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EUCs in Japan


Toshio Uemura

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  • 1 month later...
On 2/27/2020 at 3:13 PM, chile1 said:

Hello Toshio, I live in Kyoto and I am interested in getting a wheel. Can you tell if they are sold here or do I have to order from US or another location.Thanks John

I used to order my wheels directly from China. But my last Z10 I ordered with a seller at Rakuten.jp. They delivered fast and reliable from Tokyo. The shops name is AsoBuy. They had the Z10 on sale for 189.000 Yen last year. But now it’s around 200.000 or so. Here is the link to the shop, where I got mine: https://item.rakuten.co.jp/asobuy-shop/pamyzc1vx5/

 

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  • 4 months later...
On 4/28/2020 at 2:45 PM, John Montpetit said:

Hey Toshio, thanks for the head up. Do you live in Kyoto? John

No I live in Shiga Prefecture and in Osaka, half & half, depending on what I am working at. Now with Corona, I stay mainly deep in the countryside in Shiga and Mie, very near to the Suzuka Quasi-National-Park. Sorry, I haven’t noticed your post before. 😐 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi, I have had a KS18 for 3 years now and only ride it along the Kamo river in Kyoto. Yesterday a river patrol car stopped me to tell me not to ride it there. I told him I had talked to the police years ago and they said the place to ride was either in parks or along the river (I've been here a long time and speak very good Japanese btw). So, he contacts the police and 5 minutes later I hear a siren and 3 police show up. We talked for 15 minutes about the legality, definition of the vehicle (they kept trying to call it a Segway, which is prohibited formally in the law), etc, meanwhile 4 more cops show up. So now its 2 Kyoto prefectural river patrolmen and 7 cops surrounding me and we are discussing whether you can ride these along the river or not. So, it seems they are trying to actively discourage the use of EUCs though they refused to tell me it is "illegal" per se. I asked what laws had changed because previously I had been told it was OK to ride there and they just went on about how electric vehicles are not allowed there and how its dangerous for children, but of course we all know that electric bicycles are very common along the river and EUCs are no more dangerous to pedestrians than bikes... I gave my name but no other information because they were not charging me with any violation. They said that if I was stopped again I would receive another warning and then if I was stopped a third time there would likely be some legal measure. Very disappointing that they have decided to take this approach rather than embrace a very promising technology.

Edited by Medialab
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Encounters like this really can ruin one's day! You have my sympathy. In SF, never had problems with police, but only a few with grotchy old men and ladies. Be careful and heed the words of these Japanese cops. Right now, they are probably conjuring up a scheme to nail you with some kind of violations. Not that they are bad cops, they are just part of an extremely orderly society. I am sure you aren't the only one riding an EUC in Japan, at least not so far from what I've read on this forum. What can you do? Have a legal battle with the bureaucrats? Ignore these cops? File an unequal treatment complaint? Gather a group of EUC riders to file a petition to change the laws? The problem with EUC riders is that we are far and few in-between, not enough as a political force, but enough for some cops' picking who don't have more important things to do. Good luck, I hope the day I come to Japan to ride, you would have paved the way!

Edited by scubadragosan
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7 hours ago, Ronin Ryder said:

There's another topic where a guy in kyoto had the same issue, went to see a lawyer and got away with it.

I did not get away with anything. They told me the same thing, that if I was caught again I would be taken to the police station. I am now riding in the mountains north of Kyoto, how long that will last I don’t know.

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I rode more than 1500 km in Tokyo, commuting to the office every day and going along the river or exploring different neighbourhoods during the weekend.

I got told once by Police that I can only ride in parks, and got told once by park security that I cannot ride there :)

That's it, all the rest of the time...  uneventful.

Always wearing helmet and wrist protection... and no driving licence (I never changed my Spanish one to Japanese).

Edited by Coco66
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34 minutes ago, Coco66 said:

I rode more than 1500 km in Tokyo, commuting to the office every day and going along the river or exploring different neighbourhoods during the weekend.

I got told once by Police that I can only ride in parks, and got told once by park security that I cannot ride there :)

That's it, all the rest of the time...  uneventful.

Always wearing helmet and wrist protection... and no driving licence (I never changed my Spanish one to Japanese).

Very interesting! At what speed? Road or sidewalk? 

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1 hour ago, Ronin Ryder said:

Very interesting! At what speed? Road or sidewalk? 

Road, sidewalk, anywhere.

Paying attention to not become a risk, of course, but following my italianity, for which... rules are somehow flexible.

Behaving like a car when needed, like a bicycle when needed (even if bicycles in Tokyo do not follow the rules), like a pedestrian when needed.

I have a V8, so more or less always below 30kmh.

When the police talked to me, I was actually waiting at a traffic light, with the pedestrians, and the police car stopped at that same traffic light. The girl called me and said "park only". I dismounted, pulled up the handlebar, walked around the corner, took a different route ;)

In general, the only thing I cared a lot was... not to pass in front of Koban boxes.

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  • 2 months later...

Are people still riding their wheels in Kyoto? After being surrounded by 7 police officers one day and having to politely explain in Japanese that I had already cleared it several times and was told by various police that it was permitted to ride along the river, they just kept saying "yes, but now in truth we cannot allow motorized vehicles along the walking and biking path" and, "some people might complain" and, "it is dangerous because young children might get hurt if we allow motorized vehicles here." Personally I gave up and decided to wait a year or two until they have some clear answer or reevaluation of the situation. I would be happy to get a license or have a number plate on the wheel or to be required to wear a helmet, etc... but as for not seems they are trying their best to prevent people from using these clean, quiet, fun, efficient, and environmentally friendly modes of transportation. Nice one Japan

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@Coco66 - That's good to know, I'm not sure why Kyoto city has decided to shut down wheel riders here. The Kamo river is absolutely perfect for getting around in the city and EUCs are no more dangerous than bicycles. Some people just like to block progress it seems.  @JohnMontpetit - Let me know if you want to get together and ride in the mountains sometime.

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I lived in Japan for two years, and Kyoto definitely seems way more strict about everything. It sucks that you can't ride close to home. 

I was in Akashi, and the police there seemed relatively laid back. I would love to go back and ride across the bridge on Awaji island. :) 

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  • 2 years later...
On 5/19/2018 at 3:47 AM, Scared of eucs said:

Wow, I'll be in Osaka (around nanbai station) in about 12 days.  Can I ride with you?

 

I currently have a King Song 14s and I've been riding for about a month, but I'd LOVE to try out some other EUC's if you have the time and patience...

 

Also, if you show me somewhere good to eat, I'd gladly treat you to the food! Thanks!

Hi! I'll be in Osaka Janurary 20th and I wanted to ride EUC in Japan but don't know how to get on in the country. Would love to meet you!

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