It’s been a long time between o/s holidays with our bikes, thankfully we are heading back to our favourite place – Japan.
Talk in the office the other day was around half the fun being the planning … while that might be the case – but right now I have to admit all I feel like doing is going to my favourite coffee shop Glitch, enjoying a coffee and staring out at the world walking by… we will get there! But being based in ADL.. it’s a step process, SYD first.
Ah.. one of the benefits of having to go via SYD is catching up with friends. Last night we caught up with one of Kym’s oldest friends Peter at restaurant Kiln.
The views were impressive… and so was the food… I got personal satisfaction getting all the meat off the bone (apologies to non-meat eaters).
Definitely enjoyable experience… the environment is full of hard surfaces, and when the weather is finer the roof can open. But if you are not keen on restaurant loud talking and music maybe it’s not for you… but the food is fabulous!
It was also great to see the updates to central train station in Sydney… the vibes were so much like Tokyo station… ah… can’t wait!!!
… good to catch up Peter – hopefully see you at Christmas.
I can’t say I’ve been one to believe in enjoying the journey… it’s a plane ride. Okay I acknowledge it’s impressive flying actually happens… but it’s not something I enjoy.
The flight was a daytime flight from SYD to HAN (Haneda, Tokyo) as when we booked there were limited flight options. One the benefits of the flight was not having to ‘attempt to sleep’… which is never an easy task. We watched a Japanese movie ‘one second in ahead, one second behind’.. which is a quirky rom-com fantasy. Kym watched ‘Monsters’ (also Japanese film) and said it was one of the best films he had seen in last ten years – big call, might have to watch on way back.
Being trapped for a defined time provides you with limited options to occupy your time. Apart from listening to an audio book (Kym actually brought a library book… ) we also watched one of our favourite shows. Solitary Gourmet.. and discovered a new one where Japanese TV crew asks cab drivers to take them to best restaurants… very enjoyable.
The flight itself was not too bad from a ‘turbulence perspective’ … thankfully. Once landed, and off the plane… the walk to the passport entry point was wonderfully silent.. and all I could of ah… Japan at last.
After getting to the hotel.. we went on a short walk around the area. We wanted to see what had changed.. and what was no longer there. We decided to go to the local cheap bar near the hotel – thankfully it was still there and consistent as ever.
Beer was $2 (yes you read that correctly)… and food was tasty as always. Thankfully- short walk to the hotel.
… on the walk earlier we found a pudding shop open, so we bought a couple for dessert. So tasty!
Ah… after unpacking the bikes, pumping up the tyres we headed out for a quick morning ride with a stop at our favourite coffee spot in Tokyo – Glitch.
As you can see by the map, the route took us past the imperial palace- which on a Sunday had us competing against joggers.
The views are great… such an enjoyable ride.
… we left the imperial palace route and went inwards towards a path under the expressway way and back to the coffee shop.
The weather is unseasonably warm… thankfully it only lasts until Tuesday or we would have to do some clothes shopping!
As you may know, we are keen to try different forms of mobility. We certainly prefer non-car based mobility like our folding bikes and an occasional Shinkansen. So it was with great pleasure we tried a new form of mobility arranged by our Tokyo friends. The super kawaii Rodem – it is guaranteed to get you noticed on Tokyo streets. We certainly were – but they may have been helped by the soon to be TikTok superstar in the Rodem behind us!
From the website (https://machimobi-y.com/en/) the Rodem is “a futuristic mobility that allows you to enjoy a mobility experience like never before.”
So the holiday continues with another early morning loop ride – which includes a stop for breakfast.
Today Kym’s planning took us in a different direction. Once we got through the Tokyo Dome early morning rush near Suidobashi… we headed through the back streets.
We cycled through a university…
.. and then there were some small hills involved and steps. But thankfully where there are steps you can usually find a place to wheel your bike down them safely.
Afterwards we walked our bikes through the Nedujinja Shrine (hopefully that’s the right one)… and back again through the back streets to Cibi the sister coffee shop to the Melbourne Cibi… and as you can imagine the food was just perfect for the mornings effort.
… and here’s the food. You too can enjoy their food by visiting Cibi in Melbourne.. and they also have a book with recipes too!
Afterwards we continued through the back streets (great way to avoid traffic) through a cemetery… Ueno park and back along the train lines to the hotel. Great ride – thanks for the planning Kym
I’ll start with an apology – no food photos from us for this post. Sushi is something that should be enjoyed directly when placed in front of you by the skilled chef. Where the skilled knife strokes can form tough squid can be rendered milky by a thousand tiny cuts or herring can be transformed into a delicate balanced melody in your mouth.
I know ‘Australian’ style sushi is taking New York but storm, but I have to say I am of Tokyo style!
There is one photo to share and that is of the building directory…
Those who can read Japanese characters will quickly pick it… But otherwise you’ll be playing match the image with your phone. This was a multi-storey (10 or so building) and that is just a list of the tenants on the 4th floor. You certainly get a peak behind the curtain of Tokyo when you walk past the “Member’s Only” club towards the space that is transformed into a peaceful oasis with 10 seats!
If you’re going to Tokyo or want to peak inside – check out their website – http://www.sushiharumi.jphttps://pocket-concierge.jp/en/. They use Pocket Concierge to book for English speaking guests – which really makes experiencing great food in Japan a lot easier.
While cycling alongside the Tama river there were a couple of times where we came across groups of men with many cameras.
Here was the first
… we guessed based on their position they were waiting for the cloud to clear and take photos of Mt Fugi. It was behind those clouds.
Here is an earlier picture:
… later along the path there was another group positioned towards a bridge….
… we only had around 10 minutes so we did not stick around after the freight train came through to know if they left – but we suspect they stayed… hope it was good what they were waiting for!
I keep telling people Japan has inexpensive food… this was $5.70 – for lunch!
…it was so good and satisfying after a morning Kayaking.