Saw a stand of these new rental bicycles that have been set up in Marunouchi near Tokyo Station.
They look pretty cool and very high tech. Still it's a bit hard to use and pricey so I don't know if I would ever use one.
Set up by the Japan Travel Bureau and the Ministry of Environment, these Eco-Port Bikes can be used for free for up to 30 minutes, but after that it's 100 yen every ten minutes. Keep it for more than three hours and the price doubles so get it back quickly!
If ou want to use one, you have to go to the JTB office in Marunouchi and pay a 1,000 yen registration fee and register a credit card.
I love the concept as I have found riding around in Tokyo so much better than taking the subway, but it seems like maybe this is too expensive and complicated for tourists. But the cool IC card system is pretty high tech.
I've heard that similar systems are available all over the world. Have you ever used a rental bike? How much did it cost? Would you try this one?
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