Tokyo Cycling Routes: ‘Shinjuku Sprint’

(Metropolis Magazine)

We asked Tokyo cycling experts Chad Feyen and Brad Bennett for their favorite cycling routes across Tokyo, from leisurely park runs for easygoing newbies to thigh-burning, X-Game-level slaloms for adrenaline junkies.

In this post, follow Bennett’s intense “Shinjuku Sprint.” “This route is not fun,” Bennett says, “but you will get to Shinjuku quick. A helmet will make you feel somewhat safer on this one – adrenaline junkies will love it.” Follow either via Google Maps on your phone as you ride or on our site before you head out.

(Tokyo Cycling Routes: “Shinjuku Sprint”)

Route length: 4.1km

From: Sasazuka

To: Shinjuku Gyoen

1. LUG

(LUG)

Meet up with other cyclists here at the start of your journey. It’s the perfect place for a quick snack, cup of joe or a full sit-down meal. Chill with your friends, have coffee dates or dinner outings, LUG brings everyone together. Baby strollers and cute canine friends are welcome.

2. Shinjuku Gyoen

(Shinjuku Gyoen)

Once owned by the feudal lord Naito’s family in the Edo period, Shinjuku Gyoen is the perfect place for the end goal of this route. Completed in 1906 as an imperial garden, it was re-designated as a national garden after the Second World War and opened to the public. With 58.3 ha (144 acres) in size and a circumference of 3.5 km, it blends three distinct styles, Formal Garden, Landscape Garden and Japanese Traditional Garden, and is considered to be one of the most important gardens from the Meiji era. Whenever you visit the garden throughout the year, there is no doubt that you will be able to witness entirely new and different colors of the garden.