Thanks..

Posted on by helenhmk

This post is a thank-you for Kenneth a fellow Brompton owner who lives in Melbourne. We’ve ridden with him a couple of times and while he was in ADL he went for a ride with Kym and a non Brompton owner, and he was brave enough to do one of Kym’s bike routes last weekend while it was 37 degrees.

Anyway we are thanking Kenneth as when he was out with Kym the bike just stopped working – pedals could not move. While Kym had no idea how to fix it (no not the gears)… the bottom hinge cap became loose over time – and just by a millimetre can stop the pedals from moving. It’s a pretty significant problem- and given we were about to get on. Plane last Friday there were no good thoughts running through Kym’s head. Thankfully Kenneth was at hand – highlighted the problem and showed Kym how to fix it. Hooray.. problem solved.

Jump forward a week.. we start cycling on Oshima Island at 6:30.. but there is something wrong with my bike. Kym modifies the gears (yes we thought that was it) and we continued on.

fter a bit of hill climbing it happened again… clearly not the gears… Kym takes a closer look – and it was the same problem he had the week before. Thought this was unusual given the different servicing… but anyway 30 minutes or so – and the problem is resolved and we can continue on today’s route.

So here’s to you Kenneth- we would not of had a fabulous day on the Brompton if it wasn’t for you – thanks heaps!

Fixing the bike
Yeah! Fixed
Bike – 200 metres up the road from being fixed

Seasonal dessert…

Posted on by helenhmk

With the onset of winter it’s chestnut season. Best way to consume these is with a Mont Blanc in yanaka ginza

The store is Waguriya and it is the only place you should eat them. In the centre is meringue (not sweet) and over the top is creamy chestnuts. The second chestnut dessert is freshly made upon ordering and is warm when provided… guaranteed not to last long.

Don’t read the reviews online about the shop – negative ones are from tourists expecting over sweet desserts who have no appreciation for this timeless classic.

You will likely need to queue to get in.. but it was worth the 30 minutes we waited.

Cycling pt3

Posted on by helenhmk

Once we left the cycling path we headed up a slight hill towards Tamako (lake – man made reservoir). The view was spectacular..!

The area had walkers, cyclists, and dog walkers. Also a great spot to watch the autumn leaves….

From here we went towards the baseball field… and the path/road continued up – as it often does in Japan, and we continued up towards a temple.

… and one of the great advantages in temples… is food. Mayumi had planned our lunch stop at a hand made udon noodle place on site. The dish featured fresh vegetables, meat and a warming meat broth, which matched with the noodle was heaven!

Best udon noodles!
Boss cat

After we headed back down the hills through a few tunnels (used in making the reservoir) an headed back towards Kichi-joji and there around 5:30ish and headed to Yakitori for dinner.

It truely was a delightful ride. We did approximately 40.3km… thanks to Mayumi for taking us in her favourite route!

Cycling day.. pt2

Posted on by helenhmk

Back on the cycling path we came across more local farms. These also have stands/vending machines where locals can buy the amount of food they need. As we were cycling along we saw many people pushing trolleys and carrying bags with veggies.

We stopped along the way at Kodaira folk house village – which is owned and run by the local council highlighting Japan old living – and a real delight.

Cycling day..! pt1

Posted on by helenhmk

Thursday was a cycling day… we met our Brompton cycling friend Mayumi who was going to take us on one of her favourite rides.

All good rides start at train stations (near the library I posted earlier) … the photo is of our waiting spot and the duck on her bike. Once we briefly talked about the ride we headed off through the back streets to the cycling path.

The cycling path goes past houses, apartment blocks, farms (yes you read that correctly).. schools, shopping areas – it really is a connected for the community. It has two sides- one for walkers and one for cyclists. But like all good paths… walkers do tend to walk on the cycling section!

These photos make it appear that there are not many people on the path – but there were quite a lot just going about their daily routines.

We stopped at a local cafe for morning tea, which Mayumi had not been previously… and as Kym was keen we ventured inside. It was run by a local who makes food for the cafe.. let me tell you these cakes looked as good as you think they did. They were served as a set with a tea or a coffee.

The traditional Japanese house opposite the cafe had been renovated. Part 2 to come…