If you live in Kumamoto City without a car, Charichari’s red bikes can cover a short trip across town. On a day trip to Fukuoka, the same Charichari account works there too, and LUUP adds e-bikes and e-scooters. This guide covers signing up, Japan’s bicycle rules, and what changes when you cross into Fukuoka.
In short
- In Kumamoto City, Charichari costs ¥6.5 a minute for a regular bike and ¥20.5 a minute for an e-assist bike, returned to any Charichari port (658 in Kumamoto City as of August 31, 2026).
- To sign up for either app you need a phone number (an SMS code), a credit card (Charichari also takes virtual cards) and an email address. Both apps’ official listings show an English display.
- LUUP’s e-scooters are for ages 16 and up: submit a photo ID in the app and pass a traffic-rule test with no wrong answers before you can ride one. A residence card is one of the accepted ID documents.
- Since April 1, 2023, Japan asks (does not require) every cyclist to wear a helmet, and carrying a passenger is against the law except for small children in narrow cases (section 3).
- LUUP does not operate in Kumamoto as of September 2026; it is for the Fukuoka half of this guide.
Checked with official pages on September 27, 2026.
1. Charichari in Kumamoto City
Kumamoto City
Charichari’s basic (non-electric) bikes cost ¥6.5 a minute and its e-assist bikes cost ¥20.5 a minute, a rate that took effect on February 2, 2026. You find a red bike at a port on the in-app map, scan the QR code on the lock under the seat to start the ride, and end it by returning the bike to any Charichari port and locking it — not necessarily the port you started from. Parking anywhere except a marked port is against the rules.
Kumamoto City runs the service jointly with Charichari. It began as a trial in April 2022 and moved to full operation in April 2024, under an agreement that runs from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2027. The city’s port list shows 658 ports in Kumamoto City as of August 31, 2026. Including Kikuyo Town, the city says there were about 2,200 bikes as of February 28, 2026 (around 590 basic and 1,610 e-assist). Sign-up is free; a credit card is a condition of use.
Charichari also sets its own conditions: you must be at least 140cm tall, with no age limit. Riders under 13 must wear a helmet, and it is recommended (not required) for everyone 13 and up — the same effort obligation described in section 3 below.
2. Signing up: what each app asks for
Depends on the provider
Both apps ask for a working phone number and a payment card before your first ride. Here is what each one’s own help pages and app-store listing say.
| Charichari | LUUP | |
|---|---|---|
| Phone number | Yes, verified by a 6-digit SMS code. Charichari says it supports SMS codes for phone numbers from more than 200 countries, so a non-Japanese number can work if it can receive a text. | Yes, verified by an SMS code, entered before you set up your profile. |
| Payment | A credit card, including a virtual card. | A credit card. |
| Other details | Email address, name, date of birth and a home address. | Name, date of birth and email address. |
| E-scooters | Not applicable (Charichari does not rent e-scooters). | For riders 16 and older only: submit a photo of an ID (a driver’s license, passport, residence card or My Number Card) in the app, then pass an in-app traffic-rule test with every answer correct. |
| App languages | Japanese and English. | Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese. |
App languages are from the official app-store listings, checked September 27, 2026.
- Have a phone that can receive an SMS text ready before you open either app.
- Have a credit card, or for Charichari a virtual card, ready to register.
- If you plan to ride an e-scooter in Fukuoka, submit your ID in the LUUP app and take the traffic-rule test before your trip — the ID check usually takes seconds, but if it cannot be completed automatically it can take up to about three hours.
3. Japan’s bicycle rules
Official rule (Japan)
A bicycle counts as a “light vehicle” under the Road Traffic Act, so it generally follows the same road as cars. Ride on the left side of the road; use the sidewalk only where a sign allows regular bicycles, where the rider is under 13, 70 or older, or has a disability, or where the road itself is dangerous (construction, heavy parking, heavy traffic or a narrow road). Even then, go slowly on the side of the sidewalk closest to the road and give way to pedestrians.
Carrying a passenger is against the law, with narrow exceptions for small children that each prefecture sets in detail. As an example, the Metropolitan Police Department explains Tokyo’s rule: a rider 16 or older may carry one preschool child in an approved child seat and, in addition, one child under 6 on their back in a sling; a bicycle built to carry two children can carry two. There is no exception for an adult passenger. For Kumamoto’s exact rule, ask the Kumamoto Prefectural Police.
Note
Since April 2026, police can issue an on-the-spot fine notice (a “blue ticket”) for some bicycle violations that used to draw only a verbal warning. The National Police Agency says ordinary sidewalk riding is usually still just a warning, but dangerous violations — using a phone while riding, riding drunk, or causing an actual danger — can be ticketed or, for the most serious cases, prosecuted.
Since April 1, 2023, the amended Road Traffic Act asks every cyclist, and anyone they carry, to wear a helmet — there is no fine for not wearing one. Riding without a light after dark is different: it can bring a fine of up to ¥50,000.
4. Charichari and LUUP for a day trip to Fukuoka
Depends on the provider
The Kyushu Shinkansen connects Kumamoto Station and Hakata Station in as little as 32 minutes, from ¥5,310 one way for a reserved ordinary seat in the regular season without discounts; JR Kyushu’s online tickets start from ¥3,900. Once you are in Fukuoka, both bike-share apps are options.
Charichari uses the same account and app in Fukuoka as in Kumamoto, with the same ¥6.5-a-minute (basic) and ¥20.5-a-minute (e-assist) pricing. Charichari’s website lists Fukuoka City, Nakagawa City, Shime Town and Kasuya Town, plus Kurume, Saga City, Karatsu, Yobuko and Amakusa, among its areas.
LUUP does not run in Kumamoto, but LUUP’s help page (updated September 13, 2026) lists Fukuoka, Onojo and Kitakyushu among its areas. It offers electric-assist bicycles and electric kick-scooters from the same in-app map, at a base fee of ¥50 plus ¥15 a minute in Fukuoka (its rate for areas outside Tokyo and Osaka/Shin-Osaka/Esaka). New accounts get unlimited free rides of up to 30 minutes each for 10 days after registering — LUUP’s listing says this is for residents of Japan only, and some areas are excluded.
- Submit your ID in the LUUP app. You must be 16 or older; upload a photo of a driver’s license, passport, residence card or My Number Card for the check.
- Take the traffic-rule test. Since May 1, 2025 it has 14 yes/no questions, reviewed by the National Police Agency, in random order with an illustration for each; you must answer every question correctly in the same attempt to pass.
- Unlock a scooter. Once the screen shows you have passed, scan the QR code on any LUUP e-scooter to start riding. The e-assist bicycles need none of this — only the sign-up in section 2.
Important
LUUP’s e-scooter is legally a “specified small moped”, not a bicycle. It must use the roadway; it may use a sidewalk only where signs allow it, and only in its 6 km/h mode with the speed light flashing. The sidewalk exceptions for bicycles in section 3 do not apply, and you cannot carry a passenger. No rider may be under 16, and a helmet is asked for, not required. Repeated violations can get your LUUP account suspended or frozen under the company’s own penalty-point system, separate from any police action.
5. Which one should I use?
Depends on the provider
| Charichari | LUUP | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you can use it | Kumamoto City and Kikuyo Town, plus Fukuoka City and other cities in Kyushu and beyond | Fukuoka City, Onojo and Kitakyushu; not Kumamoto |
| Vehicles | Regular bicycle, e-assist bicycle | E-assist bicycle, electric kick-scooter |
| Price (basic rate) | ¥6.5/min (¥20.5/min e-assist) | ¥50 + ¥15/min in Fukuoka (¥25/min in Tokyo) |
| Extra step for scooters | Not applicable | ID check + traffic-rule test, once |
| Good for | Short hops of a few minutes in Kumamoto | Slightly longer rides, or a scooter, in Fukuoka |
Prices at both companies can change. Check the current rate in the app before you ride.
Common questions
Can I sign up for Charichari with a phone number from outside Japan?
Charichari’s help pages say it currently supports SMS verification for phone numbers from more than 200 countries and regions, so this can work if your number can receive a text message — though a few countries are not supported, and Charichari does not allow the same phone number on more than one account.
Do I need a Japanese driver’s license to ride LUUP’s electric bicycle?
No. Only LUUP’s electric kick-scooter needs the age check and traffic-rule test in section 4; its electric-assist bicycle needs no license and no test, just the ordinary sign-up in section 2.
What if my residence card is a newer type?
LUUP’s help page lists a residence card as one accepted ID document for the age check but does not say whether newer designs or Specified Residence Cards are treated any differently. If your submission is not accepted, contact LUUP’s support in the app.
Can children ride Charichari or LUUP?
Charichari requires a height of at least 140cm, with no set age limit, though riders under 13 must wear a helmet. LUUP’s electric kick-scooter is for ages 16 and up only; LUUP sets no age limit for its electric-assist bicycle, but riders must be at least 140cm tall.
Sources (checked September 2026)
- Charichari Help: About Charichari (fees, unlocking, returns)
- Charichari Help: Age and height limits
- Charichari Help: How to register
- Charichari Help: If your phone number cannot be registered (200+ countries)
- Charichari Help: Why phone verification is required
- Kumamoto City: fee revision notice (February 2, 2026)
- Kumamoto City: bike-share program (ports, bikes, agreement period)
- Charichari: service areas
- App Store: Charichari (language: Japanese and English, checked September 27, 2026)
- LUUP Help: How to register an account, and the extra steps for e-scooters
- App Store: LUUP (service areas; language: Japanese plus English, Korean and Chinese, checked September 27, 2026)
- LUUP: new traffic-rule test (May 1, 2025 update, National Police Agency-reviewed)
- LUUP: pricing by area
- National Police Agency: Bicycle traffic rules (Five Safety Rules)
- National Police Agency: Bicycle FAQ (sidewalk conditions, blue-ticket system from April 2026)
- National Police Agency: Bicycle helmets (effort obligation from April 1, 2023)
- National Police Agency: Specified small mopeds (e-scooters)
- Kumamoto Prefectural Police: Blue tickets for bicycles from April 1, 2026
- LUUP Help: Service areas and vehicle conditions and traffic rules and penalty points
- Metropolitan Police Department: Bicycle traffic rules (two-person riding exceptions, lighting fine)
- JR Kyushu: Kumamoto–Hakata Kyushu Shinkansen fare and travel time
