Trip to Kohoku bike pound

First, from Tsunashima station, you can take bus number 47 to get close to the pound. However, I've learned that another more frequent bus to catch is the number 71.


We leave the depot and make a gradual U-turn and head up one of the main streets of Tsunashima, away from the river. We go up past BigBoy burger and about 400m later, turn left at this gas station.



We keep going and eventually come to a crossroads where we turn left at this yellow house.
We keep going, past Shishigahana!


Then, say hello to the friendly old guys who are sitting down on their deck chairs and passing the time chatting and being helpful.
One of them will attend to you and you fill out a simple form, stating where you live and your name and telephone number. Then you pay the 1,500yen and they take you to your bicycle.
Simple.

• From Tsunashima Station, take bus number 71 or 47 and get off at Shin-nei-koukou-kitaguchi.
  
• Walk back to the crossroads.
• Turn left and walk up the hill 400m.
• It's on your left.

Ok, this was my third time to got to the Kohoku and Tsurumi ward bicycle pound.

The swines took my bicycle three freakin times!
Let me just say that in their defence, I was parked in a no parking area but I always try to make sure that I don't block the pavement. I am aware, unlike many people in this country who park on pavements/sidewalks that there are people who are in wheelchairs or who have a baby in a pushchair or are elderly or physically handicapped and need free access on the walkways. So many times, I've squeezed by some asshole's car which had been parked tight up against a wall, on the pavement. This forces mothers with kids or wheelchair bound people to go around him, onto the road! Should scrape the side of his car with a screwdriver - make him think twice next time.
Still, the law is the law. Just seems it's not handed out evenly to all who break it.


Another point to remember is that it costs 1500yen to get your bike back.
Not cheap, but cheaper than getting a new bike.

Where is the bicycle pound? - Good question.

I searched the internet and couldn't find comprehensive drirections on how to get to the Kohoku pound, or even which bus to take (2 buse routes pass within walking ditance).
All I could come up with was this website (clicking opens a new window), listing phone numbers and a simple location, which didn't really help me much (actually sent me to the wrong place!). The phone number is 593-6553.
Took me a while and several phone calls from Japanese friends to figure out that it was a long, long way from my home. I'd have to walk to the next station (Tsunashima) and take a bus from there.

Okay, I'm at the station. Outside the front of Tsunashima station is the bus depot. There are many buses (around 10 or so), so it's important to know which bus to take, otherwise you could be going in the wrong direction (something I did!).



It shows the bus routes and from the website, I figured I need to go to Takada cho. I asked a bus driver and he told me bus number 3. I got on and we were on our way. I quickly realised that this probably wasn't the right bus, as we got to Takada way too early. I decided to let the bus keep going and see if I got to somewhere I recognized (as I'd already paid my 210yen for the bus ticket and I had a good idea of where the pound was - been there twice before!).

Here's me, on the bus.
Just before I figured out I was on the wrong bus. It was kind of the right bus, but not the best one.
The bike pound is almost at the crest of a long, gently sloping hill. It is accessible by bus only to the bottom of each side of the hill, leaving a substantial walk up the hill to get there). The best way to approach it was not the way I was not travelling. However, I realised, upong seeing familiar landmarks, that I was approaching the other side of the hill. I had to keep my eyes open and look out for the hill.

As I travelled on my route, I took a few pictures of some buildings that may serve as landmarks, if you take this bus.


Eventually, you will get to a T-junction, just past an expressway flyover, where a side road leads up to the left, up a gently sloping hill. You need to get off the bus.
The picture to the left shows an Esso Express (essssss....expresss!) Garage, which is on the right side, just before the T-junction. When you see this garage, get off. I missed the stop and went further on up the road and had to walk back some 400m or so. No biggie.

Ok, we're at the bottom of the hill. Now, we have to walk up it!

Here's some shots, as I walk up the hill.

You'll notice a small river that we cross over.





Looking back down the hill, this is what you'd see.
See the Esso Express station?


A little further up, looking back,
you can see a large billboard, with these signs on it.
Keep going up the hill.
You're on the right track.

Walking and walking up the hill, I saw these places, which can also serve as landmarks.

Red Baron, on the left side (searched their website for a decent map which I could use for directions, but couldn't find one).

McDonalds, on the right side.
I stopped off here for my 'traditional' 100yen cheeseburger.
Traditional, in the sense that I always have one, when I collect my bicycle (3 times).

Forgive me. I almost never eat at such a place.
Also had a thick shake.
Strawberry.
100yen.
Nothing special, probably clogging up my arteries as I type.



Further on up the hill, I checked my location, on one of those weird little maps. Here's a pic.
About half way up the hill, I think.
We are in Hayabuchi.


Keep going...

Eventually, I'm there!!

You will see this sign.
Walk inside what looks like a German World War 2 concentration camp and you will find a bunch of nice old guys, sitting around some sheds. There, you will present your ID and fill in a form, stating where your bike was taken from and when and adding your signature.
You will be asked for "one thousand and fifty yen" and when you give the nice guy 1050 yen, he will repeat this price, once, twice, three times. Eventually, some nice young Japanese lady will politely inform you that what he meant to say was 1500yen.
Then you will accompony another nice old guy and this lovely young lady whose bike was also taken from Hiyoshi, to reclaim your bike.

There are hundreds of bicycles here! some old, some brand new! Amazing.
I asked the men what happened to bikes that weren't claimed (you have a month or two). He told me thay were all crushed. Crushed! I thought maybe they'd be auctioned or sold for charity. Nope. all crushed. What a waste.
There were scooters there, too! They would also be crushed. Man, thats a tragedy.

Anyway, the nice old man first unlocked the nice lady's bike, then moved on to do mine. I thought maybe I could accompany said nice lady back to hiyoshi and... ...well, I never got the chance because nice old guy suddenly became very slow in unlocking my bike and also the lock on my bike was damaged, so I had to hang around 5 minutes, whilst nice lady cycled off, with a wave and gentle swing of her buttocks on the smooth, soft, leathery seat... ...okay. I'm back in the room!


Here you can see me with my bike (a magical Japanese pixie man then suddenly jumped out of my basket).





The guys working here are cool. The last time I picked up my bike, I realised I'd forgotten my bicycle keys! In most places, that would mean I couldn't claim by bike - but not here. They cut the lock for me and gave me some nuts and bolts to fix it again, later! Awesome! The ironic thing was, just as they cut the lock, I discovered that I did in fact have my key with me. Bugger. Ok, back to the story.



My lock had somehow slippped down and was loose, so they reattached it for me. Thanks, guys!



Okay, back on the road! I thought the nice young lady would have turned left, back the way I'd come. Reckon I could have caught her up within a few minutes.
However. In the interests of scientific curiosity, I wanted to cycle back the other way, so that I would know which was the easiest route (and also to give you guys more pics to help guide you to this place. Apppreciate my sacrifice?).

So I cycled down to the bottom of the hill, where I got to a crossroads.
Here's a view, back up the hill, from the crossroads.



On the other side, on the right side of the crossroads, there was a bikurisushi restaurant.
See photo.
I wanted to turn left, away from this.



Away I cycled, on my way home.
I got to a bus stop a little ways down the road (about 400m) and took a photo of the sign.
You can see that the bus number we need, from Tsunashima should be bus number 47
Sorry, I think the next stop or two would be closer to the crossroads. The bus you want goes on past bikuri sushi (it doesn't turn right, up the hill) , so you want to get off as close to that crossroads as possible.

I'd watch for the Shishigahana stop, then keep my eyes open and wait until you come to Bikuri sushi, at the crossroads. Then press the red button on the bus to stop and get off at the next stop. This one is closest to the crossroads.

On I cycled and I seemed to remember that somewhere, I had passed an interesting looking alcohol shop, on my last trip to the pound, by bus, on this route.


A little more cycling soon revealed this place!
Yes!!!!


In I went, hoping to find an interesting beer or two, among all the wine that they specialize in.


To my pleasant suprise, they had a reasonable selection of quality brews!!
Yes!!!!!

I bought 9 or 10 good beers (as much as I could afford) and cycled the km or so back to Tsunashima and on to Hiyoshi.
Home, and with beer to boot!
Cracking!


Hope this helps you to find the pound, if the man takes your wheels.
I'll be going back soon. Not to the pound - to the beer shop for some more beer!
Here's a small selection of the beers I've sampled from there:




Hope you have an interesting adventure, in getting your bike back.