Bike Touring in Japan

Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands, of which four make up the majority of the country’s land area - Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Honshu, often called the mainland, is the largest and most populated, with over 80% of Japan’s 127 million people living here. Over 70% of the Japanese country is mountainous leading to the population being concentrated in large metropolitan areas - the other side being there is a lot of relatively sparsely populated coutryside..   The climate is generally temperate although the western side can get cold with lots of snow in winter – Japan has hosted two Winter Olympics. The country is earthquake prone and has 10% of the world’s active volcanoes, but a beneficial side effect is the plentiful supply of onsen or hot springs up and down the country.   Roads are excellent with a relatively new network – however the old or secondary roads are also very well maintained and ideally suited to cycling. A high population has also justified one of the world’s best railway networks, which also allows cyclists to avoid cities - highly recommended, unless that is what you are looking for!