Property ads in Hatsudai and Hatagaya, immediately west of central Tokyo's Shinjuku Station, often trumpet the fact that it's possible to "commute by bike" to the neighboring hub.
Last year that ride became a little bit easier, when the so-called Kyu-Tamagawa Suido Road, running ramrod straight from western Shinjuku, through Hatsudai, Hatagaya and out to Suginami Ward, was selected as one of 98 "model districts" around the country where dedicated bike lanes would be established.
The road now sports a blue-painted, 1.5-meter-wide strip on each side that is, at least in theory, reserved for bicycles.