Tokyo Transportation, Part 4: Parking Solutions

In this final installment on transportation in the Mitaka area of Tokyo, we absolutely have to comment about parking here for both cars and bikes. Real estate is at a premium so the Japanese have creative ways to make things work in smaller spaces.

It's not unusual to see parking lots that stack cars three high.

 

Also, it's not unusual to see "car turntables" in the entry to a parking garage. This is because space inside and outside the building is too tight to turn a car around. The car can enter the street facing forward. Some systems are more automated than others and can really pack in the cars. This is nothing new to Japan and there are some in the USA.

We said in our previous post that bikes are everywhere. Just like for cars, we see some cool ways to park bikes....like parking lots where each bike is parked in a metered slot...

There are also "robotic" underground bicycle parking lots. Just roll your bike up to the entrance area, pay your money and the machine makes the bike disappear underground. Later you insert a ticket and your bike comes out the doors. We wonder if the robot provides a free wash and wax while the bike is its care. We shot this clip near our home...

It is worth mentioning that theft is pretty rare in this culture, so bikes are not usually locked.