Riding a Track Bike in Japan? Here is what I think…
I'm gonna make this clear before we start.
This is not a giant rant about Japan and how you should not go there.
I know that it's a dream destination for a lot of you and I highly encourage you to travel to the country of the rising sun at least once.
I'm making this write-up because I finally got the opportunity to see this place with a fresh pair of eyes after a three years reset.
Here is a bit of context: I used to live in Japan for four years before going back to France. I stayed almost three years in Paris and decided to travel one more time to Tokyo for a few months in order to see some friends, get back some of the stuff I still had there and eat some fine food.
What you're gonna find online are a lot of strong opinions by people who absolutely love Japan, turning a blind eye to everything that's clearly not alright. Or totally the opposite and focusing only on what's wrong with this country. So here is my personal take, and how I see things as a guy that rides fixed-gear and enjoys having a coffee now and then.
1. The fixed-gear community is awesome
It's no secret that Tokyo's fixed gear scene is unique and filled with amazing people. There are some great shops, lots of unique places to see, NJS frames used on the streets all over the city, and a general feeling that the community here is still going strong. I have absolutely no doubt that you'll find people to ride with and show you around. The language barrier gets thinner with every generation and people here love to make new friends and blast through the city once in a while. You can feel there is still a delay between Japan and the rest of the world though. Gravel cycling isn't nearly as popular as it can be in the US or Europe, and I can sense that fixed-gear cycling is still in that dip that we had a few years back before the popularity peak we’re experiencing right now. But nonetheless, there are still a lot of riders and passionate people around to talk to and have fun with.
2. The brake problem
One more thing that's in everyone's mind when it comes to riding fixed gear in Japan, is the enforcement of certain laws concerning how you can ride your bike here.
No need to read between the lines, the answer is pretty clear. You need two functional brake levers and two brake calipers on your bike for it to be fully legal. ( And lights but brakes are definitely my main point here )
It's actually the case in many countries, but Japan, and especially Tokyo, is recently putting crazy pressure to make sure you'll fall in line.
With the recent pandemic, the number of bike users in Tokyo went through the roof. Beginners on bikes in any city, unfortunately, mean more crashes. And this spike in incidents made the police focus way more on cyclists and their bikes. (Not hard since the police here ain't that busy anyway)
What's the worst that could happen then?
Well if you get caught without brakes you'll probably get fined, but that's definitely the least of your problem. There is some sort of a game here between the Police and non-Japanese speaker. You could end up spending an uncanny amount of time at the police station, trying your best to figure your way out of here.
They could and will use this language barrier to make you sign something saying that you’re 100% guilty and you might don’t want your bike back.
They are, no, fun…
I’m not trying to scare anyone, but your peace of mind is probably worth more than a few street creds…
3. Outstanding ride quality
First off, Tokyo is absolutely massive. To give you an idea, it’s 6 times the size of Paris, and almost the same size as New York (all included with Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island). It also has a nice balance between long flat sections and hardcore hills to have fun on. You have some big main boulevards, small twitchy streets, lots of parks and the road condition is immaculate most of the time. It is really one of the best playgrounds to ride a track bike on the street. Finally, the traffic is pretty easy to get used to with my best comparison being: “It’s like an old video game, there are patterns that repeat themself, you just need to learn them”.
4. Getting some souvenirs home
As of today (June 2022) Japan is still not open to tourists. It might change in the very near future, but after this two and a half years travel ban there is some conclusion we can make. The first being: that the yen is terribly cheap right now.
If you're going to Japan today, you're rolling on gold. The exchange rate between Euros and Yens will create a lot of pocket money for your trip. But will you really have all that extra cash though? Since Japan imports, almost 75% of its goods and its currency dropped as a result of a politics of isolation. Prices went up... a lot. Lucky for you, you'll still be able to find Japanese-made parts and frames at reasonable prices but this is where we hit another wall.
Let's say you just found your dream NJS frame at an affordable price (maybe 2). And you'd like to send them home. Well first, as of today, Japan Post refuses to send anything to most countries by air. (Here is the list) You can still send it via sea shipping.... estimated time ... 6 months. But that's not all! It's technically impossible to send a frame or a wheel-set because if you don't ride a size 40, it will not fit into the size limit. On the other hand, if you are in Japan, it's totally possible to receive anything from anywhere, in any size.
You still have the option to take it back with you on the plane, but don’t expect to bring back big souvenirs with you if you arrive with your suitcase already full. My recommendation would be to fly with ANA, who usually has two, 23kg suitcases included in their economy class ticket. And they don’t make a big fuss about bike boxes.
UPDATE: As of June 10 EMS is now working again towards most countries with a bigger size limit. So you should be able to send anything.
5. The deep clean
Finally, I want to finish on what I think is the saddest in all that.
What you hear in the media is a clean Japan, with low criminal rates, perfect citizens etcetera. And this is all true for the most part.
But it's also real because the other side of the coin is double the amount of crazy than everything on the surface. The size of underground cultures in Japan is huge. With weird clubs, street racing, illegal Tattoo shops, pop-up raves and so many more it's hard to tell all the oddities that exist in that country.
Problem is, that many of these underground cultural areas, are all in the scope of the government to get rid of everything and build new and clean buildings on top.
I know all of this will evolve and survive in some way or the other. But it makes me come to the conclusion that this side of Japan will get harder and harder to access as time goes by.
Fixed-gear cycling is and will stay some sort of an underground culture. So I understand if most of you are coming here to have some fun but also to discover what’s under the surface. It’s a beautiful country with fantastic things to see if you know where to look for, so don’t hesitate to wander in the Japanese streets and get some mad food before it changes forever.
To conclude
It's not that Japan does not want you or anything like that. Most of the people here are very welcoming and ready to help you with whatever you need. On the other side, it's more the government trying to create the perfect utopia that scares me.
If you want to visit Japan to ride your bike, shred the city, meet some random friends and end up in crazy underground restaurants with only four seats and no menu… go asap. If you're just here for shopping and Starbucks, you'll probably be fine for the next 10 years, no need to hurry.
