Breakfast
Train style..!
We’ll be making a brief stop in Osaka…
The train from Tokyo to Osaka was very enjoyable- like all Shinkansen trains – I just love the experience. Comfortable seats while you are watching the scenic views of Japan go by.
However, I find it hard to be considerate to fellow tourists with lots of luggage.. who do not book the seats at the rear of the carriage and the storage space.
Yesterday when we caught the train, Kym exhibited un-Kym like behaviour – he pushed in the queue to get on the train ahead of other tourists. We had been on the platform for a good 25 minutes before the train was due to leave. The train had arrived and the cleaners were going through and cleaning as they do, and Kym observed the group of four tourists each with two large bags. As soon passengers were allowed on… he quickly went into action and got on the train soon after the group. As he suspected he found they had put their bags in the area we booked for our bikes. He politely pointed out the space was ours, they claimed it was for oversized luggage (based on the sign) and then Kym stated yes for people who had reserved the area with seats – also based on the sign. They then removed their luggage. By the time I got on I could put my bike in the reserved area and calmly sat down… with Kym speaking to me in a hushed tone about his interaction with fellow tourists.
Unfortunately for the train conductor, after much discussion, their luggage was left in front of a door on the side which was not going to be opened, in addition to lifting couple of bags to the luggage space above the seats.
So fellow tourists, if you are to travelling in Japan, when planning be mindful of the luggage you take especially if you are catching the Shinkansen…. and do your research before you travel on what you can and can not do.
Relaxing ride..
After packing and leaving the suitcases behind in Tokyo we headed off on a ‘Kym special ride’ to Tokyo Train Station. He designed it using a Japanese cycling app, but he will post about that later.
After leaving the hotel the first stop was within 3kms at Takimoto coffee for breakfast. We managed to do the right thing and park our bikes next to the business while we went inside to enjoy the food and coffee on the second level. Kym had shirasu and cheese on toast, and I enjoyed a red bean paste sandwich – just the right size!
Continuing to wind our way through the back streets our second stop was Kiyosumi Garden. It was a real delight. Great to get off the bike and enjoy a pleasant walk around. Even saw a couple having scenic photos taken. Following here we made our way to the museum of contemporary art Tokyo (how have we not been here..??). After a short walk around the three exhibitions looking at the clock we decided we had better cycle back to Tokyo station to ensure we made the train. There were a number of good food & coffee stops that we passed.. but no, we resisted, although temptation was high. We made through the gates and o the train platform with 25 minutes to spare – enough time to buy snacks before boarding. It was a perfect Kym special ride.
Thankfully there were no dramas, or wrong turns. Everything on the bike seemed to be working. Well minus the squeaky pedal which has been put down to cycling in the rain to&from work. Kym had some oil in hand – so hopefully that fixes the noise in the short term.
Finally on the bikes
We enjoyed the first few days in Tokyo catching up with our friends (non Brompton riders). Now the rain has stopped we are spending today doing a Kym special planned route in Tokyo. Let’s see where the road takes us..!
Stairs in Tokyo
… first time we went up the stairs at Suidobashi station on Friday evening I felt unfit for this holiday.
By the time we go home I will be fit enough to start this holiday again.
..morning cake & coffee
Oh…!! So tasty!
Random Chichibu photos…
To round out the commentary on the short visit to Chichibu here are some photos we took around the town. it rained a little on the first day and was sunny in the morning on the next day… which was a little warm. Around the town there appeared to be a dog orienteering event… so many dogs!!
Before catching the train back we went to a soba noodle place near the station…. Which they handmade their noodles. I enjoyed cold soba noodles, while Kym also had tempura… and as the sign requested the trays were taken downstairs back to the kitchen. Thankfully we had a younger person with us, who got the treats for the effort.
Laview back to Tokyo
Returning from Chichibu meant catching the Laview train back to Tokyo. It’s a wonderfully comfortable train. It has large windows for watching the scenery change from countryside, to out suburbarn Tokyo back to Ikebukoro station.
Inside the seats are like a comfy couch. The colour is yellow, and the environment on the inside feels fresh and warm. While seated, if you can tear yourself away from the view, there is also a screen which shows the footage the driver is seeing.
The ride back to Tokyo takes approximately 80 minutes.… and it’s so good you just don’t want it to end.
Coffee…
It was 5:30pm on a Sunday… and a coffee shop was open. Yes… I said Sunday… we must be in Tokyo. It was delightful, and just what we wanted.
Randomness
Sometimes it’s the unplanned which gives you the most joy. This morning after breakfast we went for a walk in a random direction, with no map… passing shopping centres and movie theatres and ended up in the back streets of houses in Chichibu. We came across a closed coffee roaster and patisserie…. and thought ‘let’s see if we can come back here later’. We sent a link of the location to our friends who liked the idea of visiting.
We returned to the coffee shop a couple of hours later… tried some coffee beans… bought some to take home, got a take out coffee (as we had bought 200g), went next door and purchased a small cake and biscuits, and sat outside reflecting this was a fabulous random find! 🙌
