Massive bicycle parking lot in Japan

Surprised at this view? Bicycles are one of the main forms of transportation in Japan and a lot of people use them. Makes you wonder where they’re all parked. Garages (even multi-level ones) and parking lots for bicycles are easy to find in cities pretty much everywhere. The above photo was taken at a large parking area near the main Kawagoe station, Saitama prefecture. Here people pay a monthly fee to park their bicycles every morning when they go to work. Usually these lots are marked so you can easily find you vehicle, but in this Kawagoe one I didn’t see any markings. Thus, you’ll just have to remember where you parked. :)

It’s interesting that in Japan you’ll rarely find a bicycle without a small basket in the front. Bicycles are used by people of all ages in daily life when they run errands or go shopping. Contrary to most developed nations, in Japan car is not a status symbol and a lot of people don’t even own one, regardless of their income. Besides bicycles they mostly use trains and buses.

Speaking of bicycles, I came across this article in Daily Yomiuri. Apparently the Environment ministry plans to lease bicycles to the public in the Marunouchi business district in Chiyoda ward in Tokyo. They plan to set up five parking ports 300 meters apart, with 50 public bicycles each that can be used anytime. The goal behind this project is to boost bicycle usage in the city and to cut down greenhouse emissions.