What's new

Am I nuts? (driving to central Tokyo)

jdd

Maximum Pace
Hardest Crash
Jul 26, 2008
3,512
2,058
Okay, to be bike-related, a successful move for our daughter might actually get me and a bike into Tokyo for some riding there someday...

**

In the meantime, she's starting uni and has to move by the end of the month. We're discussing pros/cons of hiring a mover vs. stuffing a car and driving back and forth.

99% of the drive seems horribly easy, but the last bit could be a challenge. Destination is just north of the Ikenoue station on the Inokashira line (between Shibuya and 下北沢 stations).

I'd be coming in from the north, and I think I'm good down thru 吉祥寺 and following 井の頭道り from there. But after losing that and crossing the 京王線, (between 代田橋駅 and 笹塚駅) the google routing quickly starts to look very cramped and tight.

Still, I've followed the last bit of the route on google street view and while it doesn't look at all bad, the wife and daughter, who have just returned from there, say pedestrians, bikes and vehicles were all over the place (chaos), even cars going the wrong way down one-way streets. They had already concluded that I'd never want to do this...

I was up for a road trip, tho it'd be a shame for the last kilometer or two to nix the whole idea.

So am I nuts to be thinking of driving into that part of town, or what?

On the plus side, if the weather's good, not going by car would give me another day or two on the bike here.
 
Driving a normal car? Big one? van?


Well, things get tight, but I don't think they get much tighter than small roads in small towns in the countryside. Probably smaller than Kanazawa roads, though I stayed in Kanazawa and there are some small roads downtown as well.


I think you'd be fine. Got a navi? That'll get you thru. I've driven rental hiace vans around there (fairly close to where I live anyway) and it's not fun, but you can do it. I'd try to avoid a busy time of day though, like saturday or sunday shopping afternoons, morning rush hour.


That said, if stairs are involved, a moving company might be kinda nice!!
 
Got navi, a small honda fit. I'd think it'd be okay...

Daughter would be navigator/helper on the way in, but I'd be on my own on the way out.
 
Can you show the actual route on a map link? I used to live near Ikenoue station, and a few years before that I lived right next to Komabatodaimae station, so I know the roads around there pretty well.
 
Got navi, a small honda fit. I'd think it'd be okay...

Daughter would be navigator/helper on the way in, but I'd be on my own on the way out.

suspect you'll be fine as well.

the nice lady on the navi should be able to direct you home when you push the 'home' button, eh?

Aim for the highway, you'll get out of the big smoke eventually....
 
You'll be fine, everyone that lives on the same street moved in somehow!
 
Can you show the actual route on a map link? I used to live near Ikenoue station, and a few years before that I lived right next to Komabatodaimae station, so I know the roads around there pretty well.

Well, I hesitate to be too specific (daughter's address privacy and all), but the goal is very close to 東京都世田谷区北沢1-8 and any google routing from Kanazawa will show it all.

It's the last 1-2 km, due to some supposedly one-way streets that cause the odd final approach.
 
Well, I hesitate to be too specific (daughter's address privacy and all), but the goal is very close to 東京都世田谷区北沢1-8 and any google routing from Kanazawa will show it all.

It's the last 1-2 km, due to some supposedly one-way streets that cause the odd final approach.


if it helps keep this bike related, that's only about 500m from alpha cycles. :cool:
 
it can be a bit hectic but you have a small enough car that you should be fine. Just try and avoid the busy shopping hours.
 
With the limited time I spent in Shirokanedai I felt that access with the car shouldn't be a problem. The roads are small, but in residential areas the traffic is not so heavy. So you'll have enough time to make decisions when driving without stressing yourself too much!

Either way, you also have a navi so it should be fine! Just trust the lady with the nice voice! :D
 
Thanks for the encouragement, folks, and sorry for tabling this on the TCC forum, but I didn't know who else to ask. Let's consider this topic closed.
 
People drive there everyday, no reason you cannot, just keep your eyes open, especially for those nutters on bicycles:D!!
 
Ah, yeah you'll be totally fine in there. That road that goes by Ikenoue and Higashikitazawa (420) is plenty big enough. It is a bit local though, so people walking and biking don't have that healthy fear for their well-being that pedestrians usually have on busier streets. Most of the side streets will be driveable too, but some might be a tight squeeze for a truck or bigger van, mainly due to telephone and light poles taking up street space. I used to live just west of Higshikitazawa station in that rabbits' warren of streets, and we were unable to get a truck down the road the house was on.

If you follow route 420 south, you'll pass a good mountain bike shop called The Trail Head, and the Kalavinka atelier, before arriving right next to Sports Bike HiRoad.
 
Back
Top Bottom