Sir: On a visit to Japan I was astonished to see cyclists ride everywhere and in every direction; on pavements and on streets, even against the flow. The difference from England was that everybody, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, were extremely considerate to each other, careful not to frighten or give offence and willing to give way or wait. It works.
Cycling certainly fits into the whole traffic scheme in Japan better than the UK but I think this overstates the case.