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Japan Heritage

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Price from

US$ 4,100

Duration

7 Days / 6 Nights

Distance

240 km

Difficulty

Moderate?Learn more about our trip difficulty ratings

Tour Code

JPN-JHB

Next departure

25-Sep-2023

Number of Cycling Days6

Average Distance Per Day: 40

0

150 Km

Total Cycling Distance240 kilometres

Bike HireIncluded

Single SupplementUS$ 320

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Itinerary

Day 1

Today we turn Kyoto inside out as we embark on a leisurely two-wheeled pavement cruise to visit iconic heritage sites, gardens, shrines and historic communities.

Day 2

Today we trade the hustle and bustle of central Kyoto for the serenity of its rural hinterland. The ride is one of the hilliest of the trip but our efforts will be rewarded with a stay at a traditional Japanese onsen ryokan to sooth our muscles!

Day 3

Today's ride couldn't get any better - mostly flat terrain with beautiful scenery along the shores of Japan's largest lake and ending in the homeland of the ninja warriors.

Day 4

Today’s ride will take us across rolling hills, through terraced tea plantations, and along small backroads as we journey from Koka to Nara, another ancient capital of Japan.

Day 5

Today is all about Nara and its cultural gems. We will enjoy a train ride followed by a relaxing 20 kilometer cycle along a historic trail to visit key sites. In the afternoon we try our hand at the art of sushi making.

Day 6

On our final day in the saddle we will ride along the banks of the Uji River and some quiet back roads leading back to Kyoto. Highlights include green tea sampling, the spectacular Byodoin temple and a famous sake brewery.

Day 7

Our tour ends after breakfast, but you are welcome to extend your stay in Kyoto.

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View more: Touring Heritage

Tours in: Japan

Japan Heritage

Tour CodeJPN-JHB

7Days

6Nights

DestinationsJapan

Tour MeetsKyoto

Tour EndsKyoto

Fly in toKansai International Airport

Fly out ofKansai International Airport

Group Size4-16 riders

Minimum Age18 (on scheduled departures)

Activity Profile

6Cycling days

240kmTotal cycling distance

40kmAvg distance / day

mAvg climbing / day

Pricing

PriceUS$ 4,100

Bike HireIncluded

Single SupplementUS$ 320

What's Included

SpiceRoads jersey
Water bottle
Support vehicle
Guide(s)
Meals (as indicated)
Accommodation
Bike and helmet
Snacks and drinks
Entrance fees
Cooking class

What's Excluded

International flights
Airport pick up
Airport drop off
Visa fees
Alcohol
Tips

Departures

25 September - 01 October 2023

09 October - 15 October 2023

08 April - 14 April 2024

13 May - 19 May 2024

23 September - 29 September 2024

07 October - 13 October 2024

Trip Profile

This trip is 245 kilomtres entirely on tarmac in good condition and on a mixture of secondary roads and paved bicycle paths. Some of the days cycling in Kyoto and Nara are on primarily flat terrain, however the countryside surrounding Kyoto can be hilly with some steep sections. The support van will always be nearby if you need a rest or a lift to the top!

Suitability: The route has been designed with manageable distances and terrain, and can be done by anyone with a reasonable fitness level. A support truck is always available to help when necessary, except on Kyoto city days and while riding on dedicated bicycle paths.

Biking Conditions: The roads are smooth tarmac in excellent condition. The distances aren't long, but some smaller roads in the mountain areas outside the city may be a bit rough and steep in places.

Day 1 Kyoto Uncovered

We will meet at the hotel at 10:00 and head out for our inaugural ride. Our guide will set the scene for today’s adventure through Kyoto which, for over a millennia, was the cultural center of Japan. Fittingly, we begin the ride with a visit to Heian Shrine, built in 1898 to commemorate the 1100 years that Kyoto was Japan’s imperial capital. From here, we’ll start to travel back in time to explore the legacies of Kyoto’s long lasting history. First up will be Ginkaku-ji, commonly referred to as The Silver Pavilion, which was constructed as the retirement villa of an art obsessed shogun. It was from here that many of the iconic Japanese traditions familiar to the west, including tea culture, flower arranging and garden design, originated. We continue with a ride along the beautiful tree-lined path known as “The Path Of Philosophy” to Nanzenji, one of Kyoto’s most famous and spectacular zen temples. We then follow a willow tree-lined river to the Gion District, famous for its tea houses and Geisha. After a short stroll through this quintessential Kyoto neighborhood we head back to our hotel before rendezvousing again for dinner in the evening.

Via Inn Kyotoeki Hachijoguchi

Lunch, Dinner

Ride 18km

+92m

-92m

Day 2 Kyoto – Ogoto Onsen

Today we trade the hustle and bustle of central Kyoto for the serenity of its rural hinterland. The ride is one of the hilliest of the trip, but our efforts will be rewarded with a stay at a traditional Japanese onsen ryokan to sooth our muscles! Our journey begins by skirting along the Takano River before branching out onto rural and winding forested roads that take us to Kibune. Here we will cycle along a babbling stream leading us to the Kifune Shrine, a Shinto religious sanctuary nestled amongst nature. We’ll set our bikes aside and stroll along the worshipers path up to Kurama Temple, where sweeping views over the surrounding forested hills await. Back on our bikes, we continue onwards to Ohara. We will pass by temples with intricate gardens, quaint villages with traditional farm houses, and lush fields with rice paddies and vegetable patches. Before we know it we find ourselves on the shores of the resplendent Lake Biwa, the largest body of freshwater in Japan. Tonight we will stay in a small town on the edge of the lake, famous for its healing hot springs: Ogoto Onsen.Ogoto's hot spring waters are said to have healing properties, so be sure to avail yourself of these amenities before or after dinner (or both!).

Komorebi Ryokan

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride 48km

+632m

-579m

Day 3 Ogoto Onsen - Koka

After a traditional breakfast, we’ll say goodbye to our wonderful ryokan and jump on the saddle for a great day of riding along the shores of Japan’s largest lake and its surroundings. Our route takes us straight across the kilometer and a half long Biwako Ohashi Bridge. As we pedal, enjoy wonderful views across the expansive waters. Once we have reached the other side of the lake we will skirt along the shores until we reach the picturesque town of Omi Hachiman. Here we’ll explore the medieval canal flanked by cobbled walls and traditional houses. We then continue to traverse the scenic countryside until we reach the small town of Koka, the homeland of the ninja warriors! We’ll visit some historical sites to learn all about the history of these notorious fighters.

Route-Inn Koka Minakuchi

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride 55km

+228m

-107m

Day 4 Koka - Nara

Today’s ride will take us across rolling hills, through terraced tea plantations, and along small backroads as we journey from Koka to Nara, another ancient capital of Japan. In the morning we’ll ride to Shigaraki, an area that made its name creating ceramic statues of tanuki (raccoon dogs). These ceramic figurines can still be found in many gardens, restaurants and drinking establishments in the area. From there, we will embark on an incredibly scenic stretch of riding as we head to Wazuka, one of Japan’s premier tea growing regions. We ride along small, winding back roads that dissect the expansive patchwork of perfectly manicured tea fields carved into the rolling hills of Wuzaka. The route is hilly but there will be plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy the views as well learn about the growing, harvesting, and preparation of Ujicha tea directly from families who have been at it for generations. As we emerge from the tea fields of Wazuka we’ll complete the final stretch to Nara. This is another of Japan’s former capitals, but one which is now a small and compact city with some of the oldest and most impressive temple complexes in the country.

Nara Ryokan

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride 58km

+666m

-760m

Day 5 Nara

With a couple of days of epic cycling behind us, today we take it easy as we discover Nara and its cultural gems. In the morning, after breakfast, we will hop on a train to Sakurai and then cycle part of the Yamanobe-no-Michi trail to Tenri. The trail passes through some of Nara’s most historic areas and is part of Japan’s oldest road, the Shinkaido, originating in Tokyo. From Tenri we will cycle to and explore the Nara Park area which contains several important buildings such as Toda-ji and the Kasuga Shrine and is famous for its “wild” deer. Later this afternoon we will learn how to make sushi and feast on our own creations. Dinner is on your own tonight, if you have any room left after the sushi! Our guide and crew will be happy to make some recommendations.

Nara Ryokan

Breakfast, Lunch

Ride 20km

+175m

-285m

Day 6 Nara - Uji - Kyoto

On our final day in the saddle we will ride along the banks of the Uji River and some quiet back roads leading back to Kyoto. We depart Nara in the morning and head towards Uji, a small and charming city famous for green tea, especially matcha. Uji is also home to the spectacular Byodoin temple, widely considered to be one of most beautiful temples in the country. We will stop here to admire the architecture and to sample some tea. From Uji we continue back towards Kyoto. We will make a stop at the famous sake district of Fushimi and visit the Gekkeikan Sake brewery. This is a great place to buy Japanese sake as a present for your loved ones or to drink back at the hotel after completing the ride! Time permitting as we approach Kyoto we can visit Fushimi Inari Shrine, one of the city's most recognisable attractions due to the thousands of red torii gates leading up the mountain behind the shrine. From here it is a 10 minute train ride into the city near our hotel. After arriving back in Kyoto, we'll check in to our hotel before meeting up for a final farewell dinner together.

Via Inn Kyotoeki Hachijoguchi

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ride 42km

+194m

-262m

Day 7 Departure

Enjoy a lazy breakfast at the hotel before making your way to the airport or train station for onward travel. You are also welcome to extend your stay in Kyoto!

Breakfast

Disclaimer: The adventure cycling tours we operate often go beyond the beaten track, and the countries where we ride are not always predictable. Due to these reasons, it is occasionally necessary to reroute or update itineraries. Our guarantee is that we will not change a trip unless for safety or to improve it. Our listed hotels are always accurate at the time of writing, but should we have to change any hotel, it will always be for a similar or better one.

Nuts & Bolts

Bikes

This trip is entirely on tarmac, and utilizes new Trek hybrid bikes. Bike and helmet hire is included in this trip, however you are welcome to bring your own seat and/or pedals, and we'll fit them to your bike for the tour.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

The Nitty Gritty

Passports and Visas

All nationalities require a valid passport and up to 62 countries have reciprocal visa exemption arrangements allowing nationals from those countries to enter Japan without a visa. Depending on the country, you are allowed to stay in Japan for a certain period of time, which can range from 90 days to six months. For more information, please visit here.

Update on COVID-19 Requirements: If you enter Japan after midnight Japan time on April 29 ,valid vaccination certificate or pre-departure test is not required

Health

There are no inoculations required for entering Japan though there are general recommendations which you can review here. Please speak to your doctor/physician for the most recent information.

Weather

Japan has a diverse climate. There are four seasons: from April to June is spring. The rainy season is from middle of June to the middle of July. July through end of September can be hot and humid temperatures in the big cities can go as high as 35 degrees Celsius.

Food

Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, Most meals will be Japanese seafood; a typical breakfast would include rice, a piece of grilled fish, miso soup. We always carry some granola and Muesli with us for those in need. Dinners will include lots of different seafood - some cooked, some raw. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.

Drink

Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere in Japan, but is NOT included in the price.

Solo Travelers

SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for travelling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveller of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.

Extra Expenses

We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$30 a day for incidentals. Tipping is not customary in Japan, although our guides have received and accepted tips on a voluntary basis.

Money

The currency in Japan is the yen (¥) and is pronounced as ‘en’, with no ‘y’ sound. Though ATMs are everywhere in Japan, it is not always easy to use them as most only work with Japan-issued bank cards and credit cards. The exception is Japan’s post office ATMs which accept cards that belong to the following international networks: Visa, Plus, MasterCard, Maestro, Cirrus American Express and Diners Club cards. In addition to postal ATMs, you will find a few international ATMs in big cities and at the major airports. International cards also work in Citibank Japan ATMs.

General booking info

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

Booking a SpiceRoads cycling adventure is easy and we try to do everything possible to make sure you have full flexibility and peace of mind. We do not require a deposit to hold your place on a tour and once full payment has been made your money is protected in our client account and you have the flexibility to cancel or change your booking if needed.

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

Loyalty Riders Club

For those who have been on several long tours with us, we reward customer loyalty by offering repeat customers a special discount off the tour price (excludes single supplement and bike rental). If this is your fourth scheduled tour or more you will receive a 5% discount. If this is your eighth scheduled tour or more we will extend a 10% discount. The discount will be reflected in your online booking, but please contact us if any questions. Loyalty discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Note: Only tours of 7 days or more will be applicable for a loyalty discount.

International Flights

International flights, to and from the start and finish points are not included in the tour price. Once your tour is Guaranteed to Depart you can book your flight. Please contact us for advice before arranging flights for the best arrival and departure times. We would only cancel a trip for an extreme circumstance, but in that case, where we cancel your trip, we cannot be liable for losses incurred relating to any flight booking you have made. Please claim any losses from your travel insurance that you acquired when you booked your holiday.

Newsletter

Our adventure travel e-newsletter is full of travel news, trip information, interesting stories and contests. To avoid missing out on special offers and updates from SpiceRoads, be sure to subscribe.

The information in this document is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however, we will always do our best to adhere to this original itinerary

Contact Us

45 (Sub Soi Pannee) Soi Pridi Banomyong 26
Sukhumvit Soi 71 Klongtan Nua, Wattana
Bangkok, Thailand 10110

Tel: +66 (0) 2 026 3295
Email: info@spiceroads.com
Website: www.spiceroads.com