Tokyo

The unplanned is a delight..

Posted on by helenhmk

While half the fun of a holiday might be the planning, there are those times when everything just works out. Today’s ride was one of those.

The ride was a 25+km loop ride planned by Kym while on the train as we went to Hirai Station from Suidobashi. Before we started we bought a snack of a small cake from the shop in the station, un-covered the bikes and then set out on the route. As you can see by the map below, it took us along the Arakawa River, more recent housing development on the opposite side of the river (not as interesting as the old suburbs as there are less laneways, shops etc)… the Kansai-Rikai Park ( good views of Mt Fuji when there is no cloud), and back along and across the river (not forgetting to use the elevator to access the bridge) to the train station.

Here are the pictures taken along the route..

…. And we ended perfectly to time the sunset for the view- could not have planned it if we tried.

Great day of cycling..!

Time to relax after Izumo…

Posted on by helenhmk

After three days away in Izumo cycling with friends… we are tired. So today is a relaxing day walking in the local neighbourhood and some cycling to keep the legs moving.

We’ve already had one coffee… but it is time for a coffee flight at Glitch.

Only in Japan…

Posted on by helenhmk

At our brief stay at the Hotel Metropolitan at Haneda Aiport… the most welcome sign after a long bike ride was the roof top foot spa. It also came with a view of the airport. If you didn’t have a towel- don’t worry there was a vending machine for that too… ah perfect ending to a perfect day!

Riding continued…

Posted on by helenhmk

On Saturday the riding continued with our friends after the Brompton in Palace event. We went to a place which did handmade udon noodles. Ah the taste was fantastic….

We then continued down the Tama river (same route we did on Tuesday)… which is a high embankment which enables you to see great views along the river (flood plain) and into the distance. Along the way we stopped for some coffee and doughnuts.

The little shop was in between a bunch of residential houses (planning laws in SA would never allow it – but it’s 🥰). It certainly was a good way to warm up.

We did around another 10km, said goodbye to our friends who went home… and continued for another 10km or so until they left us at Futako – Tamagawa station… and we continued onto the airport.

It was interesting to see a local ignore the signs we spent time attempting to translate… thankfully we managed to walk down the embankment despite the lack path or steps.

The path to the airport was similar after the train station… however it’s a little like there path is done by one council on one side and a different on the other. In some places it was just crushed rock… and maybe the dirt bike would have been better for that couple of KM’s.

As we were cycling along we passed usual Saturday activities such as baseball, soccer, and golf practice. Baseball seemed more popular… while you can’t see it from the photos there were a lot of dog walkers, and kids on bikes.

The final destination was the airport as we had an early flight the next day.. we ended the ride having done 46km. while long it certainly was very satisfying!

Saturday Cycling

Posted on by helenhmk

Bromptoneers of Tokyo come together every two months – and we were lucky to be able to attend this month’s event. It is called Brompton in Palace.

The event was number 69… and surprising 69 riders turned up! It’s always great to see other people’s bikes… and what fancy gear they have (including the bikes!). Additionally, at the event there was also a talk on bike maintenance. All things such as pumping tyres, how to clean your chain.

Afterwords there is always the photo of al bikes and riders which turned up for the event.

Here are the photos

It’s always a great event to attend – and it was good to see familiar faces we had not seen in 4 years.

Huge congratulations to Mayumi who organises the event every couple of months – as we know how much work goes into putting it all together. 🙌👏. You can read more about the event here.

If anyone with a Brompton is ever in Adelaide please look up Adelaide Bromptoneers on Facebook… as we also organise a catchup every two months on a Sunday which involves a 20km ride and a stop at a local brewery/coffee shop. 🚲

Great food continues…

Posted on by helenhmk

It’s great to catch up with individuals you have not seen in a while… last night we did this at a famous Kichijoji iseya koenten. It has a high reputation in the area due to its longevity. If you are vegetarian/vegan you may want to look away.

… and after we went to another famous local for a coffee and cake… which also did not disappoint. Ah… it’s great to be able to enjoy the variety of Japanese food.

The tall drink was coffee jelly with sweet cream on the top… the other two cups were coffee… and nuts. ❤️