As of late YouTube is completely awash with creators doing every kind of random and pointless challenges, however they actually weren’t so widespread 15 years in the past after I launched into what remains to be my longest ever themed biking journey. For the report, I’m not suggesting that I’m the pioneer of such challenges!
On the again of a few different themed bicycle excursions of Tokyo (particularly driving across the Yamanote Line and biking the A-Z of stations), I got here up with the concept of utilizing my highway bike to go to all of the vacationer sights featured in Fodor’s Tokyo Finest 25 guidebook. Not happy with 25 sights I added a number of bonus ones too and all of this was carried out in a single single day on November fifth. A date to be remembered!
As this was now 15 years in the past it’s vital to level out that I didn’t have a smartphone and so was unable to make use of Google Maps for serving to me navigate the journey so needed to depend on pre-existing data, a paper map, highway indicators and my instinct! Neither may I observe my route which is disgrace as I’d like to know precisely what number of energy I burned! My guess is that it was over 5000!! The approximate distance coated is on the foot of this publish.
The unique posts in 2010 have been break up into three components and informed within the current easy which was maybe my first (solely??) time to jot down in that model reasonably than the normal previous easy. There’s an excessive amount of content material to repeat every little thing from the day so I’ll summarise it as greatest as I can while including some new reflective opinion. Wanting again now, the issues which shock me are that I did the entire journey carrying denims and likewise arrange a tripod for my photographs at every place! Totally different occasions!
The journey began at 6:15 am and inside about 45 minutes I had already ticked off Rikugien Gardens (1) in Komagome, and each Tokyo Nationwide Museum (2) and the Nationwide Museum of Western Artwork (3) in Ueno.
Main vacationer attraction Asakusa Senso-ji (4) was just about abandoned at the moment of the morning. I truly had a fairly main cycle crash right here as a reasonably younger Japanese man shot throughout in entrance of me at one of many junctions. I had the precise of means however in true Japanese style he didn’t anticipate any hazard, and I used to be unable to brake in time. We collided and each fell off. I used to be fortunately nice and so was my bike. I requested him if he was okay however he didn’t say a factor and simply cycled on. How impolite!
On the opposite facet of the Sumida-gawa river I went to Edo-Tokyo Museum (5) which was a little bit tough to find regardless of having been there beforehand! Again within the coronary heart of Tokyo after that was the Imperial Palace (6) which was not possible to get a shot of with my bicycle within the image. A disgrace as I nonetheless felt I wanted to show that I used to be there!
Subsequent up have been Nationwide Weight loss program Constructing (7) and Yasakuni Shrine (8) which have been reasonably uneventful aside from catching the pores and skin of my hand while folding away my tripod. Ouch! One other minor warfare wound to recollect the journey by!
The Nationwide Museum of Fashionable Artwork (9) was utterly new to me and so it took me some time to seek out it regardless that it was close by.
Hibiya Park (10) can be within the neighborhood the place I lastly handled myself to a rest room cease, a little bit of breakfast and a really quick break. Extra in depth particulars right here.
The Sony Constructing (11) was tough to {photograph} because it’s a tall constructing with the one actual seen signal on the roof. Ginza (12) itself was subsequent, and a little bit of an issue as how does one sum up an entire place in a single picture?!! The reply was Chuo-Dori with Wako and Mitsukoshi shops both facet of it.
Very near that was Kabuki-Za (13) which at the moment was only a pile of rubble earlier than ultimately being restored to its former glory. Each Hama Rikyu Gardens (14) and Tsukiji Fish Market (15) are inside touching distance of one another, so I made a decision to get them out of the way in which earlier than embarking on the 2 most tough locations within the prime 25 checklist.
Odaiba (16) is first and the primary view of Rainbow Bridge and the Statue of Liberty are felt obligatory for my picture of this space. It’s fairly clear that my digicam lens had one thing of a stain on it!
As noon struck, I used to be again on my bicycle after an early lunch at McDonalds. The principle highway to Chiba noticed many large vehicles breezing previous me that which was reasonably unnerving and made me wobble a bit. Tokyo Disneyland (17) is technically in Chiba (albeit simply throughout the border) and will’ve been used as an excuse to exclude it from this journey however I stubbornly wished to do all of it!
Having crossed a number of steep bridges over rivers, I noticed an indication which made my coronary heart sink. It stated 31 km to Chiba however in hindsight this should’ve been to Chiba metropolis reasonably than the prefecture! On the time, I believed I had under-estimated that a part of the journey and commenced to have reservations about persevering with to Disneyland.
With vitality draining out of me, I used to be fortunately rewarded solely minutes later after I noticed the Tokyo Disney Resort Resort over the highway within the distance. My misplaced hope modified to please though I nonetheless needed to get throughout there which was not straightforward. In the end, I couldn’t fairly get the photographs I wished and needed to accept some lesser ones. Extra in depth particulars right here.
35 minutes from Odaiba to Disneyland wasn’t too unhealthy I suppose and simply earlier than 1:00 pm essentially the most pointless journeys that anybody’s ever needed to that a part of the world was over as I returned to Tokyo and ultimately arrived in Toyosu earlier than chopping again by way of Tsukiji Fish Market once more. Tokyo Tower (18) and Roppongi Hills (19) have been ticked off with relative ease however it was a battle to get all the way down to Sengakuji Temple (20) as my instincts started to fade and I misplaced my means in addition to my enthusiasm! Once more, I felt like giving up at this stage however determined to push on as the house straight was simply forward.
It wasn’t that straight-forward although as Yebisu Backyard Place (21) was tough to get to.
Up the highway in Harajuku was Meiji-jingu Shrine (22) however that had already closed not that I used to be ever going to do greater than view the massive exterior wood torii gate. Takeshita-dori represented Harajuku (23) itself and it was fairly embarrassing getting the picture there.
The ultimate pair of areas have been in Shinjuku starting with Shinjuku-gyoen Backyard (24) which was in fact closed and never very effectively lit-up. Bicycle lights have been wanted after that as I cycled to the west facet of Shinjuku for the ultimate cease which was Tokyo Metropolitan Authorities Constructing (25). But once more it was a battle to find it and I used to be getting annoyed because it was a foul place to complete the problem because it was darkish and probably not potential to {photograph} the precise constructing, so ended up simply getting considered one of me in entrance of the doorway doorways with a little bit signal for present.
I felt no emotion or any sense of accomplishment as I left however my story wasn’t over simply but as two policemen signaled that I couldn’t cycle by way of a tunnel to get again to the place I wanted to be going. I requested them if it was unlawful to which they stated no however it was simply harmful. Not wanting one other altercation, I carried my bicycle up some stairs and took an alternate route.
It was 6:35 pm after I arrived dwelling after half a day within the saddle with hardly any breaks. It was solely the following day after I started to really feel one thing, and I don’t imply the stiffness in my legs! As I informed a few college students about my problem I realised the feat of my accomplishment. Extra in depth particulars right here.
About 5 years later I labored out that the space coated was about 130 kilometres however that’s primarily based on the idea that I took the quickest route between locations every time. That positively didn’t occur as I bought misplaced many occasions so one other 10 (and even 20!) kilometres may very well be added to that complete. What I do know is that it took slightly below 12.5 hours and that I’ll by no means, ever undertake such a process ever once more!
Click on right here to learn ‘TF Prime 10……Tokyo Themed Biking Rides’
Click on right here to learn ‘Biking to Tokyo’s Finest 25 Sights…in 1 Day Pt I’
Click on right here to learn ‘Biking to Tokyo’s Finest 25 Sights…in 1 Day Pt II’
Click on right here to learn ‘Biking to Tokyo’s Finest 25 Sights…in 1 Day Pt III’