Sannin Nori Rental
Three Person Bikes 三人乗りレンタル
Overview
"Three person bikes" is a bit misleading. Although a literal translation, these bikes are built and meant to be for one adult, two children. A very small child rides on a seat on the handlebars, and another child rides on a seat behind the adult.
Perfect for shuttling the little ones around town.
As bikes are a vital form of transportation in Kyoto, there was outrage when the police banned - briefly - three person bikes. The housewives of Kyoto revolted, and the cops caved.
To further appease the wrath of homemakers, the city even started a program of renting such bikes.
In July, 2009, the city initiated the Three Person Bike Rental program.
The "Sannin Nori Rental" program rents out 150 of these bikes for a period of six months.
The reasoning behind the program is that such bikes are expensive and will in many cases only be used for a limited period of time.
Rental System
You must fill out a form - follow the above link (the site is in Japanese) - and then pay 5,500 yen for the six month period.
The program is for Kyoto city residents only. A second pre-condition is that applicants must have two or more children aged six or younger.
The upcoming period runs from April 15 - September 30. Applications will be accepted until February 28.
Applications can be handed in at one of the many children's centers throughout the city (again, this information is in Japanese). The "jidokan" children's centers are usually located next to or part of a daycare center, and every ward in the city has many of them.
Further Information
Kyoto City Department of Environment Three Person Bicycle Rental Section
Asahi Building, 5F
65 Yanagihachimancho, Yanagibanba Oike
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8101
Tel: 075 256 8388
E-mail： renmei03@kyo-yancha.ne.jp
Map
Kyoto City Department of Environment, Asahi Building
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