It's estimated that there are over 10 million bikes in this city & the most popular type of bike is known as a “mama-chari” – a mother’s chariot. These bikes are cultural icons & are almost an embodiment of the Japanese psyche – tough & practical.  If you have spent any time at all in Japan, you will be very familiar with these ubiquitous bikes.

Dig Tokyo Tours is owned & operated by Andy - an Aussie expat from Melbourne who now calls Tokyo home. Andy has a fleet of these bikes which he has bought & restored with the express purpose of offering his clients the truly local experience of cycling around some of Tokyo’s coolest neighbourhoods on their own mama-chari. Having previously met Andy, he offered to take us out on one of his tours next time we were in Tokyo, & we jumped at the chance – The Snow Concierge team loves a cycle tour! We think there's something pretty awesome about exploring a city such as Tokyo the way a local would - on two wheels.

This isn’t your typical sightseeing tour & may not be for you if you’re after a highlights reel of Tokyo’s famous sights. What DIG offers is more of a gentle roll around the laneways & back streets of Tokyo’s inner suburbs – or, as Andy likes to say - ‘a jaunt’. While you'll see a lot & explore fascinating areas, you won't visit the usual tourist spots. Andy’s tours are all about experiencing Tokyo as a local, with the extra benefit of a super enthusiastic & knowledgeable guide to ensure you don't get lost.

We had an interesting conversation with Andy about his guests. He mentioned that he's particularly busy during the peak Aussie ski travel weeks when people are looking for active & family-friendly activities during their stay in Tokyo before heading off to the snow.

He went on to say that it’s not unusual for people to express feeling more comfortable & confident about exploring non-touristy areas after his tour, as they got to see how easy it was to get around & how accessible Tokyo was especially the less visited areas.

Andy's bike tours are a great way to get acquainted with Tokyo & Japan in general.

Our DIG Tokyo Tours Experience

We did the West Side Cycle & Food Tour which took us around some of Tokyo’s most eclectic neighbourhoods. Nakano - anime central, Koenji - the birthplace of Tokyo’s punk scene, & Asagaya - with its old-school, working-class vibes. A highlight was the handful of stops along the way to enjoy local delicacies.

How it works: The tour takes about 3 & ½ - 4 hours & covers about 12 to 15 km of pretty flat terrain interspersed with several rest stops so it’s super accessible. The bikes are fun & easy to ride – there is nothing complicated about mama-chari, no gears or settings to try to figure out. The route Andy took us on was very quiet & safe, with no busy streets or intersections. Andy tells us he modifies the route depending on the group & their level of riding skill & confidence.

We rode with a lovely couple from Singapore who had expressly booked their entire trip to Japan around Andy’s availability (with DIG’s 388 5 star Google reviews, they obviously knew they were on to a good thing!) We all met at Koenji Station & took off on a very a short walk to our bikes at Andy’s bike garage down the road.

After a quick safety briefing, an introduction to the bikes & some background on how Andy goes about salvaging them, we were off. Andy stopped periodically to share quirky stories about aspects of living in the area or point out something of note. The tour was super interesting, & visitors will learn a lot about life as a local in Tokyo, as well as uncovering some very cool areas that you’re unlikely to have visited on previous visits.

Our Highlights

Highlights of the trip included cycling around the backstreets & laneways of these hidden gem Tokyo neighbourhoods, giving you a glimpse of the city that most visitors don't get to see.

The food was excellent, our favourites were the standing noodle bar lunch of udon noodles & the imagawayaki, a round cake filled with sweet red bean paste or custard. We really enjoyed learning about Tokyo's biking culture; Andy is very engaging & passionate about cycling & living in Tokyo, which is infectious. The stories about how ‘bicycle jail’ works & how bicycles are policed in Tokyo were fascinating.

Places we know you’ll want to revisit are the Nakano Sunmall shopping street & the surrounding area for bars & restaurants, as well as Nakano Broadway, a mall that is a hub for the anime otaku subculture. If you’re into anime, this place is a must visit.

Our bike tour with DIG Tokyo Tours was more than just a way to see parts of Tokyo that very few visitors get a chance  to appreciate; it was an immersive cultural experience. Andy is a knowledgeable & passionate guide, his itineraries are carefully curated & it shows. His emphasis on creating an authentic experience sets his tours apart.

Some of the key benefits of choosing DIG Tokyo Tours include:

• Hang Out with a Local: Andy is incredibly knowledgeable about the neighbourhoods he took us through - as he should be, given he lives there. His passion for the area was contagious.

• A Visitor’s Sensibility: This tour offers a genuine ‘day in the life of’ experience. Andy really understands what interests visitors.

• Unique Experiences: Each tour has been specifically designed to highlight what it is like to live in these areas & what makes them so cool. This is not a whistle-stop tour of Tokyo’s greatest hits. This is a slow cruise through what it’s like to live in Tokyo.

• Small Group Size: The intimate group size allowed for a personalised experience & plenty of opportunities for interaction with Andy & our fellow riders (who were super fun & so lovely!)

• Safe, Easy & Relaxed: Despite the large number of cyclists in Tokyo, cycling around town can still be a bit intimidating. Andy's tours avoid busy roads & mostly follow a flat route with a few small inclines that are not strenuous at all. The pace is relaxed, just like Andy's vibe. The tour lives up to its promise - it offers a gentle ride around a fascinating part of Tokyo that very few visitors get to enjoy.

Conclusion

Our bike tour with Andy was an awesome experience that we thoroughly enjoyed. We saw a whole new side of Tokyo with a knowledgeable & enthusiastic local guide. It honestly felt like we were being shown around the neighbourhood by an old friend - the perfect way to spend a morning in Tokyo, & we couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

A bike tour through the real Tokyo is a perfect option for those who are looking for something a little different or who are Japanuary regulars & want to get off the beaten (cycle) path.

If we have piqued your interest in going on a ‘jaunt’ with Andy don’t hesitate to let us know & we will happily hook you up. (We don’t get any sort of incentives to recommend Andy’s tours, we just really love them & think you will too!)

Peace. Love & Powder Days!