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So inbetween travelling from A to B with work, I'll have a couple of days to myself in Tokyo at the beginning of June.
Any pointers on what to do?
From a quick google (although I have more research to be done!) there dosen't seem to be much riding particularly close to Tokyo for a day trip?
It looks to be a bit early in the season for a big hike up MtFuji, however there look to be some nice other more local hikes.
Ideally I'd love a day out on the bike, if not hiking, but open to other suggestions! (preferably including good scenery!)
🙂
Not 100% sure but I think there's a sumo tournament on around the beginning of June. We were there for a wedding about 12 years ago and just missed out on tickets as we didn't know.
Other than that it totally depends what kind of thing you're after. There are the crazy anime places, peaceful shrines, Michelin star restaurants, ridiculously cool bars, onsen hot-spring spas, you name it. Big place but fairly easy to get around on the train.
Take the Enoshima light railway.
Get a tattoo!
In years to come:
Alright mate, nice tat, where did you get that?...
Tokyo.
Cool. As. ****.
Fish market (not sure if it has moved though)
Edo Museum
Robot Restaurant
Eat at as many of the places under the arches between Ginza and Shimbashi as possible
Eat out / get beers in Shimbashi
Go to the Tamiya shop (one for the R/C folks)
Run around the Imperial Gardens
Go to Shibuya and wander about
Ditto Akihabara (go into Super Potato Retro Kan if you like old video games)
Take an empty bag and fill it with cool Japanese things from the shops. The shops are amazing and I don't even like shops.
Eat as much as you can!
Tokyo is an amazing city, I'd just spend the weekend taking it all in, everywhere you go is an experience. Kamakura is a day trip away, mainly for food and temples, but it felt like there could be some riding based on the landscape. In tokyo for a weekend I'd recommend
Meji jingo shrine - go early and try and spot a shinto wedding.
Senso-jo shrine for getting a fortune
Sky tree for a view, maybe of Fuji if weather right.
Tokyo flea market
Shinjuku goen national garden
Shinjuku/shibuya for crazy neon busyness
Piss alley
Shimokitizawa/koenji slightly more low profile off beat areas.
Loads of incredible food/ramen spots/craft beer. Don't be afraid to queue for a bit, normally worth it.
I'll second eat as much as you can and buy loads of crazy stuff from the shops/gashapon machines!
Catch the Shinkansen north and MTB in the beautiful mountains for the day!
Seriously, this is what I did, contact Nathan Bennett (Team Spesh Japan) through his company and if you are luckly they'll have a tour on: MTB Japan
I had an amazing day riding with the locals in the hills of Minakami, all single track, was so cool.
Nathan is a sound guy who'll take good care of you, enjoy.
Then on day 2 do one of the 24hours Tokyo tours, full day but totally amazing, I did this as well and totally fell in love with Japan.
Can't wait to go back and do it all over again.
Guess which one is me lol
Use a toilet.
I spent half a day there on a work trip and just wandered around. Went to that famous 5 way road crossing and headed up to a nearby park and temple. I'll be there next week as it happens and will hopefully have some time to myself but not sure what to do. Food is amazing so will probably arrange whatever time I have around lunch or dinner. to be honest I quite like the feel of the place and just happy to wander around. You see some bonkers sights.
All the above are completely wrong. The obvious answer is this...
https://maricar.com/en/shinagawa.html
A Mario Kart themed (no matter how much the say it isn't) tour of the city in street legal Go-Karts! A mate did this and said it was amazing!
There's enough in Tokyo for a weekend, so decide if you want to spent the whole weekend there or head out of town.
Harajuku, Shinjuku and Shibuya are amazing. Maricar is great fun - but check which location and route you choose. It's worth going to a location a bit further from your hotel to get the most sights into your tour - I picked one that didn't go on the motorway, but went through Shibuya crossing, past Tokyo tower etc.
Eat every cuisine type you can find. And if you're feeling massively jetlagged, lean into it - get up at 4am, see some temples, then stop at a Western cafe (or Denny's) for breakfast; have a nap, then get back out and see more sights!
Oh also, if you like high-end denim, check out a couple of denim stores.
.....Tinder. 😀
I wouldn't waste my time biking. You can bike any time anywhere but there's only one Tokyo so get out and see it using the advice of the other posters. Yes to trying Japanese food-stuff as much sashimi and sushi into your cakehole as possible. For a good view of the city go up the Tokyo Tower. Visit a temple or two. I think I went to the Sensoji Temple but if you are going to the Tokyo Tower there's a temple nearby that appeared in the Wolverine film
Got stuck in a Tokyo for a week with the kids in 2010 due to the Icelandic volcano. Amazing city. This is wild. Thunder Dragon a Rollercoaster on top of a shopping centre Tokyo Dome 😁
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h__ogbOYic8
There is some great cycling once you get out of the city. I used to go most months.
You’ll need to get the subway out of town, and will need a bike cover (hygiene rules) to take it on the train.
Get the train out to Odawara, then climb the old Hakone Road (732, off the 1). Proper Japanese temples, Lake Hakone, and a vending machine every mile or so for drinks!
Interesting, lots of replies, thankyou!
From all the feedback it sounds like I'm better off immersing myself in the culture rather than trying to get out on the bikes. I'll do some proper research and take a look through all the recommendations next week, many thanks for the help!
Just as an update for anyone else in a similar position....
I spent a day exploring the city, and a day on a train out to mount Takao for a bit of a hike.
City exploration included:
- explore Shibuya (where I was staying). It's a hotspot for modded cars late at night so I made the most of the jetlag and spent 3 hours wandering the street!
- train over to Ueno park, for a bit of a wander. Saw a homeless ladyboy lying asleep with her testes on show.
- walked to the senso-jo temple- lots of cool backroads to explore on the way
- made a friend, went for a drink
- train to Asakusa (Electric avenue) for an explore
- pub
The train out to Mount Takao on Sunday was a nice relaxing day. Awesome walk, nothing too difficult.
It's a mad city! You need more eyes- theres too much to look at!
I’m going to go on an Izakaya binge when I go...
🙂
BDSM club for some shibari artistry if no one has mentioned it