Day 12: Hakone to Tokyo

We woke this morning, our last day on the bikes, to the sounds of birds singing, and somewhere downstairs hipster backpackers were splitting lentils or cooking socks or whatever it is that backpackers do each morning. Through the window came glorious sunshine from a clear, bright blue sky. We get one more day of perfect weather to close out this adventure!

With no breakfast on offer at Hakone Tent, we quickly packed up, jumped on the bikes and headed back to the lakeside town of Motohakone for breakfast. Unfortunately, we got there a little early for any of the real eateries to be open, so we had to settle for 7-Eleven fare. At least the view of Fuji-san as we sat and ate was worth the effort.

7-Eleven breakfast by Ashinoko (Lake Ashi) in Motohakone.

After breakfast, our plan today is to transfer from Motorhakone to the two Skyliners to the east of Fuji-san - the Ashinoko Skyline and the Hakone Skyline. After the Skyliners get our blood pumping for the day, we need to jump on the Tomei expressway for the burn back to Tokyo in time to return our bikes to Japan Bike Rentals in Akasaka.

The route for today - Skyliners and then burn back to Tokyo.

The Skyliners were a hoot as always, and the weather really did them justice. The first - the Ashinoko Skyline - was by far the best with a new surface, sweeping curves, and views of Fuji-san from it's apex. Unfortunately the clouds were blowing almost constantly across Fuji-san and an unobscured view was impossible. Apparently this is *nearly* always the case.

Fuji-san from the top of the Ashinoko Skyliner.

The Hakone Skyliner was good but not a patch on the Ashinoko. The surface was a little cracked in places and wet leaves had collected in many corners. Some care was needed in picking the correct line so as not to slip. Still, the scenery was amazing as always which more than made up for any reduction in riding excitement.

Riding the Hakone Skyline.

With the Skyliners providing our adreneline kick for the day, it was time to turn our thoughts to the real business of the day and the Tomei expressway back to Tokyo. We dutifully climbed the on-ramp and throttled up to the 80 km/h speed limit where we stayed for the next hour and a half. I don't really need to explain how mind numbingly boring the trip was.

Riding the Tomei expressway out of Hakone.

Half way to Tokyo we stopped for lunch at a truck-stop on the expressway. There was no ramen on offer so I allowed myself to be sated with udon and tempura. Yes, it's a tough life, I know.

Truckstop Udon on the Tomei.

Our bellies filled and bladders emptied, back on the bikes we climbed for the final leg of our 9-day motorcycle odyssey. As we reached Tokyo, we transferred from the Tomei to the dreaded Shuto Expressway; the road that had proven so perilous on our outward journey.

An exit map for the Shuto. No wonder it gives me cold sweats.

This time our worries were unfounded. We soon exited the Shuto (under the watchful guidance of the GPS) and rode through the Tokyo inner city towards Akasaka. As a bonus, our route took us through the middle of Shibuya, and it was awesome to ride through the Shibuya Crossing we had visited on foot nearly 2 weeks ago.

Motoring through Shibuya Crossing. Heeyah!

In no time at all we had reached Akasaka. We refuelled the bikes and then arrived at Japan Bike Rentals at around 1:30pm. We were in point of fact 3 and a half hours too early to return the bikes, but that 3 hours was our built-in buffer against navigation mishaps.

Back safe and sound to Japan Bike Rentals, Akasaka.

We said a final farewell to our trusty steads, unpacked all our shit from the panniers, and moved it into the flat above the Japan Bike Rentals office. This will be our accommodation for our last 2 nights in Tokyo.

After a bit of a relax and readjustment, Richard left to meet a friend in the city and Lucas and I decided to seek out some good Tonkatsu in nearby Roppongi. We sauntered the 15 minutes from Akasaka to Rappongi with no particular destination in mind and just wandered around a bit.

Out in Roppongi for Tonkatsu.

With google's help we eventually identified the top rated Tonkatsu restaurant in Roppongi and walked in that direction. Having to wait until it opened at 6pm, we sat in a nearby bar and downed a couple of Lemon Shochu; a drink to which I am quickly becoming addicted. Finally we grabbed a table at the restaurant "Butagumi" and were treated to an amazing Tonkatsu indeed.

The best Tonkatsu in Roppongi - so says the interweb, and so says me.

After dinner we slowly walked back to Akasaka, admiring the sights and sounds that Roppongi has to offer. With our last day of riding over, I'm now more tired than I can express in words. All of that pent up nervous energy is gone leaving only bone weariness. But I am very, very happy with what we were able to accomplish. We travelled over 1500 kms and out of 9 days riding we got 8 days with perfect weather. You can't ask for better than that!