Machida is a big commuter city on the south-western edge of Tokyo, poking into Kanagawa prefecture like a thumb, so that locals joke about whether it really belongs to Tokyo at all. It is busy, built-up and practical, with department stores, train stations and endless convenience stores, and it makes a straightforward starting point for rides into the mountains to the west.
The city sits in the Tama Hills, a landscape of low, wooded ridges and valleys that has largely been covered by housing estates since the 1960s. Pockets of the old countryside survive, though, in parks and green spaces where satoyama, the traditional mix of woods, fields and ponds, is preserved. The Yakushiike Park, with its pond and lotus flowers, is a pleasant spot.
As a start and fuel stop, Machida is easy, with service stations along the main roads, especially Route 16, the great ring road around greater Tokyo. Convenience stores sell rice balls, coffee and snacks, perfect for a quick breakfast before a ride. From here, the roads west lead towards Sagamihara, Lake Sagami and the mountains of the Tanzawa and the Fuji Five Lakes.
Traffic is heavy in and around Machida, especially on weekdays and at rush hour, and Route 16 is notorious for congestion. An early start, before dawn, is the best way to escape the city. Once you are past Sagamihara, the roads become quieter and the mountains close in.