Can I use a bicycle at the Share House ?

When it comes to using a bicycle or even parking a bicycle in Japan, there are some things you need to take into account before and after you own one.

1. Purchasing a new bicycle in Japan is pretty simple. However, you are required to have it registered. Your bicycle can be registered by either taking it to the Police post and receiving a seal that you will stick onto your bicycle as proof that it has been registered. The other way is getting a seal at the Share House and sticking it on your bicycle.

2. Registering your bicycle is important because, just in case your bicycle goes missing ( which is a very very rare case ), the Police will have a higher chance of relocating it. In some cases, you may be stopped by the Police because they would like to make a simple check on who the bicycle belongs to. If your bicycle is not registered under your name, the Police may wonder who the bicycle belongs to.

3. You cannot park your bicycle just anywhere. Sometimes if you park your bicycle in the wrong area, your bicycle may be towed away and trying to get it back is a hustle because you would be required to pay a fine.

Both the Nerima and Shin-Koiwa Share House both have parking space for bicycles. The registration fee and the use of the parking space is a one time payment of 1,000 yen. ( subject to change therefore, please confirm once again if you are considering relocating to either of the Share Houses stated above ).

What are the benefits of having a bicycle ?

1. Well, the first obvious reason is that it saves you money because you don't have to use public transportation that much.

2. I came across a number of residents that use their bicycle from the accommodation to their school, university and workplace. Basically, it helps reduce the commuting time.

3. Owning a bicycle allows you to explore the local area much more. For example, the Shin-Koiwa area is close to the bay area and you have many nice bicycle riding courses too. Perfect activity to do on a sunny day !

4. You also have the option to just rent out a bicycle for the day for example and all this can really easily done through apps. Actually, the manager who is based at the Shin-Koiwa Share House, uses this service quite often when he takes the residents on a bicycle tour ride.

I hope this simple blog gives you a better insight about bicycles here in Japan.

If you are considering looking for a Share House or living in one, you can contact Global Trust Networks and our multilingual staff can assist you in your native language. As of now we have staff that can speak, Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Mongolian.