[2019-10-07]
Again, I found myself full of fear, on the verge of being alone again, this time for good, at least until the end of October, when I planned to meet my friend in Osaka.
Also, again, anxious; with doubts on my journey, my bike, me.
I wasn’t ready yet (mentally). It was Monday and my friend had to leave for work, so it was inevitable. And before I had time to think, I found myself, again, against my bike.
Before leaving, (learning from my last ride) I pulled further out the saddle from the bike body, even if I was told not to do that because it was already at the recommended limit; but I knew for sure that my knees wouldn’t let me complete my journey otherwise.
I left my friend’s building but stopped at the first park I found. I had to relax, breathe, and think for some minutes. After drinking a lot of water and planning my best route, I ventured on a ride of around 50 kilometers.
First, I headed South seeking for the Tama, a wide river that shapes the south edge of Tokyo, from the far west to the center.
I enjoyingly rode on a bike lane that ran through the bank of the peaceful river. I came across other riders and many people exercising; everyone nicely greeted me.
Some hours had passed and many kilometers until I decided to rest and enjoy something I had bought for lunch. I found a big area, beside the road, with restrooms and vending machines.
I seized the moment and did a video call with my mom; I almost cried during the call; I was scared, and I was missing everyone already, but I didn’t want to worry her.
I continued the course, following the river until it turned south to flow into the bay. So, I kept going east, again into the city streets, between some neighborhoods. I wasn’t aware that Tokyo was so hilly; I came against some arduous sections that I regretted climbing on that bike.
Minutes later, I was experiencing one of my fears: after the overexertion, I ended up with pain in my right knee, so I had to slow down a bit.
My plan for that night was to camp in Tokyo to start my real journey the following morning.
In major cities, it is pretty rare to find any campsite; even worse, near the center. But Tokyo is the exception. If you enjoy camping or are going on a journey like mine, it helps to know that there are two campsites on the southeast side of the city.
I rode to the nearest one, at Jonanjima Seaside Park. To get to it, you have to cross a big industrial area, so you should be following some map because it’s hard to find the way between the factories, the big trucks, and a full of containers landscape.
The other one is in Wakasu Seaside Park, although, according to Google, the camping grounds are temporally closed (2022). They are relatively near.
The night stay at Jonanjima Camping Ground cost me ¥600 (~$5usd), and I learned something right away: the most important thing is to carry enough food for the night and maybe something for the morning. When I arrived there, all the park stores were closed; only were vending machines with beverages and ice creams, and the nearest konbini, was a bit far away.
Then, I discovered another feature/curse of that place: it is too close to Haneda Airport. That was great for plane sighting and taking photos, but not for sleep, with planes passing over every five minutes. It was so much noise; maybe the other campsite would have been better, but when I realized that it was already too late.
At one moment in the night, I had to move everything under some roof because it heavily rained; but besides the food issue or the noise, I enjoyed my time there. It felt completely different from camping in a public park. There were more people around camping; I just didn’t feel like an outsider doing weird things.
When I woke up the following morning, I noticed two new tents near mine; they should have arrived in the middle of the night. I understood that, although these places have a closing time, they aren’t really closed; Japan being so safe, there were no gates, no fence; the only issue was that, early in the morning, a person from the site woke them up, asking for the staying fee.
They were a couple from the Czech Republic; and were also traveling by bike and camping on the way, although they had a different destination; but as always, they were shocked hearing my plans and see my bike. But at the same time, they gave me reassurance. They were having a really great time on their journey, full of great experiences, from the people and the landscapes.
I packed everything, enjoyed the view of the sea for some minutes, and took the opportunity to get some photos of landing planes. Then, relieved and encouraged, I was ready to start, at last, my long-awaited adventure.
Don‘t hesitate to ask any questions in the comments below.
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