Cycling between Tokyo and Saitama (09/07/2024)

Two years ago, in replacing my rusty bicycle, I switched to a cross bike.

I looked for a good bike path around my house and found that I could ride most of the way between my current residence and my parents' house in Saitama along the river.

I decided to cycle between the eastern part of Tokyo's 23 wards and the western part of Saitama, a distance of about 50-70 km one way.

The first time I cycled, I took the Arakawa Cycling Road and the Irumagawa Cycling Road.

I am not sure if this shortened link is valid, and it is not relevant to the main point of this story, but I think the route was approximately as follows.

<https://maps.app.goo.gl/SpjkVjLCKPUJDbC79>

Google Maps' bicycle route search function is easy to use when pulling a route along a river or through a city.

The starting point, arrival point, and relay point can be selected from the map or adjusted by drag-and-drop.

Although the system sometimes leads you to roads that can only be traveled by cars, it is sufficient as a tentative guide for a route, as you can always consult other sources of information when traveling on roads where it is difficult to find alternative routes.

On the Arakawa Cycling Road section, there are rest areas and public toilets where you can drink sterilized water that is suitable for drinking about 20 km from the lower reaches of the Arakawa River.

Both the left and right banks of the Arakawa River are paved with asphalt, which is safe and easy to see at speeds of 20 to 30 km/h, with almost no automobile traffic. The road on the right bank is wider and has fewer branches.

It takes longer because you have to go up the bank, but it is easy to reach restaurants and convenience stores if you go a little off the riverside path.

Starting from Kasai Rinkai Park, the first hour or so takes me past the Iwabuchi Water Gate, where I buy a light meal at a 7-Eleven in Iwabuchi, Kita-ku, Tokyo.

The lower reaches of the Arakawa River are in good condition for the reason that the area up to Sasame Bridge is maintained as an “emergency riverbed road".

However, there have been collisions between bicyclists and users of golf courses and baseball fields on this road, suggesting the possibility of restricting bicycle use of the road.

(In 1993, the Arakawa Karyu River Office established a rule that bicyclists should slow down when pedestrians are around.)

The Iruma River Cycling Road section, on the other hand, separates the bicycle path from the pedestrian path.

The Iruma River Bicycle Path section has no complaints except that when it rains, water seeps from the banks and the road surface gets wet for several days.

Since I only ride my bicycle for transportation, there is not much to say about the bicycle path along the river.

In summer, the temperature often rises above 35 degrees Celsius, and we take breaks under bridges where cars and trains run.

The most dangerous things on my bicycle were pigeons, turtles, dogs, children, and joggers.