Don’t Make This Mistake Riding E-Scooters in Japan
Be careful if you take the devices on the sidewalk.
Rental e-scooters are becoming an increasingly popular way to get around Japan for both locals and tourists. However, you have to be careful where you ride the things. Indeed, the laws are confusing enough that even some Japanese people are running afoul of them. One man recently found this out the hard way in the form of a ticket.
E-scooters have soared in popularity in Japan ever since a legal change last year. The new transportation law created a new class of vehicles, Specified Small Motorized Bicycles (特定小型原動機付自転車; tokutei kogata gendouki jitensha), that are primarily for use on the road but don’t require a driver’s license to operate.
That makes the devices convenient for both non-driving city dwellers as well as tourists who didn’t show up to Japan with an international driver’s license. However, it’s creating headaches for drivers as e-scooter users routinely violate the rules.
Stick to the road
It seems even some Japanese people can’t keep the rules straight. One man in his 40s told Bengoshi Dot Com recently that he…
