Located at Sangenjaya, Tokyo, this university accepts students from various countries. The bike tours organized as one of university’s activities.
On the day of tours, about 15 students including staff really enjoyed cycling under the sunny spring sky.
We visited some Japanese traditional site such as temples, shrines, but what we really enjoyed was wonderful Sakura, cherry blossoms which fully bloomed.
Sakura usually blooms about only 2 weeks from the end of Mar. to the beginning of Apr., so that it must has been the perfect time to see Sakura for us.
Blooming Sakura is going to finish now, but spring is the best time to cycle on backstreets in Tokyo.
They are from various countries and study in Japan, and we organized a private tour for them as one of the activities of students.
We started walking through the central Asakusa, then eventually went into inside of the town.
It was so chilly day, but it gradually became to be warmer.
Some of them bought amulets and drew a fortune telling.
When we visited the Usijima shrine (牛嶋神社), we saw a group of police station nearby. They prayed the safety of their mission through 2021 not only for policemen but also police vehicles.
We hope they enjoyed our walking tour, and have a happy new year 2021.
You may know “Okonomiyaki” , a kind of pancakes, contains various ingredients such as meat, fish, vegetables. You can eat it at almost all areas in Japan, but this is something special. Enjoy the video!
If you are a ramen lover, joining a guided tour might be a good option. Brian, an American guy living in Tokyo, has organized ramen tours for a long time and has a good reputation. After I met him in Shinjuku, I visited a ramen restaurant which he recommended. “Nagi” serves fine ramen with niboshi, a kind of dried sardine. It was fantastic!
We Tokyo Backstreets Bike Tour have bike tours in the north part of Tokyo, including Asakusa, Yanaka, but if you wish to see rather the west, you can join the DIG TOKYO TOURS. This tour is operated by Andy, Australian guy. He has been in Japan so long time so that he knows the backstreets of this area as well as streetfoods. His base is located near the Koenji railway station, where young people love to live because there are a lot of lovely second-hand clothes shops, Izakaya bars, restaurants and so on.
I had a hamburger stake for lunch after I visited Andy in Koenji. It cost only 680 JPY, less than 7 USD!
This area is sometimes called “City of rock music”, because there are a few live houses. If you dream to be a Japanese rock star, it might be ideal place to live!
Shaved ice, known as “Kakigōri” in Japan, is a popular summer treat in Tokyo. It is finely shaved ice, typically flavored with syrup and sometimes topped with condensed milk, fruit, or other sweet toppings.
There are a few shops serving fine shaved ices around Asakusa, where we usually cycle, but they are often too busy. So, we avoid such tourstic shops, and take you to rather good ones locals love to visit.
This temple is a part of Sensoji, founded in 595. There are many images of a “daikon (Japanese radish)” and a pouch in the temple. The daikon represents our minds trapped in deep ignorance, emanating poison of anger, but off by a daikon to temple, that poison will be removed from our The pouch is a symbol of treasure, and it represents the gift of prosperity in business. There is a beautiful garden, which is authentic Japanese style, in the temple. You can ride a small transportation (like a train) to go to the main building instead of walking up stairs.
Matsuchiyama Shoden temple
・Imado shrine（今戸神社）
Founded in 1063, this shrine is now a “Power spot”, that is popular for people who want lovers or marriage partners. (Power Spot = Sacred place) Beckoning Cat, Fortune Cat We say believing beckoning cats are great fortune, such as business prosperity, family happiness. Cat’s left paw brings many customers. Right paw brings money.
Imado shrine
・Shaved ice shops
We will visit 2 of them below, depended on availability. We may visit other shops.
