Stunning Shikoku - Classic (original itinerary)

Japan's cultural hub encompasses more than just history, temples and tradition, which it has plenty of. Check out the mighty Imperial Palace and the Golden Pavilion shimmering against the lake on which they sit. In addition to its 17 UNESCO world heritage sites, Kyoto is also known for housing Japan's dynamic modern art scene. On this arrival day nothing is planned until the late afternoon tour briefing, so you are free to explore this fascinating city on your own. After our welcome briefing that talks through the practicalities of the trip and a bike fitting, we head out for a great welcome feast. The first of many.

Your immersive Japan bike tour begins! We embark on a scenic cycling loop of the city by tracking the Katsura River, following its waters upstream through the rural outskirts of Kyoto, to the postcard-like beauty of the Arashiyama district. This area is famous for its iconic bamboo forest, manicured parks, cherry blossom gardens, temples and shrines. A highlight of the district is the Okochi-Sanso Villa: a stunning example of traditional Japanese architecture nestled among the bamboo grove.

After lunch, we visit the unique Kinkaku-ji with its shimmering golden reflection in the lake and famous zen-style gardens. As we pedal back into the central city area, we cycle by the impressive Imperial Palace and formidable Nijo castle. We finish the ride by joining the River Kamo as it cuts its way through downtown Kyoto. Look around as we ride by young lovers, artists and musicians all enjoying an afternoon by the riverbank. Dinner this evening will be had in a great little eatery with a proud chef preparing our meal.

We depart Kyoto on two wheels and start out by crossing the river heading for the hills to the east. Immediately we are cruising in the quiet, narrow lanes, through the neighborhoods on the outskirts of town, then pedaling on a winding road through the forest. The rest of today includes a few small developed areas, but mostly great riding on country roads through beautiful forest and farmland. One highlight of the day is the Byodoin Temple, that endows the 10 yen coin, and views over green tea plantations.
We pedal all the way to our accommodation located in central Nara. Then it’s time to rack the bikes and explore Nara Park which is home to hordes of deer that were traditionally seen as sacred. We'll visit the two significant shrines of Todai-ji & Kofuku-ji before walking back through town, stopping for a drink and then dinner.

A multi-modal day of touring awaits. Start out by walking over the road to the train station and experience the incredible piece of Japanese precision infrastructure that is the railway. We spend around 50 minutes on the train, zipping through less interesting urban areas and disembark nearby the oldest temple in Japan: Asuka-dera. Here the bikes are waiting, so we commence our pedaling for the day and enjoy the countryside roads from there until lunch.
The ride takes us over two hills, the second of which will be a decent, but relatively brief challenge to wake up the legs. You are rewarded for your efforts with some fun descents and quick river roads. We'll stop for lunch atop Mount Yoshino and then continue riding on, back into the valley.
For the strong riders and hill climbers, there is an optional hill-climb to reach the destination, but at 12km total ascent, this may not suit everyone. The regular program has us boarding another spotless and punctual train. Around 50 minutes later we'll change to a cable car that brings us to Mount Koya (or Koya-san) where we'll spend the night in a lodge called a Shukubo. Whether you cycle or catch the view from the train, Mount Koya will be a fantastic reward!

The Shukubo is somewhat similar to a Ryokan, but is staffed by volunteers. The Shukubo exist mainly for the accommodation of monks who have come to study and pilgrims visiting the holy site. Mount Koya is the worldwide headquarters of Shingon Buddhism, a significant location to stop at! Soak up the new experience and the spiritual energy of the place with this unique accommodation. Meals are delivered to your traditional-style room, and a great Onsen awaits to soak away that lactic acid.

This morning you have the option to take part in a Buddhist service before breakfast. On leaving our temple lodging we will visit Kobo Daishi Mausoleum in Okunoin Cemetery and Kongobuji Temple, which is the main temple of the 3600 Shingon temples throughout Japan.
The ride today starts off with a very enjoyable descent on a wide, well-made road. The only traffic should be traveling in the other direction, so we can enjoy the ride worry-free. We peel off the main route after around 10km and are back on those well-maintained deserted back roads. After lunch, we hit another cycleway that takes us along a river all the way into the port city of Wakayama, avoiding almost all the busy sections of road. Here we have a coffee and wait for the ferry to take us over to Shikoku, a 1.5-hour journey. As we are staying in a city tonight, a business style hotel accommodates us, and we head out for dinner.

The tranquil ride along the limpid Naka River leads us through inland Tokushima to the Anan coastal area in the south of Tokushima.
After some relatively flat cycling paths to get out of the built-up areas, we ride along an undulating river road, then through what can only be described as an incredibly scenic section of coastal riding. Set back somewhat from the coast, but elevated on some of the best roads you will ride, this 15km section will be a lasting memory of the journey.
As we roll into the lunch stop, we see the imposing Yakuou-ji: the 23rd of the 88 temples of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage. We do often see a number of 'ohenro' pilgrims in white clothing with their distinct luggage making the long walk through the island in the coming days. An interesting cultural experience!

The rest of the day is quite flat, so the ride is another door to door, achievable one. However, if you wish to cut it short, there is a convenient opportunity to take the train from the 80km mark. Trains in Japan are an enjoyable experience that allows you to relax and take in the view, and taking a train means you don’t have to crawl along with the support vehicle for the rest of the ride.

The accommodation this evening is just along the beach.

This is a short day of cycling, so we have the morning to relax and enjoy the atmosphere of the lodge. If the weather is warm enough, a swim might be in the cards. Otherwise, after a great breakfast, you can linger, read a little more about Shikoku or practice your sprouting Japanese vocabulary. We spend most of today riding along the coastline with an undulating road. It is a slightly busier road than we have experienced before, but still not intimidating in any way. Take your eyes off the road for a second to catch a glimpse of fishermen hauling in a catch. Depending on the time of year, we can sometimes see surfers out on the waves, too.
Rolling into the little town of Muroto, we find the accommodation for this evening; a spotlessly clean Motel managed by a lovely couple. This is real, off-the-beaten-track Japan where you will find lots to look at on a wander of the neighborhood and where dinner will be an adventure with your Tour Leader at the helm as always.

We stay on the beautiful shorelines throughout the day today. Along the way, we encounter Shinshoji: the 25th temple of the Shikoku 88. We also see the old townscapes of Kiragawa, which retain a number of heritage architectural features including stone walls and tiled roofs. Thanks to the typhoon-proof architecture, these heritage buildings have survived well and been kept in good condition to this date. On the last 15km to Kochi, we will enjoy riding on the designated cycling path that used to be a railway. Situated in inner Kochi city, the 400-year-old Kochi Castle rises gloriously above the city skyline, symbolizing the spirit and heritage of the city.

We are in a business style hotel this evening given the city location, and we are within walking distance of an evening food market full of interesting food choices.

Today is a day to recharge and rest your tired legs in the beautiful coastal city of Kochi. Explore Kochi Castle or the preserved residence of Yamauchi Samurai. Take a leisurely stroll around one of Kochi's many walking paths through parks and beaches. Or just relax and take a soak in the onsen to prepare to hit the road again tomorrow.

On fresher legs, we are prepared for a challenging ride. After leaving the city by car to a nice park where the bikes are set up, we rejoin the river landscapes that Kochi is renowned for. Today we ride along the Niyodo River, popular among the local people for fishing, camping and canoeing.

When we leave the Niyodo River, the road begins to gain height and we get into more and more remote territory. This road was likely one of those built around 300 years ago to connect the pilgrimage sites. The climb is in three stages. We ease into the first and then after climbing around 8km, descend a little before taking on the next 8km rise. The last is only 6km and takes us through some of the most beautiful forest so far. A fun descent then awaits as we glide our bikes into the tiny and tidy town of Yusuhara where we stay in a contemporary hotel with some interesting modern architectural design. You’ll rest there feeling proud of the day’s accomplishments.

This morning before mounting the bikes, we will test our creativity with an opportunity to experience traditional Japanese washi paper making. Washi is commonly made from the fibers of tree bark and plants and often seen used for shoji screens and some origami papers. Dutch national Rogier and his Japanese wife have been at this for 25 years and their paper art has been exhibited numerous times in Tokyo and beyond. You may get to take away a lampshade or some such item if your efforts permit.
After our morning arts activity, we are back in the saddle, this time for a much tamer ride. Much of the ride is along rivers- and what spectacular rivers they are! Clear, blue and clean with more of that lovely evergreen forest surrounding them. Take in the peaceful scenery as you pedal. We pass through lots of small villages today. This area has suffered from Japan’s well recognized demographic problem, so many businesses have been boarded up, leaving a curious, yet strangely photogenic decay.

In the afternoon, we meet the Shimanto River and by it, our accommodation. A Japanese-style resort property with Onsen and truly amazing food.

Today is like a continuation of yesterday’s ride as we continue to follow these lovely clean rivers through small communities. After about 20km, we reach a short uphill, then we come across some more built-up areas as we draw nearer to the coast. We pass quite a lot of intensive agriculture-mostly rice paddies- and cycle to the coast just in time for a great lunch of sashimi and tempura. After lunch, we have a short ride before boarding the train for a great and speedy trip, zipping through the countryside and along the coast to reach the city of Imabari. There we are in a compact but centrally located hotel.

Today the Shimanami Kaido awaits. After a short ride through town, we arrive at the visitor's center that marks the start of his epic cycle route. The visitor’s center looks out over the first bridge we will encounter, spanning a strait filled with clear blue water and islands dotting the distant horizon.

The ride is a mixture of dedicated cycleway and road with a cycle lane. There are a series of bridges to pass over that provide spectacular views out over this archipelago and there are spiral-shaped paths leading up to and down from each one of these bridges.

As the day wears on, we pass through Ohmishima, and time permitting we can visit the Oyamazumi Shrine to the gods of the ocean and mountains. For people interested in samurai culture, check out the neighboring museum that displays Japanese swords registered as national treasures.

We conclude the ride on a special ferry for cyclists that helps to keep the distance achievable. We pass around the last couple of islands and into the seaside town of Onomichi, home to a special variety of Udon and the endpoint of our journey. With the cycling over, we have one last dinner together in a great little place nearby the hotel.

The tour finishes after breakfast in Onomichi. Reaching any number of destinations in Japan from here is easy thanks to the Shinkansen (bullet train). You can be in Kyoto in 2.5 hours, Tokyo in 4.5 or Hiroshima in less than an hour on a regular train. The Kansai International Airport can also be reached on an easy combination of trains in around 3.5 hours. Your guide will be able to assist you in planning the train trip to your next destination and there is a courier service that can deliver your bulky luggage to your next hotel.