My friend (native Japanese) lives right near downtown Tokyo (Bunkyo ward, near Univ. of Tokyo I think) and just got a bike. He isn't a very athletic guy, but he rode it ~18 miles home and said he liked it. But I think he's screwed for cycling. City streets for miles in every direction, and as far as he knows, you can't bring the bike on public transportation (definitely not the subway). If anyone has an idea for him, let me know...