Presented by Grid Chicago, reporting on sustainable transportation in Chicago and beyond.

Pedal, shop, snack and drink your way through Japanese culinary landmarks in Chicago’s northwest suburbs, for a good cause. This bicycle ride was inspired by Chicago Reader food critic Mike Sula’s recent article about izakaya, pub-eateries serving small plates along with sake, beer and shochu, http://tinyurl.com/salarymanshaven.

Come hungry, as there will be plenty of opportunities to sample authentic dishes that aren’t widely available in the city, since Chicagoland’s Japanese expat community is centered on the suburbs northwest of O’Hare.

The bike ride departs on Saturday, October 15, at 3:30 pm from the Arlington Heights Metra station, 1 N. Vail Ave. (UP-NW trains bound for Arlington Heights leave the Ogilvie Center, 500 W. Madison in Chicago, at 2:30 pm and have space for 20 bikes).

We’ll stop at Arlington Height’s Mitsuwa Marketplace, a Japanese shopping center, for snacks at the food court and browsing the grocery, bakery, liquor, houseware and book departments. After that we’ll stop at Tori Shin Restaurant in Mount Prospect, the local tavern that Sula says is most similar to an old-school izakaya, for small plates and drinks. Next we’ll head to Mount Prospect’s Izakaya Sankyu (Japanglish for “thank you”) for more small plates and drinks and/or entrees. We’ll return to the Arlington Heights Metra stop with plenty of time to catch the 8:32 pm train, arriving at the Ogilvie Center at 9:23 pm.

A map of the route is at: http://g.co/maps/ewf5m

There is no ride fee but an optional $20 donation to American Red Cross for Japanese earthquake relief is requested. Riders pay for their own food and beverages.

The 12-mile ride will travel at 10 miles-per-hour. Ridership is limited to 20 people.

To reserve a spot RSVP to John Greenfield at greenfieldjohn@hotmail.com or 312-560-3966.