Despite long-standing conflicts between cyclists and others with a stake in using Tokyo's streets, Japan's capital can be a great place to tour by bike — as I discovered last weekend while participating in the "Tokyo Great Cycling Tour," a one-day guided trip organized by Tokyo-based operator Alive and Kicking Co.
On that cool autumn morning, I arrived at 9:30 at the city-center starting point outside the Marunouchi Hotel beside JR Tokyo Station. There, I found five brightly colored city bikes neatly lined up next to the hotel entrance, and very soon the day's four cycle-tourists and TGCT guide Carlos materialized beside them. After Carlos, who works for a shipping company during the week and volunteers to lead these tours on weekends, fitted each of us with a helmet, we set off on the day's 30-km trek.
In the next six hours, I was amazed at the variety of sights to be seen and activities to be enjoyed with the help of a bike. From the Marunouchi business district it was only a few minutes' ride to Nihonbashi, home to the imposing 113-year-old, stone-and-brick Bank of Japan and other landmark buildings.