Folders are definitely popular here - I read recently in a cycling magazine that 1 bike out of 5 in Tokyo is either a folder or minivelo, but the range of bikes you see on the street (and on the sidewalk) everyday is really amazing.

There are indeed many impressive parking facilities all over Tokyo and Yokohama(where I live). There are attended facilities near the train stations, modern garage facilities near shopping with racks that lock automatically. When apartment hunting, real estate agents are expected to know about the condition and size of a buildings bicycle parking facilities. All of these, generally involve a fee so for a short stop, usually the best place to park in Japan is - anywhere you want! Free bike parking zones are simply created by the cycling mob in convenient locations anywhere and everywhere. Within reason, as long as you park out of the way of the pedestrian flow and don`t push it too much you are usually good to go!