Last month I used the stimulus money I got from the Japanese government to buy myself a new bicycle.
I wanted to get a proper road bike so that I could keep up with my husband, Seiya, when we ride together. So, it seemed that the natural choice would be to get the same kind of bike that he has: a Raleigh CRF.
This is the most money I have ever spent on a bicycle by far, but I have to say it was totally worth it. I love my bike so much and I am planning on taking very good care of it so that I can ride it for many years to come.
Since it is the rainy season in Tokyo now, we haven’t been able to go out as much as we would like to. However, we have gone on a few long rides in the area, mostly along the Tamagawa River.
Most recently, we rode to Haneda Airport. Since travel is still being largely restricted in Japan due to the pandemic, the area near the airport was not crowded at all and was in fact ideal for cycling.
We enjoyed watching the Tokyo Monorail go by and we stopped several times to take pictures and videos of it.
We brought our handmade masks with us and we wore them most of the time. We did pull them down/take them off a few times when there were no people around just to make breathing a bit easier and to drink water.
It started to get pretty hot on our way back home, which led to taking this picture of Seiya being dramatic about his mask 😆
In all seriousness, though… If you are exercising outdoors this summer, do be careful about your mask. Heatstroke is a real risk here in Japan where humidity levels are quite high in the summer. If you are unable to avoid being close to others or if you are indoors, you should wear a mask. If you are outdoors and there are not a lot of people around, I would still recommend having one on hand just in case but you don’t need to have it on the whole time.
And don’t forget to drink a lot of water! We ran out on the way back and had to stop by Family Mart to get some more. We were also really hungry so we bought some jelly, which is one of our favorite to-go snacks as it’s so easy to eat and fits in my pocket. It’s also vegan-friendly and includes 12 different vitamins including B-12!
After we got home, we were still starving so I made some delicious vegan okonomiyaki! If you’re interested in the recipe, please leave me a comment and maybe I’ll write my next post about it!
That’s all for today’s post! I am looking forward to having many adventures on my new bicycle this summer and beyond. Happy cycling 🙂
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