Mitaka Station till ICU by bike?

Hello everybody,

I'm going to study at ICU in September. I would like to buy a bike, coz I don't have so much money and I don't want to spend to much on the public transports. So is it possible according to you (I don't know if any of you already did it) to go from Mitaka station till ICU by bike, or is it really too far away?
Could you also tell me the price to take the bus from Mitaka station till ICU?

Thanks for your help!!

Delphine

What's too far for me might not be too far for you. I've never been to ICU but from looking at Google maps, it will probably take 20-30 minutes or so on a bicycle from Mitaka station.

According to MapFan, at 10 km/hr (6 mi/hr) which would be bicycle speed, it's about 5.3 km between Mitaka Station and ICU (center of it) and takes about 33 minutes. That would be doable, I would think. Of course it would probably take about 45 minutes given crossing roads, waiting at traffic lights, etc.

Yep maybe I was too optimistic... But it is so exepensive!! not great. Do you know how much the bus is? I already took that bus in the past, but I can't remember how much it was... Thank u for your answer anyway!

I used to live out there, and if I recall the bus was a fixed fare of 210 yen per ride, however as a student at ICU I'm pretty sure there are student discounts available, check with your school on that matter.

I've found some websites that say you can take a direct bus from Mitaka Station to ICU. Exit the South Entrance of Mitaka Station and take bus #51 to ICU at bus stop #2.

Here is a map of the station with bus stops:

http://www.odakyubus.co.jp/cgi-bin/search/stopsearch.cg...

You may also want to go to the ICU High School access page at:

http://www.icu-h.ed.jp/access/index_e.html

Hey!

I'm in the same situation, i will be coming to ICU in september too, and really want to get a bike to help cut travel costs. I didnt realise ICU was quite far from Mitaka station, but if i can get a cheap bike i will happily cycle every day..lets home i'll be living fairly close to campus too.

Good luck!

Helloooo Rachelle,

So great to here that you come over there too... When will you be in Japan? If you want we can do our spottings together? To buy a bike... But i think it is possible, form Mitaka Station till ICU, Google Map says it is only 5 kilometers. the first two days, it will take some time to find our way, but after that I think it would be ok. I'll live in a shared room in Sendagaya (8 minutes from Shibuya). If you are interested, please let me know... my email address is: kalapote@hotmail.com

See you in Japan then

Noone has mentioned about the most important factors when riding a bike in Japan: hills and weather.

Fortunately, the area is one of the rarely flat parts of Japan and ideal for bike rides. I don't know what part of Mitaka you're going to live in, but say from Mitaka Station to ICU, it's only about 2 stations worth of distance which is nothing on a bike.

The downside is that since it's so convenient, you tend to get your bike stolen easily. I used to live in Kichijoji, and in the 3 years I was there I had 5 bikes stolen. 2 came back through the police, though. So if your bike is stolen, be sure to report to your local Koban police booth. Try to get an un-cool-looking bike and always park your bike legally locking it with a key.

The other downside is that Japan is hot in summer, cold in winter and rainy on the other days. There are very few days when a bike ride as long as that is truly comfortable.

But all in all, what can a student do in Mitaka without a bike. Cars are not ideal transportation in the busy and narrow streets of Tokyo, and bikes are pretty much a necessity to do your daily shopping and leisure.

Hope you have fun!

Lived in Mitaka for 2 years and going on my third, and am a regular ICU student. You can get from Mitaka to ICU in under 30 minutes on a bad day. It's close -- and if you would have to wait for the bus, it's just as fast or faster. Go for it.