When I hear "Tokyo," I think of something glittering and exciting, busy, overflowing with information—a place with a somewhat inorganic atmosphere and a sense of loneliness.
Perhaps because I’m from the countryside, or maybe because of the many songs themed around "Tokyo," I had always held that image in my mind.
But the Tokyo I saw on this day was a completely different scene from that impression. There was actual life there, each neighborhood had its own personality, and the air felt much softer and more laid-back than I had ever imagined.
And so, I went for a bicycle ride through that Tokyo with some TOKYO girls!
Girls RIDE in TOKYO~~🗼
The first thing that surprised me when we gathered was the extremely high rate of participation using "test bikes."
"I don't have a bike yet, but going out for a ride sounds fun!"
"I usually ride an electric bike for commuting, but I want a bike that enriches my own personal time!"
The fact that people like that came together made me so happy from the very start.
After everyone finished their adjustments, I gave a lecture on basic hand signals.
I had heard that traffic rules in Tokyo aren't as strict as expected, but I would later discover the reason why...
With our special attendant Miyaco-san, who knows all the hot spots in the city, and a total group of 15 people, we started our ride!
We departed from Toranomon Hills, where Circles TOKYO is located!
🍭This Girls RIDE Schedule
10:00 Gather at Toranomon Hills
Ride utilizing the Imperial Palace Cycling course
11:00 Lunch at the cafe and roastery located inside the University of Tokyo
Ride through the city streets
12:30 Stroll through Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street
14:00 Return to Toranomon Hills
14:30 Girls Talk〜♩
I never knew Tokyo had such a pleasant cycling road!
Located right near Toranomon Hills is the Imperial Palace. And there is something called the Palace Cycling, which opens up the roads around the Imperial Palace as a cycling course exclusively on Sundays.
Even though you can see clusters of skyscrapers all around, being able to ride leisurely on such a wide road... it felt amazing!!!
Once we got through the Palace Cycling Road, we made good progress and arrived at our first destination in no time.
I never knew Tokyo had such a quiet and spacious cafe!
The University of Tokyo has three campuses, and one of them is the "Hongo Campus," located in Bunkyo Ward.
It’s the campus iconic for the Red Gate (Akamon) and the Yasuda Auditorium.
When I heard "Akamon," I only knew of the yakiniku restaurant, so I was excited to be entering the University of Tokyo—a place I had no connection to—for the first time.
Apparently, members of the public (non-students) can enjoy the UTokyo campus, such as by using the library or just walking around. It seems many people living in Tokyo didn't know this either.
As we headed further in, we saw the "Roastery Cafe."
It even had a huge garden, big enough that we didn't need a reservation for 15 people.
Truly an oasis in the city center!
I had the Margherita sandwich. (I enjoyed it so much I completely forgot to take a picture!)
I never knew Tokyo had a shopping street where such bustle and daily life mingle
After filling our throats and stomachs with the fresh air at the Roastery Cafe, we headed to our next destination, "Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street."
Located west of Nippori, this street was bustling with people from locals to tourists, and I could feel the vitality of the shopping district.
The first place we visited was "Yanaka Senbei Shinsendo."
Large, thick senbei (rice crackers) of all kinds were lined up in the glass display cases. They all looked so good I wanted to try them all... The sugar-coated one was the popular choice.
Next, we visited "asatte gelato."
We ducked into a back alley where I was surprised to find such a place, but both the shop interior and the backyard were packed with customers enjoying gelato, popsicles, and coffee.
Just like at Shinsendo, there were so many flavors here that I had such a hard time choosing...
Everything looked delicious. It's so cool when people can just decide right away with so many options.
I never knew riding in Tokyo could be this much fun!
Before we knew it, it was time to head back, so we cycled toward Toranomon Hills.
The weather stayed sunny the entire time, and it was a truly pleasant ride.
As I mentioned briefly at the beginning, the roads in Tokyo are really well-maintained. Since there are bicycle lanes everywhere, you can ride with peace of mind.
Because of that, there is already an inherent awareness of riding on the road, and even though road traffic laws are getting stricter, the environment may just be one that allows for adaptation.
And what made me happy was seeing everyone trying out the hand signals I taught them.
Since it requires taking one hand off the bars, I kept saying, "Don't push yourself, just keep an eye on the staff's hand signals!" But despite that, everyone kept the game of "hand signal telephone" going. It made me so happy to see them learning about and experiencing cycling culture.
Tokyo is really interesting because the expression of the city changes every time you ride a little further.
I want to explore Yanaka Ginza more, and there are so many streets I want to take a detour down along the way. (I want to walk around Jimbocho too!)
It was such a fleeting moment that made me think, "I just have to come back to Tokyo to ride again..." 🔥
Maybe a photo-ride would be good for next time. (CAMERIDE in TOKYO? That sounds great! 📷)
After returning to Circles TOKYO, the remaining members had some girl talk. That said, even though we had been having girl talk all day—during lunch, while waiting at signals, and while walking and eating—the topics just never seemed to end. In the end, we had a blast talking about things like "So, which bike are you going to choose?" To everyone who joined the Girls RIDE, Miyaco-san, and the Circles TOKYO team, thank you for the wonderful time! Let's meet again!
We'll wrap it up with some "with BIKE" shots of the girls ⭐️
