Beautiful Tokyo

I can say a lot of things about Tokyo, but one thing that I would have trouble saying is that it is a beautiful city. Tokyo, at least the part that I experienced, is a crowded, hazy, gray-scaled cement city. Nature plays a very small role here. I don’t think I have mentioned yet, but the most common birds found in Tokyo are not pigeons like in NYC, but giant (the size of small dogs), mangy, black crows. These crows with their long, sharp beaks and fierce, murderous caws were frightening at first to say they least. They fly up to the roof and land with such thuds and scufflings that when I first arrived I was sure that someone was breaking into the house. After a while, these crows became just another part of my life here. However, when I look back on Tokyo and try to imagine trees or grass or anything that could resemble “nature” the image of a beady-eyed, Poe-esque crow flashes into my mind sending a quick chill down my spine. Luckily, at the end of our trip, I was able to add another more happy memory to my mental catalogue of Tokyo nature experiences.

I was elated when Jonathan decided to end his internship a week before we left Tokyo.
Jonathan and I had spent few day-light hours exploring Tokyo together, and of course, this time off would allow us to finish our Tokyo trip with a bang. Monday morning we woke up early. Jonathan snuck out of the house while I was still in bed and brought home a bagel breakfast (he’s still very romantic.) Over breakfast we consulted our many travel guide books for some new adventure in Tokyo. When we came across a country bike ride through a nature sanctuary by a river, it was obvious that the choice was already made. Jonathan rode a bike everyday of his mission. Before we even left for Japan, he told me how he wanted us to spend the day riding bikes so I would know what it was like to be a missionary in Japan. I was always skeptical about this idea for several reasons, but mostly because I haven’t ridden a bike in at least 10 years and I don’t like to show my wimpy-ness in front of my ex-Army husband. The trip sounded so perfect though that I pushed my pride aside and we set out on our adventure.

We rode the train for about an hour to get outside the Tokyo metro area. Although still in Tokyo, the difference between the metro area and where we were now was staggering. Business suits and high- heels were replaced with jeans and sneakers. The price of apples was just $1.50 instead of $3.00 each. And instead of tall cement buildings, there were small ramshackled businesses as far as the eye could see. We rented bicycles for $5.00 and set out on our adventure. We had to ride our bikes through the streets before we would make it to the bike trail, causing me quite a bit of anxiety as I wobbly started peddling. The smirks from pedestrians were blatant as children and grandmas alike dove out of my way as I rung the little warning bell on my handlebars. There is not room for mistakes on Tokyo’s busy streets and sidewalks, which meant that if I was on the sidewalk, everyone else had to get off. After about 20 minutes I got used to my little Japanese bike, and was having a great time maneuvering through the many obstacles of the city.

It didn’t take long to get to the bike trail. I was amazed with the greenery and the enormous trees of the sanctuary. Tokyo’s warm and rainy climate makes it the perfect environment for lush green foliage, something easily forgotten after spending days and days in the middle of the city. Although it was hot and humid like any other day in Tokyo, as we cut through the air on our bikes the wind cooled us and made the physical exertion less of an exercise and more of a lovely outing. Peddling along on my bike, Jonathan just a few yards ahead, I felt so content and at ease. This is a feeling also easily forgotten in a city where millions of people surround you at all times. As we took our time, enjoying the scenery and each other, I felt like life should have more experiences like these.

We rode our bikes for about 2 hours stopping for the occasional photo-op or to cool our feet in the river. Our destination was a large shrine at the end of the sanctuary and up a steep hill. When we reached the hill we abandoned or bikes and hiked to the top. Now hot, sweaty, and exhausted we ate a small picnic and explored the heavily shaded shrine and surrounding shops. We found a shop that allowed us to paint our own piece of pottery, which they would fire for us in about 20 minutes. Since pottery had been the theme of our trip (all of our souvenirs are pieces of pottery), we decided to try our hand at imitating the Japanese esthetic. Let’s just say painting pottery is harder than it looks.

We made our trip back to the bike rental shop in one hour instead of two. As we sat down on the train on our way home, my bum was embarrassingly sore. Jonathan and I were exhausted and I fell asleep on his shoulder on the train. Jonathan was right. Japan does look very different from the seat of a bicycle.

Newest item on McDonald's $.99 menu in Japan. I can't tell you how many Japanese people I saw walking by this sign while making "mmm..." noises.
Jonathan looks good on a bike with a basket.