Thank you everyone for all the tips. I am active duty Air Froce stationed at Yokota, just outside Toyko. I will be here for a few years. I am in the twilight years of my career and have spent lots of time overseas, so know full well how to not be the "ugly American". I very much enjoy the opportunities my family and I have had over the, and hope to experience as much of Japan as we can while we're here. Thank you again, you've all given me plenty to run through the ole google machine, I appreciate it!

You're one of the reasons I come here :thumb:

If you decide to rent or buy a bike and do some riding, get some travelers insurance first. Cyclists colliding with pedestrians, automobiles and other cyclists are frequent occurrences there. It's happened to me, personally - and things got rather complicated.

Also, if you're staying in the Kanto region and you like ramen, try to visit Kyushu Jangara in Akihabara or Ramen Jiro in Ikebukuro. You could also take the Nozomi Shinkansen out of Tokyo station, go to Shin Yokohama and visit the Raumen Bijutsukan (the Ramen Museum).

Kansai Scene cycling terms in Japanese

A bike cover. It's required when taking your bike on the train. You'll want to do that to get out to places where there's not as much traffic. Have a good time over there.

Cycling in Japan is probably one of the safest places in the world to cycle, even the trucks are generally courteous, though the yapping on mobile phones is a worry sometimes. I wouldn't bother riding in the cities, however, grab a folding touring bike, jump on a train and hit the rural areas once Covid settles down. I'm guessing that your visa won't let you get the cheap ANA tourist fares, which is a pity, 10800yen to fly anywhere in Japan. Hokkaido is nice to ride around.

Kunsunoke has excellent advice. Get insured. (And remember: Though people riding step-throughs are supposed to be on the left side of the pavement, they could be on the right, they could be on the sidewalk, the could cross the road without looking to see if it's safe.....)

You do not need a folding tourist bike in order to ride the train. Just remove the front wheel and attach it to the right of the frame, turn the handlebar to the right, and toss the laziest kind of bike bag (in Japanese, rinkōbukuro) over the result, and carry that (at the extreme front or extreme rear of the train). Your local station is the very convenient Haijima station.

But actually you don't need to take the train. Fussa (which is where Yokota is) is wonderfully situated. Skip Haijima station and instead just ride your bike a short way west to Itsukaichi, then take your pick of directions. Most people go west to Hinohara and then up to Tomin-no-Mori and Kazahari pass (the highest point on any road in Tokyo), but there are plenty of alternatives. Low gears (that's me) or strong legs highly recommended.

If you are a cook, go to Kamata Knife shop in Tokyo. Best knife shop ever. Even the basic models are great. And the Bamboo Temple near Kamakura is the most sublime place on earth. If you are a walking anachronism like me, look up fountain pen shops in Tokyo. We didn't get there but the volcanic steam sands on Kyushu look good. The Halonei steam baths, hot springs are fabulous.

If you have access to Amazon Prime - immediately check out this listing for the food: Prime Japan.

Visit Tokyu Hands.

The August Honbasho (9/13 - 9/27) is going on right now in Tokyo - if you can, DO see a match!

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That is so awesome!!! Enjoy every single minute of your time in Japan, my daughter has been stationed at the Yokosuka Naval base for 3 years already and that time has literally flown by!!! She has one more year left in Japan, soak up every minute of your time and have a blast!! If this is your first time in Japan I have a feeling you will love it more than any other duty station. I certainly fell in love with Japan in the two weeks I was there visiting back in 2018. One of my coworkers is former Air Force and he was at the Yokota base for a couple of years. You will be having lots of fun.

Oh, and hit up the Daiso in Funabashi, 5 floors of discount goodness.
While you don't need a folding bike on the train, if you are going to obscure places it could be useful if you need to change platforms at some stations, I get the impression you won't have weeks to spare touring, so some lightning trips ma be in order.

I was stationed at Yokota back in the 80's. Now retired. Nakamura's bike shop was across from the base on route 16. No idea if it's still there or not. Nakamura-san updated all the components on my Holdsworth. Also got a Katakura Silk-built MTB from him. Had a small club and he would organize rides around the area. Almost everyone smoked back then, and whenever we'd stop somewhere it was time to light up.

Enjoy your time there. Spent four years there and loved every minute of it. There was a national park of sorts just north of base where we could ride our MTBs. There's a lot of gravel down along the river, too. Imagine the are has been built up quite a bit since the 80's, but up around Ome was always a good place to ride on the roads.

How sad. the artisans there are so phenomenal

Thanks again, for all the great suggestions. I should hopefully have my bikes within the next month or so, and am looking forward to getting out there as the weather is beginning to cool down. My family and I are having fun exploring close to home for now, but I'm sure we'll start to venture farther and farther as we get more comfortable with our surroundings. Just wanted to say thank you again and if I come across anything interesting I'll be sure to post up!

It's already cool. While you're waiting for your bikes, take a train from Haijima to Musashi Itsuka-ichi. That's where the fun starts. You can rent bikes at Urayama Base, just across the road from the station. I say bikes, plural, because they rent out electric bikes, so the not-that-keen-on-cycling members of your family can join the fun. (You'll probably need to book in advance, and to do it in Japanese.)

(I went through Itsuka-ichi -- the "Musashi" part of the name is optional -- twice just the day before yesterday, on my way to and back from adventures further west.)

lucky you. my suggestion is visiting a rising shop called Blue Lug. not exactly a C&V store, but you'll see eye-pleasing modern bikes still in mind of 'STEEL' than ugly (subjectivity) carbonized modern. not sure what area you're in, but it's in Hatagaya, near Shibuya. Tokyo's not much of too much C&V scene, but plenty of steel scene. if Keirin is your stuff, it can be fun too. price on used bikes, parts or tools are surprisingly high, be warned. enjoy sir!

Itinerant, in recent years (till '19), there have been two bike "flea markets" in western Tokyo, both held either on the same day or a week apart, in April and October. If I remember right, neither took place in April this year. One is organized (when held), and this month will not be held. The other, surprisingly in Japan, isn't organized: Rumours spread that it will be at this place and at that time, and as long as people pick up and take away their trash, etc, the law seems to turn a blind eye to it. (Though I may misunderstand; perhaps it is authorized in some way.) This blog entry (in Japanese) suggests that it will take place, on the 17th and at the regular place: on the left bank of Tama river, immediately downstream of Sekido bridge (here).

The regular route there from Fussa (your place) is very simple: West from Haijima station along route 7 to a point immediately before the bridge, then off to the left and follow the cycle path all the way downstream. However, that first section of the cycle path is currently fenced off (because of flood damage). I don't know offhand where the path becomes accessible but when going downstream I get onto it at this point. From there, just follow it along the left bank. There are a few funny little turns and minor mistakes are possible; but you should be riding against a stream of road bike freds (many of them heading for adventures starting at Ōme or Akiruno), so just see where the bikes are coming from and aim to keep the river close to your right.

Aim to get to the flea market by 8. NB I can't guarantee that there'll be much for sale, or even that there'll be anything at all.

After the flea market (or the disappointment of no flea market), you could always go to orangeology 's recommended Blue Lug, but NB each of the three branches only opens at 12. I've only been to Blue Lug once: it seemed to be big on pricy American brands. Utterly unlike Blue Lug, selling old stuff, and the only shop I know of that proudly shows a giant Suntour pennant in its window, is Hasegawa Jitensha Shōkai (here). (The proprietor is well into his eighties; do not assume that any communication in English will be possible.)

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fe480eb3b2.gif
'Nuff said.

Jon is easily the biggest bike nerd on either side of the pond. He is a walking knowledge center of cycling tech history.

Yes! I love those Panasonics. I would love one of the dics CX frames. Alex Cycles stocks them: https://alexscycle.com/collections/panasonic

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/11...f?v=1579495894

Catalogue of frames and bikes (sizes, options, colours, etc) available via the "Panasonic Order System" ("POS"). It's in Japanese only. (I imagine that lack of export is what I can thank for the lack of stupid lawyer lips on the fork of my own nine-year-old POS frame.) This web page (again in Japanese only) lets you look up where POS dealers are. There are many such dealers. At some of them, you'll be able to communicate in a language other than Japanese, so that you can have POS explained. As Fussa is a two-hour-plus ride from where I happen to live, I can't make useful recommendations.