So far as I'm aware, yes that's true... There is some theft but I think not so much the pervasive professional theft that seems to be an issue in some other pl

So far as I'm aware, yes that's true... There is some theft but I think not so much the pervasive professional theft that seems to be an issue in some other places. The sort of giant bike lock which is pretty much standard equipment in the U.S. is something you almost never see in Japan.... When people lock their bikes at all, it's mostly with very simple locks, thin cable or just a sort of built-in thing that stops the wheels from rotating. That's enough to discourage very casual (or accidental) theft. I guess partly it's cultural, but also compared to the modern U.S., I think expensive high-end bikes are less common in Japan, so maybe bike theft is also less profitable. [Though I have seen obviously very expensive carbon fiber road bikes and the like just locked up in an alleyway with a thin cheap cable lock...!]