End of the Road

Today, I started off on the final ride of my journey at around 430am. In order to get to Asakusa, I would need to go down national highway #20 which would bring me through Shinjuku, the heart of Tokyo, so I figured, its best if I started out early.

It was around 530am by the time I got to Shinjuku station and already, the crowds were starting to appear. Another 30 minutes and I bet it would have been impossible to cycle there!

Outside JR Shinjuku station at 530am

Continuing east along national highway #20, I enter Chiyoda ward which is also the area where the Imperial Palace complex is located. This area was relatively quiet even at around 8 plus in the morning. The park around the palace complex was a nice place for a run so I could see quite a number of joggers there for their pre-work exercise. Overall, it was a very pleasant area to cycle past as I headed for Tokyo station.

East wall of the Imperial Palace complex

The rest of the way to Asakusa was easy and hassle-free. I just followed the signboards which led me straight to Asakusa station and Komagata bridge.

In front of Nihonbashi

I got to Khaosan Annex Hostel at around 7am and Eugene wasn`t due to arrive here for another 3 hours. Yiwei and Amy were both at Tsukiji Fish Market, so I had a couple hours to burn before everyone got here and we could set off for Nikko. So, I retired my bike and packed it into my rinko-bukuro (bikebag) in preparation for the flight home.

I have officially completed my Length of Japan trip!

Total distance = 2,089.10km

Finally, my bike gets to rest after 2,089.1km

By the time everyone met up and we got ready to leave for Nikko, it was almost noontime. The train ride to Tobu-Nikko station took almost 3 hours and by the time we got to Nikko Park Lodge where we would be staying for the next few days, it was about 3pm. Leaving our luggage, we took off for Toshogu Shrine, Nikko`s most famous shrine.

Nikko is Nippon!

Unfortunately, the Toshogu shrine area closed at around 5pm so we decided to visit the main shrine tomorrow evening. Instead, we took a short walk around the temple grounds which was open 24 hours.

The Torii leading to the main Toshogu Shrine

The 5-Storey Pagoda at the entrance of Toshogu Shrine

Taking a break from all the walking

We left the temple grounds at around 5 plus and went to a little eatery in Nikko town for dinner. The yakitori was alright but not very authentic - quite different from what I had in Kyushu with Shinji-san. Anyways, there wasn`t much to do at night in Nikko, so we bought some snacks and went back to Nikko Park Lodge for an early night.