日本夏2026年 - Tokyo Bigger Loop

May 29, 2026

Tokyo Bigger Loop - 88 Km

Start 7:24 AM

Finish 2:31 PM

Total Duration 7:09

Moving Time 5:21

Stopped Time 1:48

Ascent 560m

Descent 573m

Tour Total  142 Km

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/386637790

I slept well in my hotel room in Tokyo and woke early, the city already humming. My first stop was Saison—cappuccino and a pan au chocolat—before rolling out into the heat.

The night before, I’d mapped a wide loop to conserve phone battery and push into neighborhoods I hadn’t yet seen. Heading toward the harbor, I passed through Shinagawa and the shrine where I’d welcomed the New Year back in January. From there, the route slipped into a cluster of sleek, sterile office towers before opening onto the waterfront, where artificial islands stitched together by elevated expressways form a kind of concrete archipelago. I traced the shoreline as best I could.

In Ginza, I rode past the Kabukiza Theatre and Tsukiji Hongwan-ji Temple, then crossed the sweeping Tatsumisakura Bridge. As I moved east, the density softened. Much of this land is reclaimed—new developments rising from fill—with parks and athletic complexes tucked between them. One playground featured a giant pink octopus with a slide spilling from its mouth—whimsical, slightly surreal.

The sun was already intense; I stopped to put on sunscreen. By 9 a.m., a few clouds drifted in, softening the light. Hydrangeas in every shade were in full bloom, lining quiet paths through a park of arched bridges and gates. I rode past Tokyo Disneyland and the Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel—the tallest operating Ferris wheel in Japan. 

Pushing farther east, I crossed a succession of broad rivers—the Arakawa, the Kyuedo, the Edo—each contained by tall levees. I followed the Edo upstream into newer residential zones, rows of uniform two-story homes stretching outward. A strong headwind met me there, and in the distance, the Tokyo Skytree hovered like a fixed point on the horizon.

The route dipped back under elevated highways, offering brief shade from the glare. I picked up the Arakawa again, riding into the wind as the sun intensified. Along the levee, crews were assembling temporary seating for the weekend’s Adachi Fireworks Festival.

Eventually, the heat and headwind took their toll. I cut the loop short, heading west through Kita toward Itabashi. Hungry, I stopped at Osakana Shokudo Ma-chan—sashimi to start, miso soup, and a generous slab of grilled salmon topped with roe, all washed down with a cold Kirin. Simple, perfect, and exactly what I needed.

From there, I rode back through Shinjuku, Setagaya, and Meguro, alternating between broad boulevards and narrow, winding paths along quiet streams. I’ve come to prefer Tokyo’s western neighborhoods—older, less polished, and carrying a more relaxed rhythm that feels easier to settle into.