Bicycle sales triple in new Tokyo trend

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Wednesday, 20th April 2011
In Business In Japan, General Japan News, Japan Travel News,

Bicycle sales triple in new Tokyo trend

Cycling is on the rise in the Japanese capital, with local residents turning to bikes to solve their transport problems after last month's earthquake.

With public transport facing major disruptions, bicycle retailer Asahi has seen its sales triple since March 11th, making it the best performing firm on the Japanese stock exchange, Bloomberg reports.

Tokyo resident Michael Badilla told the news provider the he paid 20,000 yen (£145) for a bike on March 16th after hearing of a friend who took seven hours to commute home from work.

The Pilipino immigrant also said that rising petrol prices also contributed to his decision.

His experience comes as no surprise to Miyuki Kimizuka, an official at the Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute, who said: "Bicycle demand has been increasing since the earthquake, especially around Tokyo."

Around 9.5 million bicycles were sold in Japan last year, the institute estimates.

Written by Susan Ballion