Originally Posted by
ususum
How safe would you guys say bike commuting is, in Japan, when compared to the other countries you've been?
I've lived in my home country of Canada (New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba), Germany, UK and Japan. Generally commuting is pretty safe as drivers are reasonably well trained. My gut feeling is much better than anywhere I've lived in Canada or visited in the US. Perhaps not quite as good as Germany/UK.
How nice of a cycle you will have will of course depend quite a bit on your commute. Much of central Tokyo cycling will be of course very urban (and I'm not a fan) but I live in western Tokyo and the cycling isn't so bad (especially if there is a river path nearby).
Cycle paths exist, and in places can be very good and allow long travel ie. Tama river but cycling infra is generally lagging compared to Germany for instance.
The above is a bit rambling, if you have specific questions/location for commute, please ask.