I swear I was in the restaurant for just 5 minutes.  Would you believe 10? Okay, it was more like a half-hour.

Yesterday, I stopped at the McDonald’s restaurant in front of the Momodani train station for breakfast and to do a little bit of homework before heading to my Japanese class. What I’d failed to heed was the no parking sign for bicycles. It’s easy to overlook, as such restrictions are universally ignored. But it turns out that this area was to be “swept” of all unattended bicycles … this morning.

So, it was with some shock that, upon exiting the restaurant, I saw that there were no bicycles to be seen in the area. The one I was using was among the missing. To make matters worse, the bike wasn’t even mine: it was a friend’s, whose bicycle I was using until I got around to buying my own. I had to either find the bike or replace it, no matter what.

But at that time it was then just after 9 AM.  With class starting at 9:30, there was no way I could take the time to investigate what happened, although I assumed that all the bicycles had been impounded by the city. After all, everyone knows that the entire area within about 300 meters of a train station is a massive “no parking” area for bicycles.  But everyone also routinely ignores that rule (at their own risk).

So, I hopped in a taxi and headed to class.  Cha-ching! That’s about 1,000 yen (US$10). After class, I walked back to Momodani station and found a bunch of copies of the notice that I’d missed. Fortunately, it included the address of the impoundment lot.  I tore one off the street and hopped in another taxi and asked the driver to take me to the address written on the flyer.

I only know sections of central Osaka; I’m certainly no expert on the city. Therefore, I was wondering how far it might be to get to the impound lot.  Eventually, I asked the driver if it was near or far.  “Far” was the response.  “Quite far.”  And indeed it was.  Taxi fare turned out to be just over 2,500 yen (US$25) Situated in a reservation underneath an elevated expressway, the impound lot was neatly organized and attended by a couple of older guys circulating on bicycles (presumably not impounded ones).

Impound release receipt

Even though there were numerous bicycles there, I quickly found mine. I unlocked the lock on the bike to prove it was mine, and then they collected the 2,500 yen (US$25) impoundment release fee and sent me on my way.  It took about 40 minutes to get back to an area that I recognized, and, with the temperature and humidity being high, I was happy to get home and drink some cold water.

Bicycle parking’s a real problem in Japan, because it is the preferred mode of transportation for many – perhaps most – Japanese residents. But parking all those bikes (and the fact that some are abandoned) leads to congestion. That impoundment lot sure is a long way away. Perhaps inconvenience leads to deterrence?