An odd one

Lyam · Spanner Monkey Joined: 06 Apr 2011 Karma :

Ok seen a sale on the luthansa airlines website and managed to get tokyo for 400 return!!, possibly thinking of renting a bike or car when im there whatever cheapest and weather dependant.

Anyone ever been to tokyo or japan how are the moutain roads are they good enough to warrant me hiring a bike and all the gear?

Wafer_Thin_Ham · Super Spammer Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Karma :

Kawashima's a local, hopefully he'll be along in a bit.
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Rikimaru · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 25 Mar 2011 Karma :

Mountain toads out there are awesome. Lived out there for 10 years (western Tokyo) and had (still have, shipped it back with me) an Impreza STi Type RA and spent a lot o time in the mountains around Tokyo.

Plenty of decent mountains close to Tokyo. Hakone is the obvious place but personally prefer to drive around Okutama as less traffic and some really decent roads that go for miles and are very twisty. Can give you more info if you want it. Best place for me though would be Nagano. Some great roads and some of the most stunning countryside I have seen anywhere in the world.

Car hire is simple enough, and can be pretty cheap. Used to hire cars from Orix for long journeys (to far north of Japan for example) as RA would just be too expensive. As for bike hire, not too sure but It's something I wish I had done in my time there. Whether you get a car or bike you'll have a blast. Japan is an awesome place and I often regret leaving.

Rikimaru · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 25 Mar 2011 Karma :

Here are a few pics and a vid of the mountain roads around (technically in) Tokyo. This is Okutama and the road I'm on was an old toll road that went for miles with no junctions at all, absolutely brilliant bit of road. Not far from here there is also a parking area where car and bike meets happen almost daily and I usually stopped for a chat.

https://img90.imageshack.us/img90/4640/img0205sz.jpg
The road

https://img684.imageshack.us/img684/4620/img0210lo.jpg
The view

https://img829.imageshack.us/img829/3642/img0216ww.jpg
The car

This vid is actually me driving up Mount Fuji but gives you an idea;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDoDSXauHsE

Also, if you're into cars I strongly recommend you check out Daikokufuto in Yokohama. This was us driving round Tokyo and attending a huge Impreza meet there;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82KBqC2G6sA