Japan is a big bicycle country. According to a 2005 survey, in Japan there is 1 bicycle for every 1.5 people (or is it person?). In America, there is 1 bicycle for every 2.6 people and China there is 1 bicycle for every 2.7 people. So it seems you can say that compared to other countries, Japan bicycles are popular.
However, despite that statistic, Japan is not a very advanced bicycle country. Within one year, around 6 million dollars is spent taking care of abandoned bicycles in Japan. Many people throw them away by leaving them parked at a train station or other public area. It’s a very big problem in Japanese society. Also, marked bicycle lanes are few and far between, leading to constant bicycle casualties around the country.
In various countries in Europe and parts of America, bicycle lanes are becoming more and more common and bike races are very popular. Although the usage of bicycles seems to be a bit different compared to Japan (aka commuting vs. recreation), other things such as road manner and bike sharing seems to be present as well.
I’d love to see a number of these things take hold in Japan although I could see many challenges taking place too.
