How come so many riders in Japan hover their feet so such a long time, by that I mean people that hang their feet off the pegs or outside the scooter platform and kinda drag their feet on the floor. I understand when leaving a stop or approaching a stop but ive seen people riding like that. I have not seen it done in south america or in other places with common motorcycle riding

Hey! Two American Dirt Bikers wanna Trip to a Japan May of 2025!! The plan is for a friend to buy some bikes for us in Japan, he intends to resell them after the trip, but wants us as US citizens to register/ plate them ourselves in our own names.

Think this will be a problem? We're gonna be in the country for a month likely.

Is this a good way to go? Any advice would be great! Thanks so much!

So, as my ride home from Nagoya yesterday reminded me, winter is upon us. A few tips for the folks new to winter here:

While there's snow in the mountains, the lowlands are often snow free year 'round - you may not need to get your bike under cover at all.

Heated gear is awesome. If you have never tried it, you can get jacket liners, gloves, trouser liners, and socks. Check your bike's electrical system specs so as not to overload. Heated grips are also awesome.

If you find yourself without heated gear, there are hotpacks called kairo sold at all convenience stores, or you can buy bulk packs from Amazon or at home centers. Get the STICKY ones. You want them to stay in place - chest, lower back, biceps, triceps, outer forearms, inside gloves, tops of thighs, front of shins, and there are special ones that go inside shoes and boots.

With a windproof layer on top, these things are actually damned good, especially the new "magma" ones that pump out about 60 degrees of heat. Do NOT put kairo next to your skin. ALWAYS have a layer of clothing (long johns, t-shirt etc.) between your skin and the kairo unless it's inside a glove where you can quickly remove it if it gets uncomfortably hot. For the gents - you can put kairo next to your dangly bits. Just remember that bit about keeping a layer between skin and kairo - as long as you do that, it's actually a source of warmth AND a great windblock.

If you can get a Pinlock visor for your helmet, do it. Your visor will no longer fog up in the cold. If you can't get a pinlock, at least get anti-fog spray - also handy for glasses if you wear them to ride.

Warm your bike up! This doesn't just mean let the engine warm up, it means take it easy until all the moving parts have warmed up and the lubrication in the bearings has started to flow.

Take it easy - winter is not the time for aggressively carving the twisties. Remember that your tires have significantly less grip in the cold.

Handguards - yes, they look derpy, but they WORK. The more coverage, the better they work. Keep an eye on the weather - if it dropped below 1 degree, there WILL be frost on the roads, so be extremely careful. If it snowed, just stay off the bike. When I had an SUV (4WD and snow tires) I saw so many lowsided bikes every time I drove after a snowfall....

Anyyone have any other tips for riding in winter?

Just realised I'm a bit late in posting this....

Tomorrow (December 8th) is the annual Tokyo Toy Run, collecting toys and gifts for a couple of childrens' homes that do a lot of good work in Kanagawa.

We'll meet at the Ebina Service Area (OSM link) on the Tomei Expressway again (Westbound, away from Tokyo) starting at 8:00 a.m..  We'll stay there until 10:00 a.m. to allow for any late sleepers or stragglers to have an opportunity to bring their gifts for collection.

If you can't come to the homes but would like to hand off gifts, there will be some cars at the SA which will go on to the homes. 

The general schedule will be that we will depart the SA as a couple of groups, then proceed to meet up at the 7-11 combini, then ride in as a group to the first Home. After greeting the kids and potentially giving some of the kids rides on the bike (TBC) we'll head off to the second home. The day usually runs until around 2-3pm depending. 

As always, we ask that riders show up in full Santa, elf or reindeer suits to get into that Toy Run Xmas spirit - and that includes decorating the bikes too!

Beyond the actual work done at the children’s homes, the parade of “Santa Bikers” is always a interesting sight for the general public at the meet up areas and en route so feel free to engage with anyone asking for photos since it promotes good will and often brings in new participants for future 'Runs.

And dinner / drinks after on me

I just bought a new Ninja400. Since it will arrive in 3 weeks I’m now trying to figure out the best ninihoken insurance plan. Does anyone want to share what they like? I searched but figured maybe there new insights… I saw apex but it doesn’t include theft. (I would prefer theft If possible) Anyway, I’m clueless please help me decide.

Hi everyone, I am converting my foreign license to Japanese license at futamatagawa center. But I see there is no practice classes available for motorcycles unlike cars. I am wondering if there is any places offering practice sessions for 400cc+ bikes without IDP. Even any recommended driving school in Kanto region is okay as long as the prices are not too high. I just need 3 sessions of 1.5 hours each max.

Anyone suggestions would be helpful.

Just finished up a road trip from Tokyo to Osaka and back. Went through Shikoku island on the way back. Highly recommend this to any riders. Roads were pristine, people even nicer.

Hello and good day everyone. I will be in Osaka for two days and one night at the end of the month. (Take the ferry from Kyushu with my bike).

I was wondering if any local bikers can give me good places to go touring. I looked up the internet and it already gave me an idea what places seem nice to go riding it. But I also want to ask the recommendations of local riders in Kansai.

Thanks for your time and have a good day!

Hi riders, I’m thinking to buy a bike with an engine in this range. Either a Yamaha XSR700 or a Honda CBR650 on the Japanese side, or a Triumph Trident 660 on the foreign side.

Have any of you owned one or more of those and could compare? are there any downsides having a foreign bike in Japan (Tokyo area)? Like lack of dealerships to get the bike serviced. A friend of mine has a Husqvarna and is sometimes struggling. Price difference isn’t really an issue though.

Thanks!

I may be visiting japan next year, around march. Is there any motorcycle rental in osaka and if so how much is the rates and any documents needed? Thanks

Hello, super cool community here! A question I’d like to get your insight on…

I’ll be landing in Tokyo and road-tripping (by car) through Mt. Fuji area and what I gather is the region where most of the good riding roads are near Tokyo.

I have an opportunity to rent a bike and ride around in early December after returning to Tokyo- given the season (temperature lows approaching freezing) and having already spent a few days seeing Fuji area, how’s the riding in Chiba or Kamakura? Is it more fishing towns riding along the coast? Happy to hear recommendations for an hour or two out of Tokyo beyond riding into the mountains.

Thanks in advance!

I'm moving to Nagoya from the UK and recently got an apartment with a motorbike parking space. Unfortunately, the larger spaces were taken so I have a max size of 2000mm x 750mm

I've recently passed my full license in the UK, but have only owned a Z125 until this point.

Being female & not vertically gifted, I always wanted to get a Z650 but it wont fit in the space (2055mm x 765 mm) . A Z400 is 1990mm x 800mm.

My questions are

1. With the mirrors folded in when I park, and having it under a bag, will the Z400 be an option or am I going to get reported?
2. Given I'm already exceeding the width, shall I just go Hail Mary and get the Z650?
3. Do you have any recommendations of bikes that fit those dimensions that have engines big enough to get out of their own way?

Thanks all

Currently I'm working as a journalist in Japan, and am interested in doing an article on Japanese motorcycle culture, it's various cliques, etc. I'm new to Tokyo so don't really know where to begin looking in terms of getting an internal look at the culture. Anyone have any recommendations of where to meet moto enthusiasts, as well as locotions which have a, I suppose, moto-theme?

Thanks.

Hi all,

Just hoping to get some advice from people who have done this before. I may have put the horse before the cart and listed my old Serow before handing in the number plates. To my shock, the bike sold in 10 minutes on Yahoo Auctions.

My question is, do I need to hand the number plate in and get a return certificate? Or is it fine to sell the bike with plates and just provide the new owner with a transfer certificate and power of attorney? I'm going to struggle to get down to the Road Transport office in the next week, so I am hoping that it is okay to sell with plate attached.
Buyer is in Tokyo and I am in Gunma if that changes anything.

Appreciate any advice you can provide.

If anyone knows a good company/website or recommends their own type of gps tracker I can attach or put under the seat of my future bike for theft prevention, it would be helpful. Thank you in advance!

Fellow riders,

I got my first bike here with insurance arranged by the dealer.

I need to check if I actually have all the correct paperwork from the insurance (mainly in case of control on the road etc).

Could you tell me what documents we are supposed to get? name in Japanese? What do they look like?

Thanks in advance.

PS: As an aside insurance here is very very cheap compared to UK - I couldn't believe it.

Hi, I’m looking for someone to join me for a ride to Lakeside Terrace in Chiba, on Saturday (the 23rd). I’m a 25F living in the Shinjuku area, and I ride a Ninja400. Let me know if you’re interested in!:)

11月23日土曜日に千葉にある東金 Lakeside Terraceに一緒に行ってくれる人募集しています！都内在住の25歳です。今年バイクの免許を取ってニンジャ400に乗ってます！よろしくおねがいします！

Hi!! I recently moved to Tokyo and was wondering where people find riding groups? I will be here for a year and would really like to make some friends to ride with. English speaking or Japanese speaking is fine, I speak both !! Thank you in advance!!

こんにちは！！最近東京へ引っ越した事でバイクの皆さんはバイク乗りグループがどこで見つかれるのか知りたいですけど。1年間日本に住みますので、バイクを乗っている人と仲間になって、一緒に乗りたいです。英語も日本語でもいい、両方(日本語はまだ勉強しているところけど　笑)話せますので〜！

よろしくお願いします！！

I have two questions! 1 . Can I take written exam test and after that practical test for 125 Cc without going to any japanese driving school. 2. I have a car and moped license from my country... Later I want to do convert to japanese car license. Can I do that later too. Appreciate your help.

As per title really...

Back home it was easy to find self service jets or cheap staffed cleaners.

What's the deal here?

EDIT: Thank you all for the advice!

I'm often up during the night working and I constantly hear sirens from the police stopping cars, more so than during the day. I also live in a business district so there is basically no traffic going through here during the night. So my question is, is there a bigger risk of getting caught for small mistakes during the night? do the police start going after smaller things because there are less violations to choose from?

When my bike is delivered I hope to go on some nice morning/sunrise rides, but it's also my first year so really don't want to get any points, especially not for small unintentional mistakes. Should I avoid nights and early mornings?

Im from the Maldives and have rented motor bikes before in countries like Morocco and Thailand. I read the license requirements and was wondering if i can rent one in japan. I cant figure it out

Hey guys, I am doing a little week moto trip in japan soon, and I need to buy some gear when I get there,. I'm Canadian, and very tall, looking to buy some leather on the cheap, that can fit my 6'4 body.

Any recommendations on new or used leather and gear in Tokyo. I am picking up my bike in Ueno district.

Thanks!

It became apparent from a comment made in another thread that some people don't understand how the license point and suspension system works, so thought an explanation was in order. Note that ChatGPT and other AIs explain the system incorrectly, and should never be relied upon for legal advice.

The Japanese driver's license point and suspension system is designed to encourage safe driving/riding by penalizing traffic violations with points that can lead to license suspension or revocation if accumulated excessively. Here’s a breakdown of the system:

Point System

Traffic Violations and Points: Each traffic violation in Japan is assigned a certain number of points based on its severity. Minor infractions like failing to signal might incur a small point penalty (1 point), while serious offenses, such as reckless driving (12 points) or causing an accident, carry a higher point value.

Accumulation of Points: Points are added to a driver/rider’s record with each violation, and the Japanese system is based on a rolling period rather than a fixed time frame. Points are accumulated and remain active for one year from the time of the last infraction at which time all points are reset, unless they result in a license suspension or revocation, which also resets the count. So, points (and suspensions) are generally reset after one year without infractions. Revocations (discussed below) stay on your record permanently.

Thresholds for Suspension: Reaching certain point thresholds results in license suspension or revocation. Below is the basic table for someone who has an otherwise clean history:

Repeat Offenders: driver/riders with repeated violations face stricter penalties and longer suspensions. If multiple infractions happen within a short period, they’re more likely to receive an extended suspension or permanent revocation.

Points Reduction and Traffic Safety Courses: Driver/riders can take traffic safety courses (the "violator" course, 違反者講習) to reduce points, if they accrue six points with NO tickets exceeding 3 points. These courses reset your points without a suspension. You can only do this course once every three years, and it is not open to people with a criminal record.

License Suspension and Revocation

Suspension: When a driver/rider’s points reach the suspension threshold, their license is suspended for a set period. During this time, they cannot legally drive, and driving with a suspended license is a serious offense. There is an option to attend a course to have the suspension reduced - a 30 day suspension can be reduced to as short as 1 day. Completion of the suspension reduction course still leaves a suspension on your record.

Revocation: If a driver/rider’s points exceed 15 (less if they've had previous suspensions), or if they commit especially severe violations (e.g., causing death due to reckless driving), their license can be revoked. To regain a license, they must reapply and complete a driving test and other requirements. Revocations may last as long as ten years, and will stay on your license permanently, affecting future revocation terms.

Table of Administrative Penalties

The administrative penalties go like this (points vs. # of suspensions held)

(Parentheses) = had a previous revocation

Most of the posts about parking are about parking in big cities and paid lots.

I live in smaller city where most everywhere has free parking and shops all have lots, but I've never once seen any "motorcycle" parking. I've never seen motorcycles parked in the car spaces even though my understanding is that is where they belong. I do occasionally see them, regardless of displacement, parked either near the bicycles or just to the side of the entrance to shops. I know I should be parking in the car spaces but sometimes it is crowded and people get angry at me for taking up a space (obviously fully within my right and the law, but I'm tired of old dudes yelling at me) and also car drivers are morons and pull into spots without noticing a motorcycle there. Been bumped before and I dread the day there is some real damage.

What do you usually do if you live in or visit smaller cities with no dedicated motorcycle parking?

I was under the impression that to ride motorbikes bigger than the pink plate 125cc ones, riders must use full-face helmets. However, I keep seeing people riding full-size white plate motorcycles and scooters with half cap helmets. Are they breaking the law, or am I misunderstanding the rules? If I am misunderstanding it, what is the rule?