Exploring Tokyo

Exploring Tokyo
May 26, 2024
Tokyo 63Km
Start  7:26AM Finish  2:43PM
Total Duration 7:17
Moving Time 4:32
Stopped Time 2:45
Ascent 260m 
Descent  312m
Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/182699188


I arrived yesterday morning after a 14 hour flight. My ground transportation was waiting for me at the airport, and took me to my hotel. Everything went like clockwork.

I assembled my bike, bathed in the rooftop onsen, and then took the train to Yokohama to visit my Brooklyn neighbors, whom are spending the month here. They took me to スシロ (Sushiro), a modern Japaneses equivalent of the automat. Orders were placed on a screen and the food was delivered via conveyer belt. It was so much fun! Later we went to a large grocery store, where I purchased mosquito spray. We watched sumo wrestling on tv when we got back. I got lost on my way home on the labyrinth Tokyo subway system. My jet-lag was tremendous. I woke up in the middle of the night and took a sleeping pill.

Sunday morning I woke up at 7am, and quickly suited up and brought my bike down the elevator to street level. It was a lazy Tokyo Sunday. I was unaccustomed to riding on the left-hand side of the road, which made right hand turns difficult. Sightseeing in Tokyo on a bicycle is way better than trying to navigate the trains. There were many other cyclists out on the road, some even carrying children in pairs. Tokyo cyclists stop at red lights and wait. Even if there are no cars coming

I rode around the Imperial Palace and then to the Tokyo Skytree. I stopped at Bakery for delicious a pan au chocolate. I rode through Akihabara, which paled in comparison to Times Square. I then rode over to Shibuya where I found a bike shop that could pump up my tires to full capacity and sell me two CO2 canisters. I rode over to the transparent public toilets that where featured in Wim Wenders’ film ’Perfect Days’. I forgot to lock the door when I used it, so ostensively people could see me.

I stopped at a Vietnamese restaurant for a mackerel banh mi and a few Heinekins. I rode around Shimokitazawa, which is my favorite neighborhood in Tokyo.

For dinner I met up with my son’s childhood friend Mihane, who was with her boyfriend Daiki. We went to a traditional sushi place called Genzushi. I elected to ride my bike, rather than deal with the trains.


Visiting with my Brooklyn neighbors in Yokohama

Tokyo Bike Lane

Shibuya

Tokyo public toilets

Mihane, Daiki, and I at Genzushi

Map of today's ride











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