Winter here in and around Tokyo usually leads me to the mountain and snowboarding, but in a bit a of a change, here’s a bunch of random photos which don’t involve sliding down mountains, and with a little explanation.
An Actual Capsule Hotel
Despite my time in Japan, I hadn’t needed to use a capsule hotel. I either lived within striking distance of wherever I was, would amuse myself until first train, or on bike trips, I’d stay in cheap business hotels since there was a better chance they’d have a parking space.
Anyway, the day I chose to use a capsule hotel near Shinjuku (and a very nice one it was) it had to be the day it decided to have a decent amount of snowfall (for Tokyo), so I snapped some photos, and actually got a good night’s sleep. It seemed most of the other guests were tourists looking to get some decent sleep too, and it was quite quiet, even later on.
On The Bike
Speaking of snow, I was out on the Tracer, just planning to go up Yabitsu Touge and have a cup of tea at the top. The weather said it would be chilly, but no one mentioned snow. As I started winding my way up Mt. Tanzawa, it started raining, which of course as you get higher could mean there’s a chance of snow. However, as I got nearer the ‘top’ where there is a rotary for buses, there began to be slush on the non-tyre track parts of the road, and then a thin layer of snow…
I have faith in the Tracer’s traction control and ABS, and indeed the Michelin Road 5 tyres. I have less faith in my own skills but the road is quite difficult to turn on in those few hundred metres to the top so I decided it would be better to get to that flat, spacious (relatively) rotary, and make the turn there. (Spoiler: it was all fine).
The image here is from the bike’s drive recorder I had installed a while back, so image quality isn’t great, but it gives a fun ‘just above the wheel’ POV.
A Tunnel Spa
Japan is somewhat blessed by with spas and hot spring due to its volcanic spine, but they are sadly not all ones you can pop to and have a soak in. This one is more to look at, being securely fenced off at the end of a tunnel. I first stopped off here in the Summer of 2023, but when its 35degrees outside, adding to that heat didn’t seem like a good idea, so I came back in the middle of Winter.
It’s a short tunnel which is as hot and humid as you’d expect, but at that time of year it was a nice contrast to the chill outside. The water did look very hot though, so understandable they don’t let people access it.
I should also say that there’s a few ways to access this hot spring, but I did from the Beach Line, which is a toll road along the coast, but nowadays the road I used doesn’t have a gate, so you can get in and then get out without incurring a fee.
So that was a few days in February, and I would like to think a few diverse things going on.
