Today we were given free time to spend with our host families, but both my host parents had to go to work, and my host siblings had to go to school, so I was on my own for most of the day.
Mr. Koyama was kind enough to lend me his brand new cruiser bike for my entire stay in Mitaka, so I made the most of my free time and did some exploring on the bike.
I left the house at about 9:30 with the goal of reaching downtown Tokyo, about a 24-mile round trip. My host father's bike does not have much in common with the racing-oriented bikes I ride at home. Like most bikes in Tokyo, it has a hybrid-style setup - flat handlebars, a basket in front, medium-width tires, and a kick stand. Its performance, however, exceeded all of my expectations. The bike was bought about a month ago, and it still seemed like it had just been taken out of the box. It was able to handle everything I threw at it.
I used Google Maps to determine the best route from Mitaka into the city, but had to select the "walking directions" option because Google doesn't have a bike map of Tokyo. There are innumerable bike paths that run through alleys and along major roads, but unfortunately none of them are mapped, so it was a bit difficult to patch together a route using all of the best bike infrastructure.
Even so, the streets I rode on all had reasonably low amounts of traffic and patient drivers. Almost all roads have wide sidewalks designed specifically to give enough room for cyclists and pedestrians, so I was able to ride on the sidewalk when I was on busier streets.
I made it downtown in about an hour, and coincidentally happened upon a Specialized store in Shinjuku - one of only a few in the world. It was fun to look around at their selection of bikes that cost more than most used cars and watch the video displays showing highlights of the world's most famous racers.
I continued on to Chiyoda, the area where most of the Japanese government's buildings are located. There was less to see than I had expected, but I managed to get up to the gate of the Imperial Palace (Shinzo Abe's home), and rode around the park that surrounds the area.
On the way back to my host family's house, I stopped for lunch at Lawson's, a popular convenience store that's similar to 7-11. I grabbed a bento box with sushi, a rice ball (rice wrapped in seaweed with a pickled plumb in the middle), and sweet egg.
Convenience stores in Japan are much different than in the United States, mainly because they sell a wide variety of fresh food. This one offered all sorts of sushi, fried chicken, sandwiches, and baked goods. I'll know America is advancing as a society when I can get good quality sushi at a 7-11.
After I got home, I went to Mitaka Station to get a drink and cool down after my ride (it ended up being more than 30 miles long - you can see the strava profile here).
I was happy to get the chance to ride in Tokyo. The cars were friendly, there are a ton of people riding bikes here, and bicycling is clearly one of the best ways to navigate the city. Here are some other observations I had from riding around town:
1. Bike culture is everywhere. Both of my host parents bike to work, and their kids have bikes, too. This applies to almost all families in the neighborhood. People mainly use bikes to get around and run errands, but also for recreation. Bike paths, bike signs, and bike riders are everywhere, so drivers are not surprised to see them and take care to avoid hitting them.
Almost all businesses have dedicated bike parking, or a "cycle park," where for a small fee a bike can be left on a platform that locks the front wheel. Bike theft is not an issue, and many people leave them unlocked outdoors. Also, bike stores are spread through the city and seem almost as a common as grocery stores.
2. The bike infrastructure is a bit disorganized. As I mentioned earlier, bike paths and trails run throughout Tokyo and its suburbs. They aren't very well connected, though, and it's hard to find any maps that show where they go. I believe this is because most are centered around connecting people in each neighborhood to a nearby rail station as opposed to providing longer commuting routes. Few paths run from the suburbs all the way into downtown Tokyo, so it's hard to use the paths for an extended ride across the Tokyo area.
When I returned home at about 4:30, Ruki and my host mother were both back. For dinner we had tofu donburi, a dish with a base of rice and sesame seeds served with tofu, soybeans, mushroom, and other vegetables. We also had chicken wings, tomatoes, and edamame.
After dinner, we spent some time channel surfing. Japanese television is something else. In the hour we spent watching TV, I saw everything from sumo wrestling highlights to a show about high schoolers budgeting time effectively to a fictional samurai movie.
Kanon and my host father both came at about 9 p.m. after a long day at school and work. We chatted for a bit about my adventures on the bike. Tomorrow I meet back up with the group to go to a local high school and meet its students. It should provide another exciting glimpse into Japanese culture.
Mr. Koyama was kind enough to lend me his brand new cruiser bike for my entire stay in Mitaka, so I made the most of my free time and did some exploring on the bike.
I left the house at about 9:30 with the goal of reaching downtown Tokyo, about a 24-mile round trip. My host father's bike does not have much in common with the racing-oriented bikes I ride at home. Like most bikes in Tokyo, it has a hybrid-style setup - flat handlebars, a basket in front, medium-width tires, and a kick stand. Its performance, however, exceeded all of my expectations. The bike was bought about a month ago, and it still seemed like it had just been taken out of the box. It was able to handle everything I threw at it.
I used Google Maps to determine the best route from Mitaka into the city, but had to select the "walking directions" option because Google doesn't have a bike map of Tokyo. There are innumerable bike paths that run through alleys and along major roads, but unfortunately none of them are mapped, so it was a bit difficult to patch together a route using all of the best bike infrastructure.
Even so, the streets I rode on all had reasonably low amounts of traffic and patient drivers. Almost all roads have wide sidewalks designed specifically to give enough room for cyclists and pedestrians, so I was able to ride on the sidewalk when I was on busier streets.
Wide sidewalks like this make it much easier and safer to ride, even when traffic is moving fast
My ride was mostly on small neighborhood streets like this one
I made it downtown in about an hour, and coincidentally happened upon a Specialized store in Shinjuku - one of only a few in the world. It was fun to look around at their selection of bikes that cost more than most used cars and watch the video displays showing highlights of the world's most famous racers.
They were mainly focused on road bikes here, but I did manage to find one mountain bike
I continued on to Chiyoda, the area where most of the Japanese government's buildings are located. There was less to see than I had expected, but I managed to get up to the gate of the Imperial Palace (Shinzo Abe's home), and rode around the park that surrounds the area.
On the way back to my host family's house, I stopped for lunch at Lawson's, a popular convenience store that's similar to 7-11. I grabbed a bento box with sushi, a rice ball (rice wrapped in seaweed with a pickled plumb in the middle), and sweet egg.
Convenience stores in Japan are much different than in the United States, mainly because they sell a wide variety of fresh food. This one offered all sorts of sushi, fried chicken, sandwiches, and baked goods. I'll know America is advancing as a society when I can get good quality sushi at a 7-11.
Just a few of the food options at Lawson's. I forgot to get a better picture, but this gives you an idea of the type of food they have.
After I got home, I went to Mitaka Station to get a drink and cool down after my ride (it ended up being more than 30 miles long - you can see the strava profile here).
I was happy to get the chance to ride in Tokyo. The cars were friendly, there are a ton of people riding bikes here, and bicycling is clearly one of the best ways to navigate the city. Here are some other observations I had from riding around town:
1. Bike culture is everywhere. Both of my host parents bike to work, and their kids have bikes, too. This applies to almost all families in the neighborhood. People mainly use bikes to get around and run errands, but also for recreation. Bike paths, bike signs, and bike riders are everywhere, so drivers are not surprised to see them and take care to avoid hitting them.
Almost all businesses have dedicated bike parking, or a "cycle park," where for a small fee a bike can be left on a platform that locks the front wheel. Bike theft is not an issue, and many people leave them unlocked outdoors. Also, bike stores are spread through the city and seem almost as a common as grocery stores.
Lots of parking at the grocery store
One of Mitaka's many bike shops
Another one in downtown Tokyo
The bike parking system at Mitaka Station
2. The bike infrastructure is a bit disorganized. As I mentioned earlier, bike paths and trails run throughout Tokyo and its suburbs. They aren't very well connected, though, and it's hard to find any maps that show where they go. I believe this is because most are centered around connecting people in each neighborhood to a nearby rail station as opposed to providing longer commuting routes. Few paths run from the suburbs all the way into downtown Tokyo, so it's hard to use the paths for an extended ride across the Tokyo area.
This type of short, secluded path is common around Tokyo.
When I returned home at about 4:30, Ruki and my host mother were both back. For dinner we had tofu donburi, a dish with a base of rice and sesame seeds served with tofu, soybeans, mushroom, and other vegetables. We also had chicken wings, tomatoes, and edamame.
Dinner!
Kanon works on his homework at the dinner table
After dinner, we spent some time channel surfing. Japanese television is something else. In the hour we spent watching TV, I saw everything from sumo wrestling highlights to a show about high schoolers budgeting time effectively to a fictional samurai movie.
Kanon and my host father both came at about 9 p.m. after a long day at school and work. We chatted for a bit about my adventures on the bike. Tomorrow I meet back up with the group to go to a local high school and meet its students. It should provide another exciting glimpse into Japanese culture.
Glad you got to explore on bike!
ReplyDeleteYes, same here!
DeleteHoly cow - that sounds like an amazing bike adventure!
ReplyDeleteYup! Sure was.
DeleteWow. 30 miles. Awesome. You are quite the adventurer.
ReplyDelete