This is a pleasant, relatively easy 80km ride along the river Saba and around the Chou peninsula, including crossing the rather spectacular Suo O-Hashi bridge. Passing through several quiet Japanese villages this ride can easily be completed in 4 and half hours allowing for a break en-route.
A ride north from Hofu to Lake’s Miyano, Sasanami, Abu and Kinkei. This is a six to seven hour, 110km cycle through some of the most beautiful and remoter parts of Yamaguchi. It involves over 2000m of climbing, some of which are quite long with some challenging technical descents.
Shunan is an industrial city located in the southwest region of Yamaguchi prefecture. It is probably most synonymous with the petrochemical and steel industries with Idemitsu, Tosoch and Tokuyama and Nisshin Steel all having major plant located on the coast around the city of Tokuyama. Whilst this might sound somewhat off putting, we invite you to reconsider and allow us to take you on a cycling journey through the mountains and lakes of Shunan that are a distinctive, and much neglected, beauty of this city. During this challenging, 4-5 hour, 100km ride takes in three lakes, 1 beach and over 1500 metres of climbing.
This is a two and a half hour in Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, relatively gentle 40km ride. It involves a 450m climb over a ridge of Ohira mountain, a ride along the river Saba Gawa cycle way, cycling through the city of Hofu and a brief encounter with the coastline of Yamaguchi. We cycled this in late December, the weather was gloriously sunny however the air temperature was cold especially when descending off the Ohira Mountain ridge.
Japan has one of the world’s most sophisticated food cultures. It is possible to spend a large sum of money in top class restaurants in Japan, but it is also easy to find delicious food at very reasonable prices.
When to go to to Japan for a bike trip?
Japan has distinctive seasons which should be taken into consideration when planning a bike trip, particularly for a long tour. Generally speaking, spring 春 (March to early June) and autumn 秋 (October and November) are the best seasons for bike trips as the temperatures are pleasant and there is little rainfall. Although it is perfectly possible to explore Japan by bike in other seasons, depending on where you travel. The Japanese archipelago stretches from north to south, which means that each region has a different climate.
Japan may not come to minds of many as tour destination when they plan bicycle trips, but it is an excellent destination to discover hidden attractions by bicycle, not often experienced by those travelling in cars and trains.
In Japan, traveling on the train with a bicycle is permitted, even on Shinkansen with no extra charge. You can take a bike on any train at any time for free of charge if you store it in a bike bag called ‘Rinko bag’ 輪行バッグ.