Sooo long story short, I left my friend's bike in a "no bike" zone for too a little long, and I'm guessing that the police came and took it away. I don't want to tell my friend that it happened, until I know how and where to get it back.

If anyone knows where the "bike pickups" go, I'd be quite grateful. I've asked some of my Japanese friends, but it's never happened to them, so they don't know. I don't want word to somehow get around to my friend, and so I'm asking on here

heh...

Check with City Hall. You should be able to find all the info you need on their website. Or just call down there and they should be able to give you all the info you need.

They usually tape down a sign where the bikes were taken from saying which collection yard to pick it up at, along with contact information, how much the fine is, and a time limit. If he takes too long then the bike gets sold off at bulk auction or scrapped.

City hall will likely not know unless it's a very small town with only one collection yard. At best they'll probably just give you a phone number of someplace else to ask. You're better off talking to the police who can actually look up the registration number (bring your papers).