Plan B
It’s always good to have a plan B – especially as today it is Cultural Day in Japan, which is a public holiday and opening times vary.
Dinner view..
We are now on the Romancercar train back to Tokyo.. we followed our friends lead and turned the seat around. It was worth it so we could have a view of Mt Fuji as we ate our bento. Everyone wants to see Mt Fuji!
Mt Fuji
Art…
When art expresses your feelings at the beginning of the holiday when you want to do it all… but start to talk about the next trip – and your on day one..
Train trip to Hakone
Saturday morning we met up with longtime Tokyo friends and headed to Hakone, which is just over 1.5 hours by train outside of Tokyo.
First challenge – getting from one side of Shinjuku train station to another… not the easiest station to navigate to get to the meeting spot. Unlike previous times it didn’t take too long and we were able to met up buy bento for the train and get to the platform to take photos of the Romancecar train.
The name comes from the arms rests being omitted in between the seats… which was radical at the time of creation back in 1957. The cars also have large windows enabling passengers great views of the scenery. The train offers a fabulous opportunity to sit back enjoy passing of greater Tokyo as you head to Hakone and eat bento!
Early morning walk..
Woke up way too early… and made the most of the daylight before breakfast..
Flight time
When you’ve got nine hours on a plane during the day there’s a variety of activities to keep yourself occupied… I stuck to watching movies… and Kym planned a couple of our rides in Tokyo.
Transiting with Bags..
Unfortunately suitcases are a necessity when travelling to Japan, especially when taking our Bromptons. While packing last weekend Kym said ‘I just want to travel without this stuff..!’, but I highlighted we would not get the experiences of cycling in fabulous places without the Bromptons so we have to put up with a very short term problem for long term happiness. To be fair I think he would like someone else to do all the packing (don’t we all!).
The Brompton suitcases themselves are large, but small enough to fit within the size requirements for normal luggage by the airlines. They are easy to move… but annoying from the perspective of travelling from ADL to SYD collecting them, getting on a bus to the international terminal side to the hotel and the next day checking in for the international flight to Japan.
In lifts people look at our suitcases with a quizzical look on their face… and I usually pipe up ‘they’re folding bikes’… which is usually met with ‘ah that’s so wonderful… I did wonder what amount of clothing would be inside..’.
Transiting is a necessary part of the journey… but we are always pleased to have checked in… seen off the bags, got through the gates and made it to the lounge… oh and find a seat. With just enough time to ensure there are enough ebooks/audiobooks on my phone for the plane journey.
Ah… here we are – again!
Holidays overseas are a wondrous thing, especially if you’re exploring new places. While we’ve visit Japan many times, we find ourselves returning… and continuing to search out places not yet visited on our bikes.
If you’re new here – welcome! You are either here to live vicariously through our holiday adventures (good and the wrong turns) as hopefully you’ve enjoyed our past adventures, or you’ve an interest in Brompton bicycles and keen to see where we ride in Japan once again.
Now if you’ve followed this blog for a number of years (… at least 20 years of holidays) you’ve probably recently been receiving additional posts about the Adelaide Bromptoneering rides… don’t panic we’re just maximising our online site. Those new to the blog had the opportunity to choose just Adelaide Bromptoneering posts or just Brompton or Bust holiday posts.. so thanks for signing up… and welcome all!
202511 November 2025 Social Ride – Silver Brewing Co
| Time | 11:00am Sunday 23 November 2025 Add all rides to your calendar |
| Location | Silver Brewing Co 200-206 Gouger St, Adelaide SA 5000 |
| Route | 25km – Adelaide, Mile End, Marleston, Plymton, Morphettville, Marion, Edwardstown, Keswick https://www.strava.com/routes/3417363352115547378 GPX Route [to be provided] |
| Coffee Stop | Oaklands Wetlands Reserve Bring your own coffee in a thermos Baked goods to be provided (let us know if you’d like to bake some baked goods for us) |
| Register | Please let us know you are coming… |
