Sunday, November 17, 2013

Cycling In Japan 2013

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Cycling Japan / Cycling Japan 2013
                                     AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures                                   
Cycling Japan 2013
Our Group (L-R) : Andrew, Winsin, Kimmiskie, Siew Yung, Hui Min, Nash, Jotaro
Tokyo>Kamakura>Hakone, Japan : 7th-14th November 2013
Small Group Ride - Kuala Lumpur>Tokyo>Kamakura>Hakone.


PRELUDE

I want to tell you all a story of seven cyclists who went cycling in Japan, had a lot of fun there, bonded well together and came back as even closer friends.
At the regular meeting at A&W drive in Petaling Jaya.
A cycling trip to Japan? Hmm.... that will be very interesting and monumental for me, and I am glad that Andrew who organized the trip invited me to join them.
Preparation for the trip started months earlier, air tickets form AirAsia were brought early too, to get better rates. Andrew will be leading the team and Siew Yung did a lot of research into where to stay, places to visits, which trains to take and also an estimated cost of the trip. I must say that Siew Yung really did her research well and in very detail too, as we faced very few hiccups while over there. Andrew was a good leader; patient, nudging each of us to get the best out of our individualities, and melding our different personalities into a close-knitted group.
Both Andrew and Siew Yung got the Garmin 800 which will help us get our directions right while we are cycling in Japan.


As the departure day drew nearer, all of us anxiously packed our bikes and luggage as compactly as possible; it is difficult to travel light with our bicycles but we did try our best.
Luggage allowance and sport equipment (for our bikes) were purchased on line from AirAsia as were meals on board for some of us.


And not to forget the Jalur Gemilang, our Malaysian flag. Have to be patriotic while we are overseas. The flag was helpful as it identified us as from Malaysia, especially during an incident with a Japanese Police Cycle Patrol (more on this later on).
And here's a link to an article by the Star newspaper on our Japan cycling tour ..... written by yours truly ..... heh! heh!


THE RIDES

Below are the blogs on the individual days of our trip. Click on the relevant photo to go to the respective blog. Hope you will enjoy them *smiles*.


Cycling Japan Day 1- Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo 7th November 2013
From Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo by plane and into our hostel at Kuramae, Taitou.

Cycling Japan Day 2 - Of Temples & Parks 8th November 2013
Senso-ji Temple, Ueno Park & Yanesan (old Tokyo).

Cycling Japan Day 3 - To Tsukiji Fish Market & Odaiba Coast 9th November 2013
A hopeful early morning trip to the Tsukiji Fish Market to see the tuna auction and then a longer trip town to Odaiba, a coastal part of Tokyo.

Cycling Japan Day 4 - Of Palaces & Street Markets 10th November 2013
Riding fun at the Imperial Palace & later a visit to Ameyoko street market.

Cycling Day 5 - A Day Trip To Rustic Kamakura 11th November 2013
Bike-packing by train to rustic Kamakura for a day trip, where we were in luck as it was festival day at one of the shrines giving us a chance to observe Japanese in traditional costumes.

Cycling Japan Day 6 - From Tokyo To Hakone 12 November 2013
Bike-packing again, this time by train, bus & a bit of cycling up to Hakone to stay for a night.


Cycling Japan Day 7 - Around Hakone 13th November 2013
Woke up to a glorious sight of Mount Fuji followed by a cruise around Lake Ashi, cable-car rides, and then a bit of cycling.


Cycling Japan Day 8 - Shopping Ameyoko & Then Home! 14th November 2013
A free day where most of us did some shopping for things to bring back to friends & loved ones back home.

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You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Cycling Japan / Cycling Japan 2013
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