When I lived in Osaka during the summer, my host family had a car, but the only time they would use it was during the weekends or for an emergency. My host parents and I would bike and use trains to go to work and school, respectively. The only time that the car was used to go to work or school was when an earthquake caused the trains to be canceled. People that did not own a car would have to rely on buses and bikes in that situation.
One can see a lot of people biking in the streets going to work, school or just running errands or moving from one place to the next. Since Japan has generally low crime rates, one can leave their bikes pretty much anywhere without fear of getting it stolen. The streets do not necessarily have bike lanes, but the culture respects bikers a lot. I have hardly seen cars going super fast in the streets, and they always respect bikers in the way. It was funny to see a mom on a bike with two kids' seats, one in the front and one in the back of the bike, driving her small children around. Actually, I saw a very funny moment two days ago, where two mothers were driving in opposite directions at opposite sides of the street, with their children on the bike. The kids seemed to know each other because they started screaming each other’s name. Meanwhile, the mothers waved to each other while waiting for the street light to turn green, and met each other for a small conversation.
Using the fast train, the Shinkansen, is also very convenient for businessmen traveling on a day trip to another city. I remember one friend of mine had to go to Osaka for an afternoon conference. He had a meeting that same morning in Tokyo.
