Summertime in the City - Escape on a Bicycle
I like to pretend that there aren't many things which I fear, but the truth is, there are plenty. Spiders, centipedes that bite, excessive speed while riding in cars, the liver eating guy from the X-Files (even though he's not real...I think)...well, you get the idea. A few years ago, much to my chagrin, I had to add another to the list: cycling in Tokyo.
I decided, though, to give it another go, after moving to a more western and less traffic-filled area of Tokyo last year. However, procrastination and nerves kept me out of the saddle until just last week. Partially motivated by H.'s assertions that I was leaving my bike to rust (which he had very kindly fixed up for me on two separate occasions), I hauled out my Tokyo maps and figured out how to get from my apartment to the Tama River Cycling Path (not to be confused with the Tama Lake Cycling Path).
I had made one other trip along the Tama River. Several years ago, after I moved to Yoyogi from Ogikubo, I had to get my bike to my new place. Trial and error (and my trusty maps) got me there, but I had to head towards the ocean and Haneda Airport on that occasion (and then had to bike up through Shinagawa, Shibuya and Harajuku - not fun!). This time, I headed towards the mountains, very, very hazy in the distance.
Despite some super-speedy cyclists who seem to have a hate-on for anyone who can't go as fast as they can (and pass, from the oncoming direction, at the most inopportune times), and scads of baseball-playing youth who weave all over the place on their little mama-chari bikes overflowing with equipment, the Tama River path makes for some nice cycling. I've been out twice, the first time going a bit further than Yotsuya Go-Chome (not the one in central Tokyo), and then this morning making it to Fussa-shi in Mizudori Park (round-trip=50km give or take) out Musashi-Itsukaichi way. By the end, it was greenery galore and, I'll wager, a degree or two cooler than the rest of the path. Pure joy! And the even better part is, I wasn't scared at all. Boo yeah!
I decided, though, to give it another go, after moving to a more western and less traffic-filled area of Tokyo last year. However, procrastination and nerves kept me out of the saddle until just last week. Partially motivated by H.'s assertions that I was leaving my bike to rust (which he had very kindly fixed up for me on two separate occasions), I hauled out my Tokyo maps and figured out how to get from my apartment to the Tama River Cycling Path (not to be confused with the Tama Lake Cycling Path).
Despite some super-speedy cyclists who seem to have a hate-on for anyone who can't go as fast as they can (and pass, from the oncoming direction, at the most inopportune times), and scads of baseball-playing youth who weave all over the place on their little mama-chari bikes overflowing with equipment, the Tama River path makes for some nice cycling. I've been out twice, the first time going a bit further than Yotsuya Go-Chome (not the one in central Tokyo), and then this morning making it to Fussa-shi in Mizudori Park (round-trip=50km give or take) out Musashi-Itsukaichi way. By the end, it was greenery galore and, I'll wager, a degree or two cooler than the rest of the path. Pure joy! And the even better part is, I wasn't scared at all. Boo yeah!
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