2nd Tour de Oshima. July 7, 2006

One of the best ways to spend summer in Japan is to go and explore an island with a big group on a mountain bike, hangout on the beach, swim in the sea and climb an active volcano...

When: July 8-9 (Saturday-Sunday)
Where: Oshima island, Tokyo

A brief description of what will happen on the trip:
- Meet at Takeshiba Pier at 10pm on Friday, July 7.
- Take the overnight ferry, arrive in Oshima island bright and early at 6am, go straight to the Minshuku by bus (10mins), nap for an hour and have breakfast.
- From 9am, we'll start our circuit of the island (about 50kms) by mountain bike. There will be a few hills and slopes on the first half of the tour but after that it will be a relaxing morning on your bicycle. Most of the roads we'll be on are paved (rather than dirt tracks), some of them have great ocean views and there will be only one long substantial climb, in the afternoon. Don't worry, you can walk your bike if you want and we'll wait for you at the top. Promise, the downhill bit is all worth your hard work going up ;)
- We'll stop for breaks, at any interesting diversions and for a picnic lunch. Don't forget to wear your swimming things under your clothes, ready to strip off when we spot one of the gorgeous black sand beaches along the coast! Using your own mountain bike is preferable but most of us will be renting mountain bikes and even a MAMA CHARINKO would do ;) It will take us at least 8hrs to finish the journey and that's including lunch, picnic and swim breaks.
- We'll finish the tour from where we've started, return the bikes, walk back to the Minshuku, have an outdoor BBQ dinner/party then round-up the day at a really nice spa.
- We'll have a drinking party back at the Minshuku and play some really cool card games until whenever ;)
- The following day, Sunday, if you're still up for some more action, we'll hike up to Mt. Mihara, about 4hrs, walk around the crater (on a clear day the view from the top is fantastic) then take the bus down to the town proper, drop by at a rotemburo (with a gorgeous ocean view) for an hour before heading to the pier. If your legs are aching, you could catch the bus up and down Mt. Mihara. If you don't want to join this activity at all then other options for you are sightseeing, swimming, snorkeling, beach bumming, onsen, etc.
- The ferry will leave at 1:30pm so you have enough time to do stuff in the island.
- We'll arrive back in Tokyo around 8pm.

What to wear/bring:
- Bike helmet, cycling/extra clothes, rain gear (in case it rains), comfortable shoes, swimsuit (for the rotemburo and swimming, you can swim naked in the sea if you want, but the onsen is mixed and swimwear is required), sleeping bag (if you have any!), towel (at least 2), water bottle, sunscreen (for your beauty), first-aid kit, cellular phone, camera and cash.

How much: 24,000yen
Price includes; round-trip ferry fare (Tokyo-Oshima-Tokyo), one-night accommodation (Japanese inn), BBQ dinner for Saturday, one-day mountain bike rental, entrance to the spa and tour guide.

Signup now! Email outdoor@tokyogaijins.com

Official Website: http://www.tokyogaijins.com/outdoor/upcoming/jul08.html