Where on earth can I park this thing?!

Japan doesn't have a lot of space. With mountains covering 80% of the land and over 125 million people cramming into the remaining 20%, it doesn't leave much room for bicycles.

Every year the amount of legal bicycle parking space decreases, which results in footpaths being overrun with illegally parked bicycles like this:



Workers from City Hall regularly impound these bikes (daily in the city, weekly in the 'burbs) and you must pay a 2000 yen fee to reclaim it before they are auctioned off! A nice little moneyspinner for the bureaucrats and places like this:



Bicycle Parking Lots - where you can pay by the hour or rent an individual space per month. Owning a bike in Japan can be quite an expensive affair as you generally have to pay a monthly fee for the privilege of parking your bike outside your apartment building too!

(Photos taken in the streets around our house.)