[2019-10-03]
The fourth day had started, and I knew that before the end of the day I had to have found a bicycle for my big journey. From the options I had for getting one, searching it in second-hand stores was the one that fitted me.
I knew already how big the second-hand culture in Japan was. I’ve read that you could get great prices, and everything you find is in excellent condition.
I tried, at first, searching on the web for people selling used bikes. I found only professional and very specialized ones; so even when the bikes were second-hand, the prices ranged from ¥60.000 to even more than ¥100.000 (≈ $550 to $900usd). That was too high for my budget, I was hoping to find a used bicycle (mountain or crossroad) for around ¥20.000.
Additionally, I found some recycling centers for abandoned bikes, where volunteers fix them and sell them really cheap (from ¥6.000 ≈ $55usd). But they open a few days only at the end of the month. If you plan to live in Japan, or coincidentally the dates work for you, you may find some useful info here.
So, this day began with us packing up everything and checking out at the hostel. After we left everything in some lockers in Asakusa Station, we headed to Edogawa ward, where I had spotted enough stores with new and second-hand bikes.
The instant we got out of the station, I noticed many people using bicycles; it gave me hope that I was on the right track.
From the stores I had saved on my map, the first ones we visited had only mamachari.
Mamacharis are the common utility bicycles that people use in the cities; its name means “mother’s bike”, they usually come with a basket, and you see many young women with one or two child seats added to it too.
They were new and had great prices, but that wasn’t something I was searching for; I don’t think anyone could have imagined crossing the country on that kind of bicycle, made just for the city.
After that, we entered an awesome bike workshop (Cycle Paradise) with beautiful but professional and costly bikes; they were too far away from my budget. Then we went to a bigger chain store, where I hoped to find more variations. It was also full of mamachari, and there were some mountain and road bikes but also too pricy.
I couldn’t find any used bike that wasn’t mamachari; most people use them to commute in the city. Only hobbyists or athletes, who spend more money on their bikes, were the ones who had anything different. It was a bit of shock for me because I was accustomed to seeing cheap mountain bikes everywhere in my home country.
Then, I realized that I wouldn’t find what I was hoping for, also, I didn’t want to bother my friend too much (I’ve made him walk a lot of kilometers in vain). We headed back to one of the first stores, where we saw new mamachari with lower prices (Seo Cycle).
I chose one of them that cost ¥20.000 (≈ $180usd – around the price I was hoping to find a used mountain bike). The moment I tried it, one of the fears I had, materialized; I felt it was too small for me (183cm/6ft), and I couldn’t get the saddle high enough; I knew I would injure my knees if I rode it as it was.
I was starting to get desperate, but the store clerk was amazingly kind and helped me finding another long tube to put the seat higher enough to be somewhat comfortable. Although I get out from there not totally convinced with my decisions, thinking also on the so few (and not low enough) 5 gears of that mamachari, clearly not designed to climb mountains.
I didn’t travel with my own bike from Colombia because it was really pricy to get it on the plane, and I was expecting to find something good in Japan; but in the end, it wouldn’t have been so much (300usd) after all of this. So, if you are going on an adventure like this, I think it would be better to invest a bit more and, if possible, bring your own.
My friend got on the train, and I started my first small ride of about 10km to Asakusa. Trying to set my doubts aside, I enjoyed that moment. It was delightful to cycle across some bridges and along some rivers. It was an entirely different experience from what you got on a train. You get to see the little details.
I definitely recommend experiencing Japan on a bicycle; you can rent one to enjoy some areas of Tokyo or other cities; there are multiple rental services around Japan, and if you are interested, you can start reading here.
Don‘t hesitate to ask any questions in the comments below.
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