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!

Day 3: Tokyo - Preparations

Woke to an absolutely beautiful day in Tokyo today - blue skies as far as the eye can see, and nice fresh air with just a hint of autumn chill.  A great day for sightseeing, but unfortunately it's going to be a bit of a housekeeping affair. We need to get helmet comms sorted, do some laundry and generally get our shit re-packed for the trudge across town to Japan Bike Rentals. Anyway, before all that could start we headed out for a late breakfast at the local Tully's coffee, partaking of their decidedly Western offerings to go with their western style coffee selection.

Another visit to Tully's coffee for their breakfast set.

French toast, maple syrup and a Mocha with cream. Western decadence.

After breakfast, we walked down to the local laundromat to get our washing done. Noone wanted a pannier stuffed with dirty undies before we even started riding. Located close to Shinjuku-nichome, which we have quickly learned is the gay hub of Tokyo, the laundromat was bound to have at least one be-frocked transvestite. And, well, it did.

Laundromat de-jour.

With our clothes washed and re-packed into our unwieldy luggage, we started the trek across town from Shinjuku to Akasaka and the offices of Japan Bike Rentals. There we were treated to various informations, paid our bonds etc., and took a great deal of time transferring shit to panniers, getting suited up and all that jazz.

The bikes waiting for us at Japan Bike Rentals.

By about 7:30pm we were finally ready to roll out, and our first tentative trip back to Shinjuku was a little nerve-racking, but was ultimately, uneventfully, a success. Once back at N.U.T.S we spent another couple of hours attaching RAM mounts to the bikes for the various cameras we planned on taking.

All that settled, it was time for a quick bite before bed and an early start. We wandered through Shinjuku looking for a place to eat, stopping in two sepatate Okonomiyaki places but finding them "full" (we never learned if they really were). Finally we found ourselves back towards Sinjuku San-Chome and a pretty average Ramen+Gyoza place.

Some very average Ramen and Gyoza.

Bought from this place in Shinjuku-sanchome.

The food wasn't crash hot, but by this stage we weren't feeling all that fussy. We gorged ourselves on gyoza and noodles and wandered back to N.U.T.S; stopping en-route to pick up some tidbits from Lawson (the local convenience chain). Pokari Sweat and chocolate to go! Hey don't judge, we needed the energy for tomorrow's ride. Didn't we?

Day 2: Tokyo - Nakano, Sushi & Shopping

I woke a little under the weather this morning, care of Kirin City and poor judgement. Nothing some Neurofen, Pokari Sweat and hot coffee in a can couldn't fix! We finally dragged ourselves out of the room at 10:00am and headed back down to Shinjuku JR station for breakfast. That turned out to be a combination of toast, mashed potato, cold cuts and boiled egg in a cramped (but very popular) little hole in the wall. Not what I expected, but not bad at all!

Shinjuku JR station breakfast. Watch out for the croissant.

In my ignorance I also grabbed a croissant which seemed to have some kind of custard filling. Not so - it was some kind of cheese squeezed in there. Not cool guys.

After breakfast, we jumped on the JR Chuo line out to Nakano to do some shopping for the family along the Happy Road. Here you can find all kinds of tiny shops, selling speciality items, old retro toys, memorabilia, and in the case of kids (and me too let's face it) heaps of cool otaku shit.

The entrance to the Happy Road, as seen from the Nakano train platform

Following the Happy Road. Otaku wonders await.

We wandered around for a few hours, in and around the rabbit-warren of tiny shops, spread over multiple levels. I picked up a couple of cool little things for the kids, and nearly dropped the hammer on an old (vintage?) Donkey Kong Game and Watch split screen. In the end I walked away, but not without a few longing glances back over my shoulder.

Sushi Train for lunch. Tuna is their speciality!

With our initial shopping forays completed, it was high time for lunch and we headed to a sushi train along the main part of the Happy Road. The sushi was super fresh and the place had a unique method of collecting and delivering special orders. In addition to selecting from the normal sushi train, you simply used the touch screen above your head to select special order dishes, and a sushi Shinkansen brought them from the kitchen to your seat.

Sushi Shinkansen

It was at this stage in proceedings that I made a total tit of myself, mistaking the green tea powder for wasabi and tipping some into my soy. In the end, the nice lady beside me, in a courageous act of selflessness, pointed out what a complete idiot gaijin I was. In the nicest possible way of course :). I think she was just as embarrassed by my stupidity as I was.

Gaijin Noob Mistake #1: Don't put tea powder in your Soy like a dufus 

The sushi train, and the nice woman who schooled me.

Anyway, mistake made, I thanked her profusely, used some powder to make some *tea* (to show I'd learnt my lesson),  and got back to my nagiri. Turns out that this particular place prided themselves on their tuna, and it was pretty fantastic all told.

Tuna was their specialty, and yes - it was pretty great.

With lunch over we said goodbye to the Happy Road and headed back into Shinjuku to search for a few other things Lucas was after for his family. After a bit of running around Shinjuku's business district, and then several Metro rides later, we finally found ourselves back at hotel N.UT.S with time to change and shower before dinner.

At 7pm we met a bunch of folks in Harajuku - workmates and friends of Richard and Lucas, and Sino - a harley rider from Tokyo and friend of Richard's wife. We initially headed to a small local bar for a quick beer before then re-locating to a nearby Yakitori restaurant.

A quick beer before dinner

Having never been to a specialty Yakitori place before, I was amazed by the variety of offerings on the menu. One particular highlight was a set of cherry tomatoes wrapped in pork and bbq'd in salt. Glorious! Most of the dishes were just as amazing, and we spent a few yours yakking, eating and enjoying a few more beers.

Enjoying amazing yakitori

There was one exception though, a yakitori offering containing the notorious Natto - a fermented bean curd that is very popular in Japan. Truth be told, it tastes like all kinds of shit. I managed to choke down a mouthful, but nothing more. Natto be damned!

Natto filled yakitori - tastes like all kinds of shit

At the end of a great night we caught the JR back to Shinjuku, amazed at how dead the place was. Seems like everything was closing up around 11:30pm. WTF? It certainly put pay to our idea of a night cap. Not sure if it had something to do with the fact that it was Halloween - but that seems like a long shot. Anyway, there were a few young things still wandering around in outrageous costumes which was fun to see.

Horrorshow on the streets of Shinjuku

We finally called it a night and headed back to the room to sack out. We're pickup up the bikes tomorrow, so it's all getting pretty exciting.

Day 1: Tokyo - Shinjuku & Shibuya

After months of planning, Lucas Richard and myself finally stepped off the Haneda red-eye at 5:00am this morning and on to Japanese soil. With almost two hours consumed with customs, fighting with Telstra roaming, installing Japanese phone SIMs and other first-world problems, we finally boarded the monorail into the city; switching to the Yamanote line at Hamamatsucho and then on to Shinjuku.

Mono-rail - putting cities like Shelbyville on the map.

The JR Yamanote line, pre-commuter fun.

Luckily it was still too early for the commuters to pack the trains and stations to overflowing - just as well since our bags containing jackets, helmets and boots were pretty large and unwieldy. If I get a chance I need to thank the gods for wheelie bags!

A half an hour stroll from Shinjuku JR station towards Shinjuku San-Chome and we finally located our hotel - Shinjuku City Hotel N.U.T.S and dropped our bags. Unfortunately, Japanese hotels are (in my experience at least) very strict about correct check-in times and in this case N.U.T.S was no exception. We were back out on the street by 8:00am, with instructions to return at 4:00pm.

Just around the corner from the hotel is a beautiful little shrine that we spent a few minutes admiring. The large Buddha in the corner of the small plot was quite impressive, as was the old wooden shrine itself. Truly amazing was the statue covered almost completely in salt - usually used for purifying the spirits.

It's a small shrine with a big buddha near our hotel.

The statue almost covered with salt.

True to form, the Qantas food of the night before had been particularly atrocious. With rumbling stomachs we walked back towards Shinjuku station in search of food. Both Richard and Lucas harboured found memories of a katsu place they remembered from previous lives as ex-pats in Tokyo. Unfortunately, after some time searching, the place remained decidedly un-re-discovered. Finally we decided to head to Shibuya and another place they could recall. Long story short, we finally managed to get some katsu at a nice little place called "Wako", and mighty fine katsu it was too!

Recommended Katsu place "Wako" near Shibuya station.

Tonkatsu. Unbelievably awesome.

Pork katsu (tonkatsu), rice, cabbage and miso made a very nice brunch before, replete and energised, we ventured out into Shibuya for a little sightseeing and shopping. The crowds were slowly starting to emerge into the streets as we wandered around. I was starting to bitterly rue my decision to bring only my motorcycle boots on this trip and nothing else. What the hell was I thinking?

We stopped at statue of famous Shibuya dog Hachikō (a sad story), elbowing our way into a photo op before continuing across the landmark Shibuya crossing and into the side-streets.

The statue  of Hachikō near Shibuya station. 

The famous Shibuya crossing, with citizens now out in force.

Shibuya back streets

Finally, our wandering brought us to the Tokyo Hands Shibuya Store where we whiled away a couple of hours browsing the wares. It was during this time my feet finally gave out and I ducked into ABC Mart Shibuya to buy a pair of new Converse. Phew! My feet are already thanking me.

Pokari Sweat and Converse Shoes to the rescue.

With shoes purchased and a bottle of Pokari Sweat in hand, we made our way back on the Yamanote line to Shinjuku for coffee. Avoiding the many Star-fucks franchises that seem to have polluted this part of the world, we ended up in a Tully's Coffee for a well earned rest. Sucking on Grande mochas (which exceeded this coffee snob's expectations with flying colours), we rested our weary legs, loaded up on sugar, and bided our time until checkin.

Finally we gained access to our room, and after a long awaited soak in the deep bath (separately!!) we ventured out into Shinjuku to sample the nightlife. First we headed to a tiny place close to the hotel for some pork ramen and gyoza. The food was great, the smokers a few tables down not so great.

Ramen bar for dinner

Pork Ramen and Gyoza.

Totally stuffed, we then wandered the streets around Shinjuku Kabuki-cho, checking out the seedy neon drenched streets and being hassled by huge black dudes touting girls, boys and whatever else we desired inbetween.

Shinjuku Kabuki-cho looks nice, but is seedy as hell.

They got a bit annoying after a while to tell you the truth - I need to perfect my 'don't even fucking speak to me' face. Anyway, it's something for me to practice when I'm back home ;). Finally, we left the seedier side of Shinjuku and decided to plant our arses at Kirin City for a couple of quiet drinks.

Kirin City - where everybody knows your name.

The beer was really great, even though the middle aged woman on the table next to us drank me under the table. It was really nice to just sit and watch some Japanese kicking back and enjoying themselves.

After a few beers it was finally time to call it a night. Thanks Tokyo for a great first day.