Motorcycle Travel

With its supernarrow roads and alleyways, a fantastic way to tool around Tokyo is with a scooter, while the rest of the country—with its rolling hills, mountains, and shoreline—is really great to see via motorcycle. There are many bikers in Japan, so highways, rest stops, and campgrounds are all equipped to handle whatever bike you choose to tour with. Japan Bike Rentals is the only bike-rental place that is run by a gaijin (foreigner) so you can drop your dictionaries and do all the paperwork in English—and online. All riders will need a passport, a valid unrestricted motorcycle license from their own country, and an International Driving Permit. Japan Bike Rentals is open seven days a week, but you will need to make your booking online first, whether to rent a bike, a GPS for a self-guided tour, or join a guided tour. It's closed in January and February. SCS Motorcycle is one of the largest Japanese motorcycle rental chains, but finding an English-speaking staff member to help you may be difficult. It has several branches around Tokyo, but its head rental office is in Hakusan, near the Tokyo Dome.

Contacts

Japan Bike Rentals. 03/3584-5185. www.japanbikerentals.com.

SCS Motorcycle. 03/3815-6221.