The Japan Bike Tour

Shelley and Masato offer a unique experience to explore Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and more!! By riding for 6 days through the countryside, we experienced a day in the life of how Japan grows their crops, how they live their lives, how the landscape changes from bike paths along canals and rivers to rolling hills to mountain passes!! We experienced the rich and enduring culture by seeing UNESCO sites and hidden gems of temples and shrines that only locals would worship and mediate at.... It was the best way to experience this wonderful country!! The accommodations and meals matched the uniqueness of the riding! Thank you Shelley and Masato for the best riding trip that we have ever done!!

Highly Recommended! My wife and I recently completed O Cycle Japan's 8-day Best of Kansai self-guided tour, and it was one of the best travel experiences we've ever had. From the moment we arrived in Osaka, Shelley and Masato were incredibly friendly and accommodating, and their professionalism gave us comfort and confidence throughout the trip. Every question we had was answered with genuine warmth and patience. The organization was outstanding. The routes were very well planned, taking us through quiet countryside, tea fields in Uji, the temples and friendly deer of Nara, and finally along the beautiful Wakayama coastline. Each day had the right balance of riding and sightseeing, and the activities were both enjoyable and educational. We came home with a much deeper appreciation of Japanese history and culture. The attention to detail was fantastic. Our luggage was always waiting for us, the accommodations were comfortable and full of character, and the recommendations for food and sights were spot on. The mix of hotels, ryokans and a night at a Buddhist temple made every evening something to look forward to. A true highlight was watching the sun set over the ocean from our ryokan in Wakayama. It was simply magical, and a moment we'll never forget. Best of all, we never had to worry about a thing. Shelley and Masato took care of everything, so all we had to do was ride, have fun and enjoy the sights. If you're looking for a memorable way to see Japan, we can't recommend O Cycle Japan highly enough. Thank you, Shelley and Masato. We'd happily do it again!

This was by far one of the most enjoyable and best organized bicycle tours we have taken in our 35 years of cycle touring. The routing was fantastic considering the difficulty of routing a group of 8 people through the incredibly diverse series of rural and urban environments we encountered. The scenery was gorgeous, and the accommodations (which included a nice mix of traditional Japanese guest houses and modern facilities) were all top notch. The various sights along the way and side trips made available were all wonderful. We especially enjoyed our day touring the magnificent ancient Buddhist temples and monuments of Koya-San - a fantastic adventure on its own. Many thanks to Shelley and Masato for making this one of our most memorable bicycle tours ever!

We did the 6 day Kansai bike tour and loved every second of it. We are very amateur bikers and O Cycle provided superb quality E-bikes for us with fool-proof SatNav attached. This made it all so easy and enjoyable, from the backstreets to the wide open rural cycling views. The coastal views were a highlight. Shelley and Masato provided many extra tips and 100% backup at our fingertips. They really do look after you. The accommodation they chose was of a high standard, some modern and some traditional, all perfect at the end of a days riding. We would thoroughly recommend this trip to anyone ,even if not enthusiastic bikers, but still prepared to get on a bike, like us. It is such a good way to see a country up close, and take in the vibe. We will be highly recommending this trip to all our friends Thank you so much Shelley and Masato

We recently completed the 4-day Nara–Kyoto–Osaka cycling trip with O Cycle Japan — about 140 km in total — and it was a highlight of our time in Japan. What we expected to be a self-guided ride turned into an unexpected bonus: we were guided by Shelley, while her co-founder husband Masato handled luggage transfers and met us along the way with local stories and support. Their warmth and attention to detail made the experience exceptional. The bikes were top-quality, navigation was easy, and the “moderate” routes were entirely manageable — even our foursome in our 60s and 70s, all riding without e-bikes. Accommodations were comfortable and distinctive, including a charming ryokan in Nara, a temple stay with a memorable vegan dinner near Lake Biwa, and great hotels in Kyoto and Osaka. Most of the cycling was on quiet roads or dedicated paths, with just short stretches through city areas. The mix of scenery, culture, and personal care was perfect. We highly recommend O Cycle Japan for an unforgettable way to experience the country.

We went as a 10 member group of older, motivated couples and it was amazing. Shelly and Masato were unerringly upbeat, helpful, delightful and warm hearted and that was really the best part of it. They have worked hard to create a doable route through the heart of the Kansai district and although it was challenging, it did not defeat anyone and Shelly decided to ride with us, so we always had a cheerful presence leading us through the toughest parts. The hotels went from urban to rural and the food experiences were eclectic and culturally engaging. We cycled through places in Japan one would never see by car and the country views bordered on other-worldly. My partner and I collapsed each day after an onsen visit and climbed into our cycling gear in the morning ready to go. The entire group had a marvellous time and I would recommend O Cycle to anyone looking for an active Japanese holiday led by awesome guides and directed through stunning countryside and city stops. Thanks Shelly and Masato! We had so much fun!

What an amazing trip! Shelley and Masato were fantastic, supporting us throughout the week and by providing ample advice about things to do and places to eat. The routes were incredibly well planned and took us through some wonderful scenery that would have been difficult to reach with any other mode of transportation. It was just the right amount of cycling each day - not too easy and not too hard. I would highly recommend O Cycle Japan if you're looking for a unique, fun, immersive adventure in a beautiful part of the country.

Shelley and Masato at O Cycle Japan have curated an experience for you that is the perfect blend of culture, food, and sightseeing. From Shrines and Temples, Restaurants, Ocean views, and Castles to staying at a Monastery one night. The hotel onsens (hot baths) were the perfect salve after a day of biking. It was a trip of a lifetime for me. Don’t forget to stop at the Sake breweries!! I will definitely be going back. Thanks Shelley and Masato !!

We had such a great adventure on O Cycle Japan's tour of the Kansai Region! The routes took us through small towns, farmland, and bigger cities and were well planned! We enjoyed the tour operators' suggestions for places of interest which included temples, shrines, cute shopping areas and just places of beautiful scenery. Shelley and Masato, the tour operators, responded to every question and need we had. My husband even had a tire blow out that required more to fix than just a flat, and Masato and Shelley resolved the problem quickly!!! My husband caught our group quickly and was impressed with their service! The accommodations included in our tour were excellent. I love onsens! Staying at the Buddhist Temple was an amazing experience. The dinner, breakfast and morning prayers was a once in a lifetime experience!! As a vegetarian, I really appreciated the tour operators' efforts to find and suggest restaurants that offered meals I could eat. Masato's love of the region's foods was evident, and he enjoys sharing the opportunity to experience authentic flavours! I recommend O Cycle Japan's tour of the Kansai area. I will definitely travel more in Japan!!

This was an incredible itinerary, carefully curated for navigational ease, while maximizing opportunities for rich cultural exposure and beautiful Japan scenery and nature.. The hotels, onsens, restaurants, excursions and offerings were clearly selected with such intention, it felt like every leg of our trip was a VIP experience. Highlights of our adventures included a traditional matcha tea ceremony, sake brewery tour, interactive samurai ninja museum, rooftop yoga, morning meditation, elaborate & delicious traditional multi-course Japanese meals, feeding and interacting with the revered, free-roaming ‘bowing deer’ of Nara, a technologically impressive and super tasty AI-sake bar, visiting beautiful temples and monuments, and sleeping in a historic Buddhist temple and former Japanese royalty summer house. The bike was incredible quality (I came home wanting to buy the same one), the nav GPS mapping was user-friendly, the route was easy to follow with clear options for adding-on optional detours or suggested stops that you could skip/include, and the cycling paths that the routes lead you through were remarkable - well maintained paths, peddling through beautiful scenic views ranging from gentle, rolling countryside hills to coastal cliffs with expansive ocean views, mixed in with vibrant city pathways. One of my favourite parts of each day was relaxing in the restorative onsens at our hotels - a welcome retreat at the end of a long day of cycling! I was always excited to arrive at the next hotel and see what the onsen experience was like there, as each was so different, but always delivering the rest & rejuvenation needed for the next full day of adventure. OCycle Japan is so much more than a cycling tour - it is an immersive, cultural experience. Arigato Shelley & Masato for creating this journey with such care and attention, your love for cycling and Japan really shows!