a partial bike commute
the journal of Michael Werneburg
twenty-seven years and one million words
Our real estate says we're almost certainly going to get the place in Kokubunji. We returned yesterday afternoon to take some measurements. It's funny to say, about a two-story house in outer Tokyo, but it reminds me of the house in Jordan Station where my grandparents lived in the '80s and '90s. White walls, wooden floors and trim, lots of farm plots and an abundance of planted greenery. No pampas grass, but I spotted a lone grape vine in the tiny front yard.
It's also ~25km from my office, which is a bit of a stretch for a bike commute. I also have the problem of actually getting to the office once I'm in the area; Shibuya is very built up and the roads are a dense warren of narrow, one-way, go-nowhere local streets. And then there's the question of where to park; my boss suggested I use the underground parking in Google's headquarters, which is in the tower next to ours. I can only imagine what that might cost.
So, I'll cycle to Kichijoji, a city halfway to Shibuya that's the western terminus for a train line that runs right to my office. This will take me only a couple of blocks away from a friend's home, as it happens. It'll also mean I'll be stopping in Kichijoji twice a day, and it's a fair size shopping area. Mari's already planning for my doing shopping on the way back to the burbs. I'm going to need a cargo bike....