In this booster
Japan is quietly a cycling paradise: flat river cities, rental shops at every station, and the Shimanami Kaido — seventy kilometers of dedicated cycle road island-hopping across the Inland Sea, regularly called the best ride in the world. Renting takes five sentences; the rest of the pack keeps you legal, inflated, and pointed the right way.
No new grammar — every sentence here is a frame you already own, wearing new nouns. Mostly Lesson 4’s arimasu, Lesson 3’s ikura pricing the hour, Lesson 5’s ga ii desu choosing your machine, and Lesson 7’s permission frame asking whether the bike can come with you. Boosters assume the finished core (Lessons 1–9); take them in any order.
As always: play every sentence before reading it, repeat it aloud, then tap to check the meaning.
Renting the bike
rentasaikuru — the rental-bike service, and the exact word on the signs. Stations, hotels, and tourist offices either run one or know the nearest.
Ichi-jikan, ikura desu ka.
Lesson 6’s -jikan pricing the ride — rentals quote by the hour and by the day, and the day rate is almost always the bargain.
Dendou jitensha ga ii desu.
dendou jitensha — the electric-assist bike, Japan’s everyday superpower. If the route has hills, spend the extra coins; the assist makes them flat.
Mamachari ga ii desu.
mamachari — literally “mom’s bike”: the upright, basket-first machine the whole country runs errands on. For a flat city day it’s all you need, and saying the word earns a grin.
Herumetto mo, onegaishimasu.
herumetto — helmet. Rentals lend them free; the behavior notes have the legal fine print. Take it.
Kago wa arimasu ka.
kago — basket. A day of konbini stops and omiyage wants one; the mamachari always obliges.
Saddoru, onegaishimasu.
saddoru — saddle. Two words plus a hand at hip height and the shop adjusts it in ten seconds — Lesson 1’s point-and-onegaishimasu, still undefeated.
Henkyaku wa nan-ji made desu ka.
henkyaku — the return, the word on the rental slip. Ask it before you ride off; shops close earlier than trips end.
The ride
saikuringu roodo — the dedicated cycle path: riverbanks in the cities, the painted blue line on the Shimanami. Once you’re on it, navigation is over.
Jitensha de ikimasu.
jitensha — the bicycle itself, riding Lesson 6’s means-de. Announce it when asking directions and the answer changes: people route cyclists differently, and better.
Saka wa arimasu ka.
saka — hill, slope. The answer to this question is what the dendou jitensha decision was waiting for — ask it before choosing the bike.
Chuurinjo wa doko desu ka.
chuurinjo — the bicycle parking lot, and the most financially important word in this pack: bikes locked to the wrong railing get impounded, and the depot is never nearby. A hundred yen at the chuurinjo is the good deal — see the behavior notes.
Trouble
taiya — tire. The smart-renter check, asked at the counter with a squeeze of the rubber. Thirty seconds now beats the next sentence later.
Panku desu.
panku — a flat, from “puncture.” One word plus the plainest frame you own reports the whole disaster — at the rental shop, a gas station, or any bike shop (Japan’s fix flats cheaply and on the spot).
Bureeki ga dame desu.
bureeki — brakes, condemned with Lesson 1’s dame. Said at the counter, it gets you a different bike, not an argument.
Kuuki, onegaishimasu.
kuuki — air. Bike shops and many konbini keep a pump by the door; two words borrow it.
Set piece
The cyclist’s version of the rail-pass question: pointed at a ferry gangway, a bus door, a train gate, or a promising path, it asks “can the bike come?” Ferries almost always say yes (the Inland Sea runs on bikes); trains say yes only if it’s bagged — so expect an honest chotto… at the ticket gate, and take the ferry.
Dialog
At the rental counter: an e-bike, a helmet, and the return time. Listen to the whole dialog cold first.
Sumimasen. Jitensha, onegaishimasu. Hai. Dendou jitensha mo arimasu yo. Ja, dendou jitensha ga ii desu. Ikura desu ka. Ichi-jikan, go-hyaku en desu. Henkyaku wa nan-ji made desu ka. Go-ji made desu. Wakarimashita. Herumetto mo, onegaishimasu. Hai, douzo. Arigatou gozaimasu.Six frames, one rental. The staff’s mo arimasu yo upsell is Lesson 5’s particle wearing a sales hat — and ja accepting it is Lesson 9’s pivot doing what it always does.
What they’ll say to you
Two signs every cyclist in Japan obeys. You never say these — catch the keyword and comply.
Jitensha wa oshite kudasai. Chuurin kinshi desu.Kinshi — forbidden — is the same keyword the Outdoors booster’s trail signs taught; it forbids things all over Japan, and now you catch it on two wheels.
Repair drill
Ask about rentals and the full terms arrive — ID, deposit, return deadline — in one polite gust. You are not expected to parse it.
Sumimasen. Rentasaikuru wa arimasu ka. Go-riyou ni wa mibunshoumeisho to hoshoukin sen-en ga hitsuyou de, henkyaku wa gogo go-ji made ni onegai shite orimasu. Sumimasen. Yukkuri onegaishimasu. Pasupooto, onegaishimasu. Sen-en desu.Slowed down: a noun from your pocket and a Lesson 3 number. The deposit comes back with the bike — henkyaku, by five.
How to behave: two-wheel law
- Ride on the left, like the cars. Roadway cycling keeps left, full stop. Sidewalks are legally the pedestrians’ — slow riding is tolerated in practice, but people on foot always have the right of way, and your bell is not a horn.
- Park only at the chuurinjo. Cities impound street-parked bikes with startling efficiency; the fine plus the trek to the depot ruins an afternoon. The ¥100–200 bicycle lot is the cheapest insurance in Japan — Chuurinjo wa doko desu ka before you lock up.
- Push through crowds, light up at night. Shopping arcades mean dismount-and-push (the sign above). After dark a light is legally required — rentals have one; find the switch before you need it.
- No umbrellas, no phones, no earbuds-in-both-ears. All riding-while offenses, all actually enforced. Helmets are an official “duty of effort” — not ticketed, but the rental hands you one free, and the correct move is to wear it.
Vocabulary reference
| # | Romaji | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | jitensha | bicycle | Jitensha de ikimasu. |
| 2 | rentasaikuru | bike rental | the word on the signs |
| 3 | dendou jitensha | electric-assist bike | makes hills flat |
| 4 | mamachari | “granny bike” | upright, basket, national vehicle |
| 5 | herumetto | helmet | free with the rental — take it |
| 6 | kago | basket | for the konbini stops |
| 7 | saddoru | saddle | Saddoru, onegaishimasu. + gesture |
| 8 | taiya | tire | check before riding off |
| 9 | bureeki | brakes | Bureeki ga dame desu. |
| 10 | panku | flat tire | Panku desu. — the whole report |
| 11 | kuuki | air | pumps at bike shops and konbini |
| 12 | chuurinjo | bicycle parking | the impound-avoidance word |
| 13 | saikuringu roodo | cycling road | the Shimanami’s blue line |
| 14 | saka | hill / slope | ask before choosing the bike |
| 15 | henkyaku | return (of a rental) | Henkyaku wa nan-ji made desu ka. |
Recognize only — never say these. The cyclist’s signs:
| Script line | It means | You do |
|---|---|---|
| Jitensha wa oshite kudasai. | walk your bike | dismount and push |
| Chuurin kinshi desu. | no bike parking here | find the chuurinjo |
Anki deck
Drill this booster’s audio anywhere: download the Cycling Anki deck. Sentence cards are the course; vocab cards are backup — suspend them unless a word won’t stick.