Originally Posted by
Clownbike
...Folks over there get fairly upset if you bash them with something that you're carrying, whether intentional or not.
Funny, that one. There have been times I would have liked to have inserted a pedal into the knee into some cow-like dimwit standing at the very front or rear of a jammed train/subway car... the ideal place for park a large bundle of bike. But instead, I ask politely whether they would move slightly in the precious seconds when the doors first open at the next stop. I try never to travel with a bike during rush "hour", but rush "hour" in Kanto goes on for 3 to 4 hours weekdays and most of Saturday.
Bike friendliness in Kanto, from most to least: 1) private rail (surface); 2) JR (surface) 3) subways vary by line, vs. by company (Toei, Tokyo Metro), and time of day. The newer subway lines, like Namboku, have elevators in the stations (++++), and the older lines don't. The worst norikai I have is 800 meters at Akasaka Mitsuke... I actually unfold and "coast" if the corridors are not crowded... playing the hen na gaijin card.