Nicola Rutzou
Did you know that Japan is currently amongst the most popular places for Australians to visit? This is not just because of the favourable exchange rate; it’s also earning a reputation as a fantastic and safe place to ride a bike.
Japan is a destination that combines ancient culture and tradition with modern life, and a bike riding tour is the ideal way to see it and get to know it, rather than race past on a bus or train.
If you’re considering a bike touring trip to Japan, you should go with a local company like Ride Experience. Its passionate bike guides have invaluable local knowledge.
Ride Experience can tailor a tour to suit your needs, or you can choose from one of their existing popular tours like:
Trans-Tohoku Bike Tour
This 12-day/11-night tour covers the areas from Tochigi to Aomori via Fukushima, Yamagata, and Akita.
The Tohoku region is located in the northernmost part of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It is known for its gorgeous natural environment, rich local history, and delicious agricultural produce.
Riders will experience Japan’s traditional side and follow in the footsteps of famous Japanese poet Matsuo Basho on his journey along “The Narrow Road to the Deep North.”
The journey begins in Nasu, Tochigi, and reaches Aomori, the northern tip of Honshu. It covers 900km through the tranquil and picturesque landscape of Tohoku, where there are very few cars or other tourists. A particular highlight is the stunning rice fields that will turn gold around the time of the tour. Another major tour attraction is the food, with everything from unique Japanese cuisine to regional specialties such as fruits.
Other highlights include:
- Stunning nature, including breathtaking views of the Ōu Mountains
- Relaxing and refreshing visits to some of Japan’s top hot springs (onsen)
- Gourmet traditional food made using fresh local ingredients
- Stays at traditional Japanese-style inns (ryokans)
- Rich local history that serves as a base for modern Japan
- Friendly people to meet along the way
- Carefully selected less-travelled roads.
Foodie’s Bike Tour from Nasu to Nikko
This 6-day/5 night 220km tour traverses from Nasu to Nikko, where you can ride through nature and enjoy food and cultural experiences.
The tour begins in the highland resort of Nasu, home to many summer houses owned by aristocrats and the Emperor of Japan. On the journey to Nikko, riders travel through rural rice field areas, deep mountainsides and hidden onsen villages, arriving in the spiritual town of Nikko.
Nikko is considered a sacred land of Shugen-do (mountain asceticism), where Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder and the first Shogun of the Edo Shogunate, was laid to rest. As a result of these features, many Samurai visited this place for hundreds of years. Nikko has many tourist attractions, such as magnificent temples and shrines, including the World Heritage site Nikko Toshogu Shrine.
Highlights include:
- Experience a wide variety of great food that Japan has to offer
- Enjoy a full-course lunch using local fresh ingredients at a local farmer’s house and chat with the family
- Ride through spectacular lines of 400 year old giant cedars, terraced rice fields, mountain panoramas, beautiful valleys, and old houses with thatched roofs
- Stop at many places for cultural, natural and gourmet experiences
- Try different onsens (hot springs) and relax after a day of riding
- Stay in excellent Ryokans and hotels with long histories and distinctive characteristics in each local area.
Why Ride Experience?
Ride Experience’s team, led by Tetsuya Yamamoto, are local people who know the regions in which they ride. They have a strong focus on food and emphasise local unique dishes, freshly caught fish, fresh mountain vegetables, seasonal fruits and tasty local sake.
Their tours take in spectacular scenery via less-travelled quiet roads with interesting stop points. All the accommodation they book is bike-friendly and include traditional Japanese-style inns (ryokans) with natural hot springs (onsen) or Western-style city/resort hotels with indoor bike storage and laundry machines/services.
All tours are supported by a large van, which includes mechanic support, drinks and snacks, luggage transfer, and even a shuttle service up the steep hills if required.
All guides speak English and cycle alongside tour participants. They help riders understand the unique local culture and communicate with local people.
Participants can bring their own bikes, or Ride Experience provides high-quality rentals, such as full-carbon road bikes with disc brakes (Cannondale Synapse Carbon, etc) and high-power e-hybrid bikes.
Customer reviews
Customers speak highly of Ride Experience’s tours. Derek Brown, who attended the Foodie Tour in 2024, said, “We had a fantastic self-guided tour around Nasu and Nikko. Everything about the tour worked out great, with the team from Ride Experience planning a route that worked for us, meeting us off the train and setting up the bikes, all of the rides, support along the way, accommodation, food, and sights to see. Great countryside and quiet roads with waterfalls, shrines, forests and great places to eat – things that we would never have seen if we planned the trip on our own. The trip included great accommodation – most nights, we were in local ryokan hotels with onsen and local gourmet ‘foodie’ food. Our host, Nagako, was super helpful and did everything to ensure we had the best possible time throughout the trip. A great travel experience!”
Read other reviews here.
