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Tech Shipping a bike IN Japan

timefleas

Maximum Pace
Nov 30, 2013
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Anybody have suggestions for relatively safe and not hugely expensive method of shipping whole bikes from one city to another in Japan? I love building bikes, rding them, and then building more, so always have too many on hand (currently have 6 road bikes and 3 road-converted MTBs, and that is just too many...). I have used "Black Cat" takyubin, but had to ship in two boxes, disassemble just about everything, and it still was pretty expensive--anybody been there, done that?
 
Maybe Black cat has got more expensive - because when I lived there in 2001 I used to ship my bike from Gyoda to Shizuoka by Black cat so we could go by train without the hassle of carrying it.
 
'Black Cat' (Yamato) has a service for JCA members, but it's a bit weird. First you have to pay to be a JCA member (which from this year will no longer include insurance). Then you can pay an extra ¥2,000 for a special 'cycling tag'. Once you have the tag, you may then use Yamato's discounted bike shipping service to ship your bike in a bike bag (not a hard case or cardboard box) as many times as you like while your JCA membership lasts. It might be good value if you attend a lot of events and want to ship your bike to and fro.

Otherwise I think Seino is a good one. Shipping starts at ¥3,300. They offer a ¥1,000 discount for the return leg if you send your bike both ways. And you can rent a box from them for an extra ¥2,000 if you need to, or buy the box for ¥7,000 if you'll keep using it.
 
One experience--I sent a bike from Aomori to Ishikawa (4 yrs ago?). It was expensive, 13,000 yen IIRC, but it only took a day.

Fully assembled, no wrapping/prep except for emptying the bottle cages and taking the lights off. After the paperwork they just rolled it away, and that's how it came off the truck back home. It was a heavier touring bike (they didn't weigh it), and tho I hand carried the panniers back, I wondered after doing that if I could've left them on the bike.
 
What about getting a regular cardboard bike box? You will need to take off the bars, seatpost, front wheel, pedals....but shipping within honshu should cost no more than Y3500.
Shipping to Okinawa etc. is when things get expensive.
 
Some of the carriers have specific prices for sports equipment - and might grill you on it. So, shipping in common box is good idea, you might save a little money. Otherwise, the padded Rinkos work very well. We've used /use them for bike transport domestically. I believe it's always been in the 3500 yen range/bike - a bit more if out of the prefecture.
 
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