Over the years we have travelled the green loop of the Yamanote Line in Tokyo hundreds of times – commuting, meeting friends, exploring different neighbourhoods. We knew most of the stations and the characteristic jingles, but we never really understood how they fit together. On the train, the city feels vast. Each stop seems like its own destination, separated from the next by tunnels and tracks. Therefore, our mental map of the loop has always remained fragmented. Eventually we decided to find out how everything connects.
It’s easy to forget that the entire Yamanote Line is only about 35 kilometres long. Cycling it – or even walking it – in one day should be possible. So we set ourselves the challenge of cycling the Yamanote Line as close to the rails as we could.
Cycling the Yamanote Line turned out to be far more fun than we expected. Following the tracks from station to station gave us a clearer sense of how the city fits together and a new understanding of its scale. At the same time, passing familiar stations like Ueno, Okubo and Shinjuku brought back memories from our years in Tokyo.
Ride along with us as we cycle the Yamanote Line and reconnect the stations, neighbourhoods and memories along the way.
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