Cycling in Japan

• Accommodation: 12 Classic nights (11 hotels, 1 traditional Japanese ryokan/minshukus), 1 Simple night (gassho-zukuri farmhouse)
• Nine days of cycling with partial vehicle support (limited seats)
• Group normally 4 to 14, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
• Special cherry blossoms and autumn colours departures

All breakfasts and five dinners are included. Japanese cuisine is usually one of the main highlights of any trip to Japan. It is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes usually prepared with seasonal ingredients. Seafood is very common, and usually grilled or deep fried. Sushi and sashimi aside, other staple dishes include soba or udon noodles, sukiyaki (meat, fish and vegetables cooked in broth) and yakiniku (grilled meat). Some of the included dinners are taken at Japanese style hotels or ryokans (traditional guesthouses), which may serve a kaiseki-style dinner, a multi-course meal including a dozen tiny dishes prepared with locally sourced seasonal ingredients. When food is not included, your leader can recommend the best local eateries and arrange some group meals for a full immersion in the varied and excellent cuisine of Japan. You may also find it beneficial to bring cycling snacks with you from home if you have high-energy bars or gels you like to use during a ride. For those who wish to contribute, a kitty is normally arranged and will be used to provide snacks and drinks during the rides. Worth knowing Food for certain diets (including gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan) is minimal or non-existent in many areas of Japan. The group meals arranged by the tour leader are in traditional eateries where the choices of vegan dishes may be limited to simple salads or boiled rice. However, there are several vegan restaurants in Kyoto and Tokyo. Please let us know before travel of your dietary requirements. Most stocks, which are common in Japanese cuisine, contain animal products and even vegetable tempura is mostly fried in the same oil as meat or fish. While some substitutions may be possible, strict vegetarian or vegan meals cannot be guaranteed. Those who can consume dashi stocks typically have fewer issues, but for those concerned, we recommend bringing supplementary food items.

Japan has four very distinct seasons, although weather patterns vary across the island. Our aim has been to avoid the extremely cold winters and humid summers and settle for the more pleasant climates of spring and autumn, which are more comfortable for cycling. Temperatures in March, April and November will be around 14C-17C (57F-63F) during the daytime and 7C-10C (45F-50F) at night. May, June and October are usually milder with temperatures ranging from 14C (57F) at night up to 27C (81F) during the day, although the likelihood of rain is higher during these months.

It is important to be prepared by packing warm clothing and layers for cold weather (especially for the March and November departures) in the interior in the region of Shirakawa-go and Takayama.

This trip is classified as Road and Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

Nine days of cycling

Average 37mi (60km) per day

Partial vehicle support (with limited seats)

We cycle more than 310mi (500km) over nine days with an average of 37mi (60km) per day, so a good level of fitness is required. We cycle mostly on surfaced roads with a few sections on country lanes, cycle paths and gravel. The routes are mainly undulating but they get hillier on the inland section to Takayama and Shirakawa-go, where we face some steady climbs. A support vehicle (with limited seats) accompanies us throughout, except for the city bike tours in Kanazawa and Kyoto.

Routes follow mainly quiet backroads with low levels of traffic, but this does increase when approaching towns. We aim to cycle most of the route door-to-door, with only a few transfers and train rides organised to shorten some distances and avoid busier roads. Most rides will include some short sections through lit tunnels.

Before you go: We recommend downloading the Uber or GO Taxi apps before you arrive, as both are widely used in Japan. The Google Translate app will also be useful.

Some nights are spent in Japanese style accommodation and guesthouses with shared facilities.

Please be advised, bike hire is included and there is no option to bring your own bike on this trip.