Japan Tour Overview
I visited Tokyo, Japan, on business in 2010 but never left Tokyo, so the opportunity to return and explore historic cities and sample some of the countryside by bike was appealing. Most of my tours have been self-planned, but with a terrible ear for language I would not try to cycle tour in Japan on my own.
I have followed Alex Kent's occasional posts on the Bike Friday Yak List, (mostly Bike Friday Owners), about 2-week tours in Japan that are limited to riders with folding bikes. Alex has lived and taught at Universities in Japan. He currently lives in the Boston area, offers Japanese/English translation services, and has maintained an extensive local network in Japan.
Essentially, folding bikes are easy to take on public transportation, (mostly trains), and support exploring cities and the countryside. I contacted Alex about this 2025 tour last year, and after relocating from MT to CA, was able to commit in December. For more on Alex and his unique approach to touring in Japan, go to his web site: http://alexmkent.com.
Our group will comprise 8 riders; Alex; Alex's daughter, Nina; and several of Alex's local friends. Alex recommends Brompton bikes as the easiest bikes to fold, roll through large train stations, and easily take on trains. Two of us are sticking with our Bike Fridays, since we already own them. Japan rail requires all bikes to be bagged for train transport. Because some train stations might require a kilometer walk, I will take a folding luggage carrier to carry 2 panniers and my bagged Bike Friday through train stations.
Briefly, the tour is 2 weeks plus travel days. I leave the US 1 April and return 19 April. The following is Alex's tour itinerary:
General Itinerary (subject to change)
● Tokyo: 2 nights
● Kamakura 2 nights
● Kyoto: 5 nights
● Day trip to Nara
● Shimanami Kaido (crossing the Inland Sea): 1 night
● Otsu: 1 night
● Shiga (Hino Town, Otowa Village) 2 nights
● Return to Tokyo and end of tour.
The package includes:
• Lodging (14 nights)
• Japan Rail (JR) tickets for the duration of the tour. Includes extra-large baggage charge (applicable to all riders)
• Breakfasts and dinners. For the most part, we’ll be eating at moderately-priced restaurants, but there will also be some fancier places. Breakfasts are usually included as part of our overnight stays. In Kyoto we will probably “self-cater” breakfast. I will provide all ingredients, and I’m a pretty good cook, but I welcome assistance from all of you!
• Admissions (museums, temples, shrines, etc.)
• Trans-shipment of one bike case from Tokyo to our last port-of-call in Shiga Prefecture. In Shiga, you will repack your bike in its case so you can carry it on board the train back to Tokyo.
• Planning, organization, interpreting, leading, cooking, answering lots and lots of questions, etc.
Accommodations
Accommodations will usually be in the traditional Japanese style, including tatami rooms, futons, shared sleeping spaces, and shared bathrooms. In Tokyo, we will be staying at what is known as a business hotel, and there you will have your own private room and bath. Single- or double-occupancy are generally not available.
In Tokyo, I've found Brompton rider and writer Aisaku Oruto who will join us for an exploration of some of the (relatively) quieter neighborhoods of the city. And my good friend Sumi Ohashi will join the group on a ride to Tsukishima, one of the very few neighborhoods that was relatively unscathed by the catastrophic 1923 earthquake and fire, and which somehow escaped the worst of the March 1945 incendiary bombing by American B-29s.
In Kamakura, Brompton rider Miho Nakamura will likely join us to share some of her favorite parts of that city. My old friend Michael Hoover, an American who has lived in Japan for over 35 years and a longtime resident of Kamakura will also join us.
In Kyoto, (about 2.5 hours by train west of Tokyo), Toshiro Otowa, my friend and our host in his village in Shiga Prefecture, will ride with us through the back streets of Kyoto, a city he knows well, having gone to university and graduate school at Kyoto University. My friend Ryo ("Leo") Yokoyama will also ride with us. I'm also tentatively planning on a day trip from Kyoto to the ancient capital, Nara. We would bike one way and return to Kyoto by train. Plan on riding about 25~30 miles on that day.
On his home turf in Shiga Prefecture, Toshiro will be setting up 2-night homestays in and near his village, which bears his family name, Otowa.
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