This blog is about travelling through Japan on a bicycle. Initially on a foldable bicycle (Brompton) and more recently mostly by road bike (Spezialized)... but also by train, ferry, plane, bus or any other transport, if sea, weather, mountains or the like come between me and my desire to ride.
I have tried to summarise information that could be potentially helpful also for other bicycle travellers through Japan, such as list of bicycle roads, helpful web pages etc.

Saturday 16 February 2019

Hunting for plums 梅を見に

Bicycle: 30 km
Route: Shinbashi - Shiba Koen - Kameido Tenjin - Shibuya 
Total riding time: 2:22 h
Total ascent: 106 
Weather: sunny and some clouds, fresh but not cold, 10C


Weekend... and February... so Ume season (ume = plum), or so I thought. I had seen a bit of Ume flowers already, but thought that it would be a nice topic for a ride through Tokyo. I planned out a route to see actually a number of ume spots, including some around Koishikawa Korakuen, but finally I made it only to two:

  • Shiba Koen
  • Kameido Tenjin

At both places actual Ume festivals were in marche, but actually not that many ume flowering. Which was a bit surprising as we had seen the first ume back at end of January in Koishikawa Korakuen (just the yellow ume though) and I had thought that by mid February it should be fuller in bloom, but it was still just a bit too early.

But before heading out to see any ume, I tried to find a a bicycle parking lot for my poor brompton while I am not in Japan. I tried in one very close to Shinbashi, which is an automatic subterraneous parking lot, but the attending guards told me that my wheels were too small for their system. Then I tried a public bicycle garage at Hamamatsucho, but there is a application period, which only opens for a few days at the end of each month, and I was there too early. So finally I did what I had intended anyway, I just left my brompton with its cover under my desk in Tokyo office before departing back to Europe.

Heading out of the hotel, I had a perfect bicycle lane... but only for a few hundred meters:


The shop on the left, is actually also a brompton shop, so next time I have any brompton incidence, I will go directly there. How convenient!

My first Ume spot was Shiba Koen, a place where I have been often with the friends from NPC (but always at night). A small Ume festival was in full swing, including a tea ceremony organized by the local council (which I did not attend to), but well, more photographers than flowers I would say:


From there I continued along my planned course. I didn't plan it too well, so partially it was along a major street, but that street had on the side walk a bike lane. These aren't very comfortable, as they get invaded by pedestrians, parking bicycles, bus stops etc continuously, but probably still better than riding on the busy road. After a while I decided for smaller slightly less busy roads. And finally arrived at my second destination: Kameido Tenjin shrine, which is known for its Ume flowers (among other flowers blooming in a different period of the year).

Really only one tree was in full bloom, for the others it was still too early. But there was a girl with a monkey to amuse the visitors ...


It was getting late, so I had to drop all other destinations and ride directly to Shibuya to my appointment with the friends from NPC. However I hadn't planned a direct route back from Koto-ku to Shibuya-ku at all... So with the help of google maps and some general understanding of Tokyo I found my way... but as you can see the palace somehow came in the middle and I definitely added some extra km there.

Actually I was quite surprised that this afternoon ride just around Tokyo became a 30 km ride, but here it is: 

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