In prior discussions while putting together this visit to Japan, Lee made only one request of Sean and Ted. That was to indulge his wish to spend a day seeing the sights of Tokyo by bicycle. Searching on line in planning this "grand tour", he had discovered Tokyo Rent A Bike and, having cleared his plans with "the boys", made reservations for today to spend an entire day "on wheels".
Today's forecast predicted a 40% chance of rain, but the weather cooperated nicely with our plans and the day remained sunny and passably warm instead. Our initial trip by public transportation proved easy enough; we even had time to catch breakfast at a Doutour coffee shop close to the Nakameguro train station prior to picking up our bikes nearby.
Interestingly the bike rental shop owner was off leading a tour for the day by the time we arrived. He simply left the needed information, a detailed map and the keys outside his locked office door for us to find. The locked bikes were waiting down below (his office was on the eighth floor) on the street, ready to go!
And off we went! Our first series of stops took place along a nearby canal nearly totally obscured by blossoming cherry trees in full bloom. Although Tokyo had a colder-than-usual winter, the sakura buds opened right on time, beginning April 1, 2012, and are now close to their peak. Even though we stopped by fairly early in the day, the walkways and bridges were already crowded with eager photographers and other viewers, and a carnival-like atmosphere was rapidly getting underway. All day long, we continued to encounter beautiful flowering trees elsewhere as well. What a treat!
After our initial hanami ("flower viewing") encounter, we back peddled (a bit too far) in order to make our map-decreed way eventually to Daikanyama, one of the city's most trendy neighborhoods. As we would elsewhere, we parked our bikes, locked them and then walked around the area, poking our noses into various nooks and crannies and seeking out the local sights and sounds.
Another short bike ride took us along one of Tokyo's most exclusive shopping streets. We stopped to look more closely at a stunning new Tsutaya book / music / DVD / coffee house and ended up on the porch at nearby Ivy Place for an absolutely delicious alfresco lunch.
Good thing, too, because we then promptly lost our way, ending up almost back where we began, before regaining our map reading skills and getting back on track, making our way to Shibuya, the busiest shopping and entertainment areas in the city. Ted was especially wowed by the crowds here crossing the street helter-skelter whenever the walk lights turned green -- he even captured the scene on video, both standing on the sidelines and joining in the chaos, camera in hand!
Lee wanted to continue on to Omotesando, Tokyo's equivalent of Chicago's Miracle Mile and New York City's Fifth Avenue; but first we had to figured out how to read that bike route map correctly -- our first attempt was wildly unsuccessful. Fortunately, we eventually got things straightened out and biked over hill and dale to reach our final destination for the day. We even managed a detour to Takeshita-dori, the trendiest of trendy streets in the entire city before heading back to Nakameguro to surrender our bikes.
At the end of the day, Lee finally felt he had gained control of the situation. Next time he should be able to manage the entire day with far less hassle. But even this first attempt proved an interesting and fun way to see many of the Tokyo's most fascinating (and fashionable) neighborhoods.
Today's forecast predicted a 40% chance of rain, but the weather cooperated nicely with our plans and the day remained sunny and passably warm instead. Our initial trip by public transportation proved easy enough; we even had time to catch breakfast at a Doutour coffee shop close to the Nakameguro train station prior to picking up our bikes nearby.
Interestingly the bike rental shop owner was off leading a tour for the day by the time we arrived. He simply left the needed information, a detailed map and the keys outside his locked office door for us to find. The locked bikes were waiting down below (his office was on the eighth floor) on the street, ready to go!
And off we went! Our first series of stops took place along a nearby canal nearly totally obscured by blossoming cherry trees in full bloom. Although Tokyo had a colder-than-usual winter, the sakura buds opened right on time, beginning April 1, 2012, and are now close to their peak. Even though we stopped by fairly early in the day, the walkways and bridges were already crowded with eager photographers and other viewers, and a carnival-like atmosphere was rapidly getting underway. All day long, we continued to encounter beautiful flowering trees elsewhere as well. What a treat!
After our initial hanami ("flower viewing") encounter, we back peddled (a bit too far) in order to make our map-decreed way eventually to Daikanyama, one of the city's most trendy neighborhoods. As we would elsewhere, we parked our bikes, locked them and then walked around the area, poking our noses into various nooks and crannies and seeking out the local sights and sounds.
Another short bike ride took us along one of Tokyo's most exclusive shopping streets. We stopped to look more closely at a stunning new Tsutaya book / music / DVD / coffee house and ended up on the porch at nearby Ivy Place for an absolutely delicious alfresco lunch.
Good thing, too, because we then promptly lost our way, ending up almost back where we began, before regaining our map reading skills and getting back on track, making our way to Shibuya, the busiest shopping and entertainment areas in the city. Ted was especially wowed by the crowds here crossing the street helter-skelter whenever the walk lights turned green -- he even captured the scene on video, both standing on the sidelines and joining in the chaos, camera in hand!
Lee wanted to continue on to Omotesando, Tokyo's equivalent of Chicago's Miracle Mile and New York City's Fifth Avenue; but first we had to figured out how to read that bike route map correctly -- our first attempt was wildly unsuccessful. Fortunately, we eventually got things straightened out and biked over hill and dale to reach our final destination for the day. We even managed a detour to Takeshita-dori, the trendiest of trendy streets in the entire city before heading back to Nakameguro to surrender our bikes.
At the end of the day, Lee finally felt he had gained control of the situation. Next time he should be able to manage the entire day with far less hassle. But even this first attempt proved an interesting and fun way to see many of the Tokyo's most fascinating (and fashionable) neighborhoods.
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