Finally I've remembered to write about this. In Japan, everyone seems to cycle. You see more bicycles in Japan than any other country except perhaps Holland! When I first visited Japan, I was surprised by how many people cycled everywhere, and that cyclists can use the pavement - not sure if it's strictly legal to do so, but everyone does with the exception of racing cyclists.
I was also surprised that Japanese cyclists always use an umbrella when it's raining. I've never seen that in any other country. I'm sure it's not really safe, but perhaps that's one of the reasons why people tend to cycle on the pavements. Me, I'm more of a fair weather cyclist!
Basic bicycles with 5 gears are cheap in Japan, maybe about 40-50 GBP. I bought mine about 3 years ago and recently have found that it has really come into its own, now that I've moved and live further from everything. I use it to go to the supermarket (always plenty of bicycle parking), but also sometimes use it to go to one of my schools on fine days - it takes me about 25 minutes.
In Japan, it doesn't stay light that late in the evenings, even during summer. So when I leave work it is always dark. Fortunately in Japan it is very common to cycle on the pavement, so I feel very safe, but even so sometimes the pavements are a bit uneven and I have to slow down.
Anyway, this post was intended primarily about bicycle lights and locks. All bikes in Japan seem to come with pedal powered LED front lights, which work pretty well and don't seem to get pinched. This of course means no more carrying your bicycle lights with you when you get off. Not sure if this is just a feature of the honesty in Japan, or just that everyone's cheap bicycle already has a front light. Also, bicycles come with an integrated back wheel lock, so (unless you have an expensive bike) no more carting around a chain lock.
Using your bicycle is much much easier than in Britain. I keep mine outside under the front porch to get rusty, but it is just ready to go!
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