Bicycles on board the Shinkansen
For those that have not traveled on Japan's Shinkansen, it is spacious, clean, very smooth and super fast. Some have cart service with food, snacks and drink but most of the time commuters purchase a bento meal at or near the station.
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| Shinkansen from Nagoya to Odawara |
Getting aboard the Shinkansen with your bicycle is a complicated affair. You must disassemble it so that when it is fully bagged, the bicycle must fit in the space behind the last three seats in the rear of the car. (basically remove front wheel and maybe handlebar/pedals). Because the environment, station, train and commuters are very clean, the bicycle needs to be as fully covered as possible. You must inform the ticket agent that you have a bicycle ('Jitensha') and will be charged accordingly. The ticket price varies according to distance traveled, reserved/non reserved and sometimes class. There are smoking and non-smoking cars. You will hand your ticket to the gate agent and use the wide ticket gate usually on the far right side to get your bicycle through to the platform. The platform usually has numerical signs associated to the number on the train car which will also be annotated on your ticket. If you are not sure, have your ticket in hand and ask a platform agent. A reserved seat will usually have you seated in front of or very near your bicycle.
Keep in mind that the Shinkansen is on a very tight schedule so boarding and disembarking must be done in a timely manner. Having panniers and bags will have you hustling to get all your things so it is important to prepare ahead of time. For example, I have my rear panniers and front drybags lashed together with several fastex straps. Sometimes I can fashion the straps into a backpack harness. Quite a few Japanese cyclist have opted for folding or compact bicycles which require minimal disassembly and take up very little space on the train as well as in the garage or house.
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| Shinkansen Nagoya to Odawara |
So, I got onboard the Shinkansen to relax for the short ride which would take several hours. It was overcast and got thicker as the day progressed and was unfortunate as I had hoped in missing seeing Fuji-san from afar on bicycle, (I climbed Mt Fuji and saw my gorraiko in 2014) I might see it from the train. It was not meant to be. A bit sad, I nonetheless enjoyed the ride into Odawara.
At Odawara I disembarked, reassembled my bicycle and rode 17 km on newly paved roads to my AirBnB at dusk. I had the hardest time finding it as the house was in the center of a group of houses with a small path going out towards the street and the map apps had the location in the wrong place. With the exception of a few missing cooking utensils, It was a very nice place including very high speed internet. After two nights I left late Sunday morning thanking my very gracious host.
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| Self-made meal |
The above was made from groceries at the local market my first night. Not as tasty lacking any spices and creativity but having the nutrients that I craved. The 'dog food' like substance was Hormels from a can.
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| Conveyor belt sushi |
The next night I ate a little better. My cycle tourist friend treated me to a Conveyor belt sushi place. It was very different, fun and much more flavorful! The prices weren't too bad either.
I pedaled off late Sunday morning following a shoreside bikepath with trees on both sides. I made good time until pedestrian traffic all of a sudden got so dense I nearly ran down a beautiful Labrador retriever. There was apparently a large festival by the harbor and the streets, sidewalks and paths were full of people, families and even surfers cycling to the beach with their boards on special mounts. I turned north away from the festival and took the first main street east to rendezvous with my friend. He then lead me North and we finally arrived in Fuchu late in the evening but not before I returned the dinner favor and treated him to lunch earlier at Denny's. Denny's in Japan though having the similar 'look' to what we are familiar with in the US has a menu which is eastern influenced and incredibly tasty. I had 'Karaage' which was Japanese styled, very tender, white meat fried chicken.
I pedaled off late Sunday morning following a shoreside bikepath with trees on both sides. I made good time until pedestrian traffic all of a sudden got so dense I nearly ran down a beautiful Labrador retriever. There was apparently a large festival by the harbor and the streets, sidewalks and paths were full of people, families and even surfers cycling to the beach with their boards on special mounts. I turned north away from the festival and took the first main street east to rendezvous with my friend. He then lead me North and we finally arrived in Fuchu late in the evening but not before I returned the dinner favor and treated him to lunch earlier at Denny's. Denny's in Japan though having the similar 'look' to what we are familiar with in the US has a menu which is eastern influenced and incredibly tasty. I had 'Karaage' which was Japanese styled, very tender, white meat fried chicken.
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