Ride Experience

Bountiful nature - sacred mountains, Japan’s tallest water fall, southern sea sparkling in blue, clear streams, and the naturally created art of rocks ‚Äï has been closely integrated into the culture of nature worship and faith in sacred land to this date. The Kumano Pilgrimage Routes, collectively called Kumano Kodo, have been leading people to the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano for over 1,000 years. Kumano Kodo is one of the two World Heritage “paths”.

In this tour, you will be biking and hiking. You will travel on the ancient Kumano Kodo, visit the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano, and will find yourself completely immersed in the beautiful nature of spectacular mountain ranges, massive and strange rocks, clear streams of water, and magnificent waterfalls.

The great attraction of this tour is that you will travel the Kumano Kodo only by bike and on foot while Kumano Kodo tours usually involve bus or train travel.

The Tohoku region, comprised of six prefectures located in the northernmost part of Japan’s main island ‘Honshu’, is known for its gorgeous natural environment, rich local history, and delicious agricultural produce.

Experience a more traditional side of Japan and follow in the footsteps of famous Japanese poet Matsuo Basho and his journey along “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”.

Your journey will begin in Nasu, Tochigi. It is a gateway to Tohoku and is a convenient access point from Tokyo. From Nasu, your destination is Aomori, the northern tip of Honshu. It will be an 900 km bike tour through the tranquil and picturesque landscape of Tohoku where you will meet few cars or other tourists. Rice is produced throughout Tohoku. Around the time of the tour is when rice fields turn gold. You will be seeing these beautiful rice fields along the way. Another major tour attraction is the food. With everything from unique and gorgeous Japanese cuisine to regional specialties such as fruits, you’ll love the dining experience including those at local restaurants.

Highlights

• Gorgeous 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 spectacular traditional Japanese-style inns (ryokans)
• Rich local history that served as a base for modern Japan
• While they may seem shy at first, some of the friendliest people you will ever meet
• Carefully selected beautiful and less-traveled roads

Cycle traverse the Nikko National Park from Nasu to Nikko and enjoy the various beautiful sceneries of highlands, rivers, forests and rice fields with unique cultural visits.
And you will enjoy hiking in Mt. Nasu, a beautiful volcano easy to climb, and in Nikko, a sacred mountain area with long history. Refresh your body with excellent Onsens (hot springs) and delicious local foods the Northern Kanto region has to offer.

Mt. Nasu (Nasu mountain range) is a complex group of volcanic mountains with gently sloping terrain that extends to the Nasu Highlands, in the northeastern part of the Nikko National Park.
Mt. Chausu, the main peak of Nasu mountain range, is an active volcano that emits smoke and ash on a daily basis. Here you can experience unique volcanic landscape, spectacular views from the summit and colorful foliage on the mountain side during autumn. Beautiful in all seasons, Mt. Chausu is a popular destination for hikers and tourists alike, especially during the fall months when the autumn colors set the landscape alight with a striking mixture of deep reds, bright yellows and an array of orange tones.

The destination of your journey, Nikko has been a sacred land of Shugen-do (mountain asceticism) for ages and is also the place 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 offers so many tourist attractions and entertainment such as magnificent temples and shrines including the World Heritage site Nikko Toshogu Shrine that there is even a famous saying “See Nikko before you die.”

After cycling and hiking, refresh your body with excellent Onsens (hot springs) and delicious local foods the Northern Kanto region, the nature-rich food production center, has to offer.

Highlights

• Bike through Japanese countryside with beautiful rice fields, small roads between forests, shining clear water in the river, isolated but stunning Zen temples.
• Hike around Mt. Chausu (Nasu mountain range) and experience unique volcanic landscape, spectacular views from the summit and colorful Autumn colors in the October tour.
• Experience Japanese culture and local lifestyle at Zen temple, Japanese Sake brewery, pottery studio, miso shop, Japanese confectionery store etc.
• Cycle along Nikko Cedar Avenue, an ancient road lined with giant cedar trees, where a lot of Samurai walked toward Nikko from Edo.
• Hike through Senjogahara marshland, a registered site of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance with a diverse range of plants and animals inhabiting the rich natural environment in the mountainous part of Nikko.
• We have hand-picked excellent onsen ryokans (Japanese style inns with natural hot springs).
• The tour is attended by a cycling guide well familiar with the local history, lifestyle, people and food.

Nikko has been a sacred land of Shugen-do (mountain asceticism) for ages and is also the place 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 offers so many tourist attractions and entertainment such as magnificent temples and shrines including the World Heritage site Nikko Toshogu Shrine that there is even a famous saying “See Nikko before you die.” Your journey starts in this place. You will firstly cycle from a rural area in the north of the Kanto Plain to the highland resort of Nasu where you find summerhouses of aristocrats and the Emperor. Then, you will travel through rural rice field areas to finally arrive at the historic castle town of Shirakawa.

In this foodie’s bike tour, you will visit these historic towns and stay at long-established hotels and ryokans (inns), which have been welcoming VIPs from inside and outside Japan for a long time, and also at accommodations that are committed to serving high quality meals. Take in the scenery of mountains, highlands, and rural areas while you bike through them, and enjoy gastronomic exploration in the rice production center of the Kanto region, the largest dairy region of Japan’s mainland, and towns offering delicious fresh vegetables as well as many onsen spots.