long way and there is in fact an ambition/will to do better(even when it makes you an unpopular politician). I primarily commute to work and it takes me about 15-18 minutes. The entire commute is done on a bike lane which is pretty nice and the best part of it is the fact that I'm saving 80$ a month since i don't have to recharge my public transportation card. In Montreal the regular tariff for a monthly pass is 100$(Crazy i know), but where i work we have a 20% off which is not bad but still makes a pretty big expense for a lot of people.

  7. @beatroot_red on

    Biking in Taipei is convenient and fairly safe. The only real limiter are the mountainous terrain and the weather. As long as you avoid rush hour and the major road you'll be fine.

  9. @blubbl1000 on

    I think a major reason I felt safe biking in Japanese cities is also that car traffic feels less dangerous than in Europe (not to mention the US…). Cars are smaller, people respect the speed limit and seem much less aggressive. Here in Europe you always have to worry that some idiot in a SUV just carelessly cuts your lane and if you complain you might even get attacked. I dont think this happens a lot in Japan.

  10. @danthaikabuki6115 on

    I rather ride on japanese roads than my city. Many times, people will throw cups of drinks at me while they pass by. Drivers will cut me off. Drivers love to yell at cyclists just to distract.

  12. @realkilju on

    Thanks a lot for this very informative video! I was looking for a video about biking in tokyo, And this was perfect!

  14. @MidnightMixx on

    Copenhagen is not as great for cycling as often portrayed. The cycling index often cited appears biased, as riding in Copenhagen presents significant dangers along its streets. While designated bike routes exist and offer some separation from vehicle traffic on certain blocks, numerous hazards remain. Cyclists frequently collide with car doors unexpectedly opened, and many riders travel at excessive speeds, creating risks for themselves and others. Cars also frequently cut in front of cyclists at intersections. Furthermore, the bike paths are often too narrow to safely accommodate the high volume of cyclists during the day. Therefore, the notion that Copenhagen is an exceptional cycling city is debatable, and any index suggesting otherwise should be scrutinized for bias and potential misleading information.

  19. @PetsoKamagaya on

    @3:19 Ahole bike riders breaking the law going against traffic make riding in Japan dangerous. If a car hits such a bicylist, usually it's the car's fault. Cops don't do didly about enforcing bicycle infractions. I think riding in Tokyo or anywhere in Japan is dangerous because so many riders disobey the law. I think cycling in japan sucks. Period.

  20. @SteamboatWilley on

    The "ban" on commuting by bike is crazy to me. In the UK commuting by bike is encouraged by the government and many factories have bike racks on the premises to make cycling to work easier.

  21. @oldtwinsna8347 on

    One fallacy is that the trains and subways forbid full bikes being taken aboard. So unless you have a Brompton or similar folding bike that packages down into the dimension of a small luggage piece, you'd have to park your bike at the station. Hence the large bike parking lots at the stations itself. Problem is that you're assuming your final destination is close to your arrival station, which may not be the case at all and could require hoofing it some distance, not pleasant in the hot humid summer nor for the older crowd who could otherwise just bike it in. So what happens is that many who require a longer distance that biked into their station end up taking a taxi. Not at all bike friendly. Many commuter train systems in the US allow for bikes for this very specific reason.

  22. @oldtwinsna8347 on

    I have to say after watching this and seeking validation elsewhere that biking is a huge disappointment in Tokyo. I'd had expected much better compared to London, NYC, or even a lot of urban areas in the US over the past decade have made substantial infrastructure improvements for cycling. The lack of bike separations on the roadways is just downright ridiculous for a city this size. Bikes have no business being on city sidewalks as heavily traversed by people on foot as it is in Tokyo. It's like Tokyo has been frozen in time where riding a bike is okay to do but not a great experience to go any real distances.

  23. @icomefromcanadia2783 on

    Tokyo is of course far from perfect, but it manages to make so many things work that shouldn't work. Bikes on sidewalks? Awful and often illegal elsewhere, but works just fine in Tokyo. Not having sidewalks on vast majority of streets (any non-arterial road)? Death trap anywhere, but works great in Tokyo (and Japan in general). Freeways through the city. Neighbourhood destroying 99% of the time, but works extremely well in and around Tokyo.

  26. @notmyfault29 on

    Another thing to consider is how people in cars consider bicyclists. Where I live people hate bicyclists. People in cars don't think bicyclists should be on the street and terrorizing a bicyclist with your car is considered a sport. It is illegal to ride a bicycle on a sidewalk, so most shopping areas and schools often ban bicycles completely. What little bicycling infrastructure there is are trails built for recreation, they are poorly maintained and not usually practical to actually get somewhere.

  27. @GirtonOramsay on

    2:47 If I live within a 5 min walk of a supermarket (especially if I want to shop there), I'm almost always walking as an American. Riding a bike for 400 m feels wrong or too inconvenient with the lockup. 1 km is my minimum to ride a bike.

  28. @NathanaelTak on

    When I lived in NYC I tried to commute by bike, but found that if lanes existed, they were regularly used by motorcycles that would pass dangerously close at dangerously high speeds trying to pass car traffic. It was truly terrifying.

  29. @yellow-surfboard on

    Tell you what, where I live it is getting to a point where it isn't pedestrian friendly. There are so many cyclists, none of whom use the roads (actually, I tell a lie; the only people I've seen following the rules are older school kids). When I step outside, I feel like I'm stepping into a globe of death. I'd complain to the council but I'll be dead from old age by the time they do anything.

  31. @johngorree1042 on

    i vitsit Tokyo in September for 15 day. I use a bike evry day for hours. This during busy times in the morning and also late afther noon. It was very safe and easy to do with a bike navigation. Parking places sometimes not easy to find. But its safe to park. A big difference with the Netherlands where in city's biking is more unsafe and your bike when park is a bike risk for damaging and to get stolen.

Leave A Reply