Studio Ghibli's Pom Poko tells the story of raccoon dogs fighting the bulldozers that turned the Tama hills into a new town in the 1960s and 1970s, and this finish lies right in that landscape, between Inagi, Chōfu and Tama. The hills are now covered with apartment blocks, roads and shopping centres, but pockets of woodland and farmland survive, and the Tama River runs through the valley below.
Inagi is known for its pears, grown in orchards on the slopes, and in late summer the farm stands sell them fresh. Chōfu, to the north, has Jindai-ji, an old temple surrounded by soba shops, where buckwheat noodles have been made from spring water for centuries. The botanical garden next to the temple is a fine place for a stroll, with roses in spring and autumn.
The Tama River is a broad, gravelly river with wide banks used for sports, picnics and walking. On summer evenings, families gather by the water, and the river is a cool, open space in the crowded city.
Coming back from the Boso peninsula, the final stretch crosses Tokyo or loops around it on the expressways, and the traffic can be heavy. Plan for delays, especially on Sunday evenings.
If you finish before the soba shops close, ride the few minutes to Jindai-ji and eat a cold tray of noodles under the trees by the temple; it is a far gentler welcome back than any expressway service area. Fuel and konbini are on every main road.