Beyond Toyosu Water Night Ride

Finally, a return to riding after a several week lay-off due to various reasons (weather, work, fate). Having falling into a trance listening to Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” some 13+ times since last night, I again listened to that song twice before heading out tonight. Up until the last minute I wasn’t sure where I would ride to, but ended up taking a route I first learned about upon seeing a map of a huge route a student had road as part of some Tokyo cycling event a few weeks ago. It took me a familiar way first, down Koshu Kaido to the Imperial Palace where I made a tangent off the east side of Tokyo station that brought me, surprisingly, immediately through the heart of Ginza. This was a large multiple lane road and seeing a sign that said “Toyosu” and “Harumi” straight ahead, that jogged my memory as the direction I should be going to make it to my goal of crossing over parts of Tokyo Bay.

…After getting through Ginza the road was largely free of traffic and nice and wide for riding pleasantly down, though I was grinding as hard as I could, propelled onward by many things. Then not long I saw a bridge ahead, just a medium sized one, but I was excited to cross it under it’s switching overhead supports. Then shortly after that a very large bridge loomed ahead, here the road was virtually empty, so I felt safe to ride on the car lanes on the bridge itself rather than riding up the generous pedestrian sidewalk. … It was well-paved, so I rolled up it smoothly and nearly silently, and behold! … And more landmarks were to be seen from there, including Tokyo Tower, and the large ferris wheel out near Odaiba. And then there was the dark water of the bay itself.

…I continued a few minutes over the bridge, but I had already ridden the amount of time I set out to, and things looked a little desolate ahead, so I turned around and road up the east span of the bridge, stopping on the apex of the bridge in a small outcropping made especially for people to take in the view. … The bridge was not that high, and it was hard to estimate its height in the mysterious darkness, but looking down straight into the dark water, I felt it calling to me, making me believe the drop was only some 20 feet, and why not jump in? … I had to pull myself from the edge, for I even felt a bit of vertigo, which I never do, having gazed unblinkingly into the abyss of the Grand Canyon before (sans guard rail).

…I left abruptly, and made much better time on the return ride home than I did getting to that unknown spot. Other things of note from this ride was the impressive presence the new Peninsula Hotel has in Marunouchi poised on its corner. … Another thing is that there are a lot of taxis in Ginza at 11:30pm!

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• Sotobori Dori to Harumi Dori Day Cycling
• Back in the fast lane of cycling around the Imperial Palace
• Mello ride around the Imperial Palace in a light rain