Cycling in Japan: Self-Launched Tokyo to Kyoto Ride

Fly into Haneda or Narita and take the Keikyu Line or Narita Express to central Tokyo (~£5-15). Stay in Asakusa, a short walk from Senso-ji, in a hostel dorm or capsule hotel. Use the afternoon to collect your bike if you're hiring (Tokyo has several road/gravel rental shops and some bike shops that do weekly rentals — reserve ahead in spring/autumn), or to buy a cheap second-hand bike and a helmet and front/rear lights (Japanese law requires lights at night). Evening: slurp a bowl of ramen solo in a counter bar — Japanese solo dining is completely normal, so no awkwardness.

🚌Airport train to Asakusa (~£5-15); walk/train in the city

🛏Asakusa hostel dorm or capsule hotel (~£25-35/night)

• →Collect or rent bike and kit
• →Evening ramen in Asakusa
• →Orientation stroll along Sumida River

Self-guided version of the orientation day. Start early at Senso-ji temple, walk Nakamise shopping street before the tour groups arrive, then cycle or walk to Ueno Park for its temples, shrines and museums (Tokyo National Museum is excellent and ~£6). In the afternoon head south — cycle paths along the Sumida and Arakawa rivers make this easy — to Meiji Shrine's forest and Shibuya's famous crossing if you want the photo. River-cycle paths are free and easy to follow; the whole city is very bikeable at a relaxed pace.

🚌Bike or Tokyo Metro day pass (~£5)

🛏Asakusa hostel dorm or capsule hotel (~£25-35)

• →Senso-ji and Nakamise Street
• →Ueno Park and Tokyo National Museum
• →Optional Meiji Shrine and Shibuya Crossing

Ship the bike (or hand it to a takkyubin counter — Yamato luggage forwarding is ~£15-25 per bike and takes one day, so forward it a day early) or carry it on the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kanazawa (~2.5-3 hrs, ~£70-80 with an unreserved/early-booking ticket). Check into a guesthouse, then do a short flat 15-20km afternoon loop: Nagamachi Samurai District's earthen-walled lanes, then Kenrokuen garden (¥320, ~£1.70). Dinner: Kanazawa is famous for seafood — pick a conveyor-belt sushi bar or an izakaya in the Katamachi quarter.

🚌Hokuriku Shinkansen Tokyo-Kanazawa (~£75); bike forwarding ~£20

🛏Kanazawa guesthouse or budget hotel near the station (~£25-35)

• →Nagamachi Samurai District
• →Kenrokuen Garden
• →Optional 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

The tour's first real riding day. Head north out of Kanazawa along Route 60/coastal lanes through Kaga, past fishing villages and small harbours on the Sea of Japan. Stop at a preserved Edo-period ship owner's house (the Kitamaebune merchant houses in this area are often free or ¥300-500 to enter), then push on to the Oshima Bridge area for sunset. Distances here are moderate (50-70km, undulating); there's a resort-style lodgings cluster at Kyukamura — book a Japanese-style room or a nearby minshuku, and eat dinner at the lodging (half-board is the norm and good value).

🚌Ride ~55-65km; local train backup from Kaga Onsen station on the IR Ishikawa Railway

🛏Kyukamura-style resort or minshuku with half board (~£45-60)

• →Coastal riding through Kaga and fishing villages
• →Edo-period kitamaebune merchant house
• →Sunset at Oshima Bridge

Another coastal day along the Echizen-kaigan — dramatic sea cliffs, beaches and small ports, with the option to detour onto quieter prefectural roads when the main road gets busy. Break for an oceanside lunch of fresh crab or grilled fish at a roadside restaurant. Around 50-65km puts you in Echizen town, where guesthouses and business hotels are cheap. If legs are tired, the Hokuriku main line runs parallel to the coast and takes bikes in a bag.

🚌Ride ~50-65km; Hokuriku line train backup

🛏Echizen business hotel or guesthouse (~£30-40)

• →Echizen-kaigan coastal riding
• →Seaside seafood lunch
• →Beach stop at Echizen coast

Detour inland to Takefu Knife Village, a workshop complex where Echizen forged blades are made — you can join a short artisan demonstration/workshop session for a modest fee (book direct by email or phone a few days ahead; roughly ¥1,000-2,000 for a tour, forge-your-own sessions cost more). Then follow quiet lanes that shadow the old Hokuriku railway line south, stopping at a late-Edo period inn for soba. Finish in Tsuruga, a faded port town with cheap hotels, and eat at a local sushi or tonkatsu restaurant.

🚌Ride ~55-65km; JR Hokuriku/Obama line backup

🛏Tsuruga business hotel (~£30-40)

• →Takefu Knife Village artisan demo
• →Soba stop at Edo-period inn
• →Old Hokuriku railway line lanes

A loop day with no luggage to carry. Ride west to the Mikata Five Lakes (Mikata-goko) for a flat lakeside circuit, then swing down to Wakasa Bay inside Wakasa Wan Quasi-National Park, where the ria coastline and fishing ports are gorgeous in good weather. Lunch on seafood at a harbour restaurant — Wakasa is famous for mackerel and oysters in season. Back in Tsuruga in the late afternoon; same hotel again means no repacking.

🚌Ride loop ~60-80km (shorter option ~40km); JR Obama line covers the lake section

🛏Tsuruga business hotel (~£30-40)

• →Mikata Five Lakes loop
• →Wakasa Bay coastal riding
• →Wakasa seafood lunch
• →Wakasa Wan Quasi-National Park

Rest the legs. Take the Shinkansen/train from Tsuruga to Kanazawa (~£25-30, or the Thunderbird limited express to Toyama then shinkansen), forward the bike, then catch the Nohi Bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go (~1h15, ~£20, reserve online). Shirakawa-go's gassho-zukuri thatched farmhouses are a UNESCO site; walk the village and the Shiroyama viewpoint in the late afternoon when day-trippers leave, and stay overnight in a gassho-zukuri guesthouse or the village minshuku for the quietest experience (book 1-2 months ahead). Note the village gets deep snow in winter and is best May-November for cycling.

🚌Train Tsuruga-Kanazawa ~£28; Nohi Bus Kanazawa-Shirakawa-go ~£20

🛏Gassho-zukuri minshuku or guesthouse in Shirakawa-go (~£45-65 incl. dinner)

• →Shirakawa-go village walk
• →Shiroyama viewpoint
• →Historic gassho-zukuri houses

The hardest day of the trip: a climbing route southeast via Miboro Lake (Miboro-ko) and forested valleys to Hida Takayama, roughly 80-100km with sustained climbs. Start early, carry two bottles and snacks (vending machines are everywhere but mountain stretches are sparse), and pack a rain shell. If the weather is poor or you're not feeling it, take the Nohi Bus Shirakawa-go to Takayama (~50 min, ~£12) and ride a shorter loop instead. Evening in Takayama's Sanmachi Suji old town: sake breweries, Hida beef skewers and a cheap izakaya.

🚌Ride ~80-100km with climbing; Nohi Bus backup ~£12

🛏Takayama hostel or guesthouse (~£25-35)

• →Miboro Lake
• →Rural village and forest valley riding
• →Takayama Sanmachi old town evening

Follow the Hida Seseragi Highway (Route 471) south through paddy fields, shrines and riverside villages — 60-80km of quiet scenic road with a few steady climbs. Arrive at Gujo-Hachiman, the self-styled 'water city', and stroll the canal-lined streets and the craft shops selling hand-made food samples. Eat dinner at a local restaurant; the town is small so check kitchen closing times (often 8-9pm). Guesthouses and a couple of budget hotels sit near the station.

🚌Ride ~60-80km; Nagaragawa Railway backup from Gujo-Hachiman station

🛏Gujo-Hachiman guesthouse or budget hotel (~£30-40)

• →Hida Seseragi Highway riding
• →Villages, shrines and paddy fields
• →Gujo-Hachiman canal walk

Ride down the Nagara River valley to Gifu, breaking in Mino — a beautifully preserved old town famous for handmade washi paper (small workshops let you watch papermaking or try a short session for ~£5-10). Climb up to Gujo Castle in Gujo-Hachiman before you leave if you have energy (¥320, ~£1.70, 20-30 min walk). In Gifu, optionally take the cable car up Mount Kinka to Gifu Castle for sunset over the plain (~£5 return). Around 55-70km, mostly flat with one climb.

🚌Ride ~55-70km; JR Takayama line backup

🛏Gifu business hotel or hostel (~£30-40)

• →Nagara River riding
• →Mino washi paper town
• →Optional Gujo Castle
• →Optional Gifu Castle via Mount Kinka cable car

Short train hop from Gifu to Kyoto (Tokaido line ~1.5-2 hrs, ~£20-25, bike in a rinkaiku bag or forwarded again). Afternoon self-guided wander: Fushimi Inari's torii tunnels are free and open 24 hours (go late afternoon to dodge crowds), Kiyomizu-dera (~£2.50), Nijo Castle (~£8), and an evening walk through Gion's lanes toward Tatsumi Bridge. Kyoto is dense — a rental bike (~£8/day) or city bus pass (~£5) makes it easy.

🚌Train Gifu-Kyoto ~£22; Kyoto bus pass ~£5

🛏Kyoto hostel or budget hotel near Kyoto Station (~£30-40)

• →Fushimi Inari Shrine
• →Kiyomizu-dera Temple
• →Nijo Castle
• →Gion evening walk

Recreate the final cycling day independently: follow the Kamo River path north, detour into Tadasu-no-Mori forest and Shimogamo Shrine (free), continue to the Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-ji, ~£2.50) and ride the Philosopher's Path canal to Nanzen-ji temple. Loop back via Gion and Tatsumi Bridge. Total maybe 25-35km, flat and mostly on quiet paths — perfect for a final day. Finish with a celebratory solo-or-new-friends farewell dinner at a counter restaurant or ramen bar in Pontocho.

🚌Ride ~25-35km on city paths and lanes

🛏Kyoto hostel or budget hotel (~£30-40)

• →Kamo River cycle path
• →Shimogamo Shrine and Tadasu-no-Mori
• →Silver Pavilion and Philosopher's Path
• →Nanzen-ji temple
• →Gion and Tatsumi Bridge

Return the rental bike (or sell/donate a second-hand one), then head out. Kansai International is ~75 min by Haruka express (~£18); Tokyo is ~2h15 by shinkansen (~£85) if you're flying from there. If you have a spare half-day, Nishiki Market's food stalls (~£8-10 to graze) are a good last stop.

🚌Haruka to Kansai Airport ~£18, or shinkansen to Tokyo ~£85

🛏—

• →Optional Nishiki Market food walk