Searching For Arakawa Ride
November 14, 2007 · Print This Article
The weather was just too beautiful to ignore today. Having zero afternoon lessons, upon returning from my morning lesson, I kicked off on the Trek in search of a land route via Tokyo Station to Arakawa River. I came up just short of laying eyes on the river.
…I first headed down Koshu Kaido to the Imperial Palace and my eyes felt great pleasure to coast by the moat and gaze upon the yellow leaves of the tall trees lining the descending circular road. … I had glanced at directions and a map before leaving my apartment, so I knew I needed to spin off the Imperial Palace at a tangent on its eastern side. I did this, and then somewhat blindly road on. I made a few prescient turns and found myself going through Jimbocho past my very favorite outdoor gear store in Japan and then on to Nishi-Nippori Station which I knew was along the correct way to Arakawa.
…I rode slowly through a graveyard in the midst of tree cover. I spied some kind of educational lecture being giving by one of the tombs, children riding bikes in the opposite direction to me, and some possible mourners dressed smartly in all black. I searched their faces for grief, and did not see any. Perhaps the person who passed had lived a full life and need not be mourned in the usual manner.
…After using instinct to navigate through Arakawa City, and finding another river, I sought confirmation of my instinct at a local koban (police box). They showed me a map and I was already on the right road and going in the right direction to make it directly to Arakawa. They told me it was still 3km ahead. Time was already growing late, so I aborted from that point, but knowing I could have found it was good enough for me this time.
…I had earlier come across Meiji Dori, and after backtracking my way to it, I rode it all the way home. It was the best 2-hours I’ve spent on a weekday afternoon in a long, long time.
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