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jakeamin

Cruising
May 16, 2007
10
1
Hello,

My name is Jake. I am a graduate student in DC and I am headed to Tokyo this summer for fun and learning at Waseda. I am on the cycling team at my university and will be bringing my Bianchi to Japan.

Anyway, I have been to Japan a couple of times before and have seen only one cyclist in Tokyo. I have only briefly looked through the other posts here, but it would seem to me that cycling in the city would be difficult...especially around Shinjuku where Waseda is located. I would greatly appreciate any help and tips/hints anyone can give me and I'd love to meet up with some cyclists while I'm there this summer.

Thanks,

Jake
 
Yokoso!

Welcome to TCC! You`ll hook up with us when you arrive and learn about Tokyo cycling.

I live in Yokohama but will cycle through Tokyo to Odaiba to embark the Ferry for Shikoku; Friday will be my first time biking in Tokyo.:bike:

What will you study at Waseda?
 
Welcome to TCC! You`ll hook up with us when you arrive and learn about Tokyo cycling.

I live in Yokohama but will cycle through Tokyo to Odaiba to embark the Ferry for Shikoku; Friday will be my first time biking in Tokyo.:bike:

What will you study at Waseda?

Sounds good...I'll be sure to let everyone know when I get into Tokyo. I'll actually be in Kamogawa the first week. Anybody know anything about that area?

I'll be studying Japanese. I've been learning the language for four or five years now but I'm still awful. Hopefully this program will whip me into shape.

At any rate, I should probably start practicing my metric...I never was very good with the mile/kilometer conversion. Also, this "bike bag" business that is apparently necessary for train travel, how does that all work? Can I get one in the US? I imagine I have to disassemble my bike to get it in, yes?

Thanks a bunch.
 
Kamogawa

If my memory serves me correctly, Kamogawa is known as KoEdo 小江戸; lots of old warehouses and Japanese buildings from long ago.
 
Welcome!

Hi Jake,
Riding in Tokyo is fairly safe for the most part - motorists are a lot more cautious over here than in the States.
Quite a lot of us commute on bikes everyday through Tokyo traffic, so it's not such a big deal. A big help for you though, would be to acquire a map of Tokyo before you get here; Study it, and check out the main reference points for navigating your way across the city. If you focus on the "Yamano-te" loop train line, that will help you keep your geographic location from whichever direction.
If you want hills, they're to the west!
There are also flat rides on bike paths alongside most rivers.

Kamogawa: is in southern Chiba, 130km (80 miles) from Tokyo. YES! There is some very nice cycling down there. If you ride further south towards Tateyama, it follows the coastline all the way around - the road is called the "Flower-line" - very scenic (although flat!). Or if you ride northeast, still following the coastal road, it will take you to the eastern-most tip of Chiba prefecture, "Choshi" - About 80 miles, one way. Heading into the interior will give you a few hills; none of them very high, but a lot of ups & downs to make the ride interesting - One of our members (AlanW) rode around there about two weeks ago, and said he found some great roads with very little traffic.

Bike bags: The bag is about the size of your frame without wheels. Just take your wheels off and tie them to the frame. The bags usually come with a shoulder-strap, and the whole package becomes about 3 feet wide & 4 feet high - not too much bigger than a large sized suitcase. And there have even been cases where people have forgotten to bring their bags - this was fixed with some plastic trash bags from a convenience store & some sticky-tape - no problem!

Imperial to Metric.... Some easy figures for you!
30 = 50.
40 = 70.
50 = 80.
60 = 100.
100 = 160.

The first challenge though will probably be riding on the wrong (right?) left side of the road - This shouldn't take too long to get used to.

Look forward to riding with you when you get here.
Travis
 
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