The Route

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Let's face it, there are things such as earthquakes, landslides, mechanical issues and illness that can affect the best laid plans, but that doesn't mean we don't make them. Below is the planned route. This may change at any point. With that caveat out the way, here goes.

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Day one: We start in the very north east corner of the island of Kyushu in the city of Kitakyushu. We will spend about three hours exploring the city (and getting used to the bikes). Then we head to our first overnight destination, the hot spring city of Beppu.

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Day Two: The next morning we will visit a couple of the Beppu Hells - natural hot springs with unique characteristics - and then head south. We ride on country roads into the Kyushu Mountains, ending up in a traditional guest house in the village of Shiba. Depending on the exact route, on this day and or the next we will do a little trail riding along some forest tracks.

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Day Three: Takes us through more mountains, down into the southern coastal city of Miyazaki. Tonight is karaoke night, so if you fancy a warble in one of Japan's famous karaoke boxes, this is your chance.

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Day Four: We go down the Nichinan Coastal road. A beautiful ride. We will stop at a beach for a while so you can have a dip in the Pacific if you fancy it. Further down the coast is the Udo Jingu shrine. This is a remarkable shrine built right into the cliffs. Then we cut inland, up over the mountains and into Kirishima (Mist Island) from where we will be able to see the volcano Mount Sakurajima.

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Day Five: We head west, across a bridge and onto two ferries into Nagasaki. This particular part of the route takes us across the island of Amakusa, famous for satsumas. It's a lovely place and not often visited by foreigners, so don't be surprised if we get the odd raised eyebrow when we pull up at the petrol station.

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Day Six: Nagasaki! Nagasaki is such an exceptional and important city that we will be here for two nights, giving you the whole day to take in the sites and rest your bike riding muscles. There is the Peace Museum, Peace Park and Dejima - the tiny island where foreigners had to stay.

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Day Seven: A bit of a big ride, this, but it's broken up into stages and will be totally worth it. We ride across the Shimabara peninsular and take a ferry to Kumamoto. From there we ride to the top of Mount Aso, Japan's largest active volcano. In the afternoon we ride across the mountains to the high altitude hot spring village of Yufuin, where we will stay in a traditional guest house and have a special authentic Japanese evening meal.

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Day Eight: There will be time in the morning to explore this lovely village. As well as the beautiful lake, architecture, coffee houses and scenery there are two retro motor vehicle museums. In the afternoon we ride back to our starting point in Mojiko, Kitakyushu, tired but happy.

 

 

Some key points:

 

• We recommend people arrive a day or two before the start and, if possible, allow themselves about a week after to do their own exploring.

• If you buy their flights in plenty of time before, the tickets should be quite reasonable. The closest international airport is Fukuoka.

• British citizens do not need a visa. They will be given a three-month tourist visa when they arrive. 

• For wi-fi, I usually just buy an e-sim from a booth at the airport when I land. The staff there set it up for you. It's very straightforward, although I'm sure some of your customers will be happier getting something set up before they fly.

• The weather in October should be perfect for riding with average temperatures mid-teens to mid-twenties. There is always the chance of rain, however, so wet weather gear is essential.

• We supply bike luggage so riders can travel with their normal suitcases which we will store for the duration of the ride. 

• Japan is not the easiest place for vegetarians. If they eat fish it's not too bad. We want to welcome anyone who is interested in joining but if there are any vegetarians or vegans looking at joining, please let me know. The last thing we want is for someone to have a miserable time because they struggled to find things they could enjoy eating. (We had two vegetarians on the last tour and they were fine but they ate fish.)

 

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