Gaijin on a bike!
"I have been harassed by the police while riding my bicycle," writes FC. "I happened to get the bike from a friend and it turns out it actually belonged to someone else. The bicycle is very, very old and worthless, but they tracked it down and apparently it was 'stolen.'
"It seemed to me like an excuse to harass me, but they said that all bicycles are registered and many are stolen."
Technically the police are right: All bicycles are registered and are often "permanently borrowed" — usually from train stations. The registration system for bicycles is strict, and that's why we recommend that you never buy a used bicycle unless you have the registration document that goes with it.