It's a little past 7:30 a.m. at Shinagawa Station's bustling Konan Exit. The air is crisp on this beautiful autumn morning, with hundreds of people passing through the fourth busiest rail hub in Tokyo on their way to various appointments.
Just off to the side of the station is a small park, where a few rows of red bicycles sit in a line. A moment of calm hangs over the parking area but it doesn't last long. Within a matter of minutes, a seemingly endless stream of commuters riding similar bicycles appear at the entrance. One by one, they park their vehicles in an empty space and lock it.
The red bicycles are part of a bike-sharing experiment that is currently being conducted in seven wards in the metropolis.