We continue our journey of travelling around Tokyo on board the Toei Bus. After exploring Kiyosumi Garden, get on a bus again and pass through Monzennaka-cho. Get off once you spot a fire watchtower with a fire bell on top. Inside the watchtower is a big portable shrine (mikoshi). The locals will tell you that the biggest portable shrine is in Hachimangu, which is 10 minutes away by foot. Make your way to Tomioka Hachimangu, which was established about 380 years ago. The portable shrine here weighs 4.5 tonnes and requires about 300 people to carry it! End your tour of old towns in spring by going to a scenic spot which offers a panoramic view of the sea and Tokyo Tower.

The next trip starts from Seibu Yagisawa station in Nishi Tokyo city. Take the Toei Bus to Oume. This Yagisawa-Oume route is the longest route of the Toei Bus, spanning 32km. The bus from Yagisawa to Oume runs every hour. A day pass costing 700 yen (S$10.70) allows you to take unlimited rides. As you travel and enjoy the view of the city, look out for a thatched roof house. You will see a sign "Kodaira hometown village". Edo-era buildings have been reconstructed in this Kodaira hometown village, and the thatched roof house is actually an old private home that is open to the public. You will get a glimpse of life during the Edo era as you explore this quaint area.

After this, continue your journey on board the Toei Bus. After about three minutes, you will see a sign for strawberry picking in Kodaira. Alight from the bus and visit the Fukushima strawberry farm, where Tochiotome and Benihoppe (red cheek) varieties of strawberries are grown. You pay for the picked strawberries by weight, and get to taste some delicious strawberries later. Next, continue to travel by Toei Bus, and you will notice the scenery changing as the bus goes through Kodaira city and Higashi Yamato city. As it enters Musashi Murayama city, look out for signs on possible eating places. For example, there is an udon noodle shop called Murayama Udon, which serves delicious noodles with locally-produced komatsuna. After lunch, hop on board the Toei Bus and head to Higashi Oume where you transfer buses. From here, enjoy the spring scenery as the bus goes around north of Oume. After the bus enters the Osoki district, look out for a bus stop named "Tokyo coal mine". Get off and explore the area where you will find the remains of a coal mine, which was in operation from 1935 to 1960. Continue on your tour of Oume by Toei Bus. You will soon reach Iwakura hot spring, the only hot spring village in Tokyo. It used to flourish as a hot spring resort during the Meiji era. Visit Mamadaya with its relaxing atmosphere. You can enjoy a gorgeous view of the river through a bamboo grove as you soak in the smooth and transparent water of the hot spring.

Next, head by Toei Bus to Saitama, after which it goes through the Oume city area before arriving at Oume Station. At the station, transfer to a Toei Bus heading to Yoshino. Along the way, you will see an old but tasteful building, which houses the Miorine Illustration Art Museum on the first floor. The building is an old private house from the Meiji era. The museum exhibits many illustrations, valuable original pictures and front covers of popular artist Yumeji Takeshita. The art works have been collected by the owner over a period of 40 years. Here you can admire art works while sitting in a kotatsu. To find out the origin behind the name Miorine, take a short walk to Kamakura old road. There is a well here, where spring water has been gushing out between the rocks since the Edo era. The murmur of the spring water is known as Miorine (sound of weaving water). The water flows down to Mahikizawa, a branch of the River Tama. People used to have tea ceremonies or poetry-reading parties by the water. After this interesting discovery, resume your bus journey to Yoshino. The next stop is Yoshino Bairin, where plum blossoms with elegant pink flowers bloom during spring. It is one of the biggest plum gardens in Kanto, with 1500 trees. Make your way to the final stop of this trip, Yoshino, and go to the Ikusabata Bridge over River Tama. End this day trip by admiring the gorgeous view of the sunset and the river.

The next adventure on board the Toei Bus starts at Ota Market in Ota ward, at the southern end of the 23 wards of Tokyo. Board the bus at the market and travel north. Purchase a day pass, costing 500 yen (S$ 7.60), and take a bus bound for Shinagawa Station. After passing by the Oi wharf, the bus enters the Tennozu Isle. You can alight here and explore Tennozu, where high-rise buildings offer a unique contrast with the nostalgic atmosphere of the area. After this, board a Toei Bus bound for Akabane, north of Shinagawa. You may want to make a detour and visit the Rainbow Bridge on board another Toei Bus bound for Tokyo Big Site. After this side trip, continue your journey to the north by alighting at Tokyo Big Site and transferring to a Toei Bus heading to Toyosu Station. Along the way, you will pass by Ginza, Tsukishima, Harumi Bridge and Kachidoki Bridge. After this, the bus will reach the Yaesu exit of Tokyo Station. From here, take a Toei Bus heading north to the banks of Arakawa River. After a 15-minute ride, the bus passes by Meiji University before reaching Ochanomizu Station. Here, you will see a sign saying “Tokyo University Red Gate”. Roam around the student streets and visit a studio which displays a photograph of Princess Masako, who had studied at Tokyo University. As you explore the area, you can drop by a Korean restaurant which opened seven years ago. Enjoy the taste of homemade Korean dishes, such as chicken stuffed with sticky rice and herbs, or cooked chicken with a lot of chilli and starch syrup. The latter sweet and spicy dish costs 880 yen, and comes with free refills of rice.

After lunch, re-board the Toei Bus heading to the banks of Arakawa. On the way, the bus will pass by a temple with a big Hotei (God of Good Luck). The late chief priest loved to collect large items. Other big items in the temple include a giant fish-shaped wooden drum weighing 500 kg, which is accompanied by a huge drumstick. As you head back to the bus stop, you may wish to buy some delicious cold Dorayaki (bean cake), which is chilled in a fridge as it contains whipped cream. Later, visit a shop called Letter Pro, which sells keshifudas (lucky charms). Next, travel to the bus stop at the northern end of Tokyo. The bus passes through Kita ward then enters Arakawa ward, which is near the border with Saitama Prefecture. Make your way to the bus stop at Kouhoku Station. There is an interesting public bath nearby, which also serves cooked food such as tempura! The owner of the bath is a cook with 20 years of experience, and he sells various kinds of dishes for 100 yen (S$ 1.50) only. So enjoy a refreshing bath in the soothing water, after which you can tuck into some tasty dishes. After this, head to Kouhoku Station again. Take a Toei Bus bound for Minumadai Shinsui Park Station, which is the last stop. This adventure has spanned 10 wards, starting from Ota Market at the southern end of Tokyo. End this trip by going to the prefecture border near the bus stop, where you can enjoy the view of Soka City in Saitama Prefecture.