| Destination | Nasu to Mashiko via Nikko |
|---|---|
| Duration | 9 days 8 nights |
| Dates | 2025 Tours (1) May 17 - May 25, 2025 [Available] On request in 2025 (Ask for PRIVATE / CUSTOM Tour) |
| Price | ¥759,000- /person (Twin room share basis) |
| Single Supplement | 70,000JPY (Required for all Single travelers) *Note, may not be available in all locations. |
| Bike Rental | 33,000JPY for whole tour (e-Hybrid bikes / Road bikes) |
OVERVIEW
Ready to immerse yourself in Japanese culture?
In this 9-day cycling tour, you will visit “Craft Masters” of Japanese Traditional Handicrafts during biking through breathtaking countryside landscapes between Nasu, Nikko and Mashiko called “SATOYAMA”.
You will learn the process and traditional technique for making Bamboo grass weaving, Japanese Paper (Washi), Indigo dyeing, Pottery, and Japanese Sake directly from their enthusiastic “Craft Masters”. And you can also experience some of these handicrafts.
You will enjoy cycling on peaceful roads through forests, terraced rice fields and riverside.
Riding off the beaten countryside roads is the best way for feeling and understanding the nature, soil, climate, and rural lifestyle of this countryside area between Nasu, Nikko and Mashiko. Then, you will see the background of these local traditional crafts in this region.
If you like, you can use rental e-hybrid bikes with electric assist and for easier biking.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Visit “6 Craft Masters” of Japanese Traditional Handicrafts such as Bamboo grass weaving, Japanese Paper (Washi), Indigo dyeing, Pottery, and Japanese Sake.
- Ride off the beaten countryside roads through forests, terraced rice fields and riverside.
- Explore the cultural heritage from Samurai castle and serene Japanese garden in Shirakawa to the world heritage shrines and temples in Nikko.
- Immerse yourself and relax at Onsen (natural hot spring) after a day of biking everyday.
- We have hand-picked excellent ryokans & hotels that have the longest history in each local area with its distinctive characteristics.
- Our knowledgeable and experienced cycling guides will provide you with an exquisite and personalized escort.
- The cycling routes are full of discoveries and easy to ride, carefully and meticulously constructed according to the history and story of the region.
- A large support vehicle (sag-wagon) will accompany the riders on all stages, transporting luggage, supplying water and food, and dealing with any mechanical problems.
RIDING LEVEL
EASY – MODERATE Cycling 20 – 60km / day
A choice of e-Hybrid Bikes will make the mileage and ascents easier.
ITINERARY
Day 1 / Meet day
Meet at JR Nasushiobara Station (70 minutes from Tokyo station by Tohoku Shinkansen (super express train)).
Adjust and test rental bikes at Ride Experience tour desk.
Move to an excellent onsen ryokan (Japanese traditional style inn with hot-spring) with modern art arrangements in Nasu.
Dinner at the ryokan will be a Japanese traditional “Kaiseki” style meal with many dishes full of seasonal vegetables, fishes and local ingredients.
(Overnight stay・Dinner provided)
Day 2 / Nasu to Ashino [Cycle 40km, 400m UP]
Cycle from Nasu to Asino, a beautiful countryside area with long history. Bike between rice fields, visit a hidden bamboo forest etc.
The first highlight will be a full-course of local ingredients lunch at a Local Farmer’s House!! Have sit a low-table in the living room, taste fantastic foods delivered one after another, and enjoy chatting with the host.
After lunch, you will visit a young Bamboo Craft artisan and have a privilege to see how the beautiful baskets are made out of local bamboo grass. This enthusiastic artisan has been training for 10 years to perfect her art of Bamboo Craft. You will be impressed by her special technique and accuracy in wide and thickness of the bamboo grass.
Stay at a cozy resort hotel with onsen in the quiet forest of Ashino.
(Overnight stay・Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner provided)
Day 3 / Ashino – Shirakawa Cultural Loop [Cycle 44km, 600m UP]
Cycle through quiet countryside and riverside to the next town called Shirakawa. Visit Japan’s oldest public park with beautiful lake and Japanese garden. You can enjoy matcha and Japanese confectionery.
After lunch with local special Shirakawa Ramen, another cultural experience is climbing up the inside of a wooden Japanese Samurai castle (Shirakawa Komine Castle).
The last cultural visit before heading to the border pass is Shirakawa-no-Seki, an old shrine with old giant trees where used to be an ancient border between central Japan and northern parts of Japan.
Stay at the same hotel in Ashino.
(Overnight stay・Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner provided)
Day 4 / Ashino to Bato [Cycle 50km, 750m UP]
Cycle from Ashino to Bato, a beautiful old country village where gold was first found in Japan. Ride through endless windings in a long quiet forest road, up the mountains and flying down. Visit a serene Zen Buddhist temple in the deep mountainside, where you can feel the serenity and peaceful harmony built into the old design.
After biking along beautiful terraced rice fields, you will visit and talk with a local Ceramic Artisan of “Koisago Yaki” and learn their production process and family history.
Stay at a Japanese traditional style onsen ryokan located in the riverside of Bato and enjoy beautiful sunset down to the river from its open-air bath.
(Overnight stay・Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner provided)
Day 5 / Bato to Kitsuregawa [Cycle 55km, 650m UP]
Cycle from Bato to Kitsuregawa via Karasuyama, an old castle town famous for “Karasuyama Washi”, a traditional Japanese handmade paper made from local Mulberry tree.
Bike along Naka River and visit a “Washi Museum” in the center of Karasuyama Town. Also visit a traditional style Washi making studio and you can experience to make your own Washi post card. “Kamameshi”, a traditional Japanese rice dish cooked in an iron pot called a kama, for lunch. Stay at an onsen hotel in Kitsuregawa.
(Overnight stay・Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner provided)
Day 6 / Kitsuregawa to Nikko [Cycle 60km, 760m UP]
Cycle from Kitsuregawa to Nikko, a mysterious old town famous for the World Heritage temples and shrines originate as a sacred place for mountain worship around 1,200 years ago.
Enjoy a relaxing ride in the landscape of traditional Japanese rural communities and have a fresh river fish lunch at a riverside restaurant.
Bike on an ancient SAMURAI Road, a pilgrimage route to Nikko for Samurai people surrounded by 400 years old giant cedar trees.
Stay at Nikko Kanaya Hotel, an elegant and classic resort hotel in Nikko and have a special “Yuba Kaiseki” dinner at a 200 years old Japanese traditional style restaurant in the town of Nikko.
(Overnight stay・Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner provided)
Day 7 / Rest day in Nikko [No Cycling]
[AM] Walk around Nikko Toshogu and surrounding World Heritage area. You will be walking on the ancient Pilgrimage Path with moss-covered stone steps surrounded by giant Japanese cedars and visit a special sacred place related to the origin of Nikko.
– (Free Lunch in the town of Nikko) –
[PM] Move to Mashiko by car.
Stay at an onsen hotel in the quiet countryside of Mashiko.
(Overnight stay・Breakfast & Dinner provided)
Day 8 / Ride around Mashiko [Cycle 20km, 300m UP]
Cycle around Mashiko village and visit a famous Pottery Artisan and lean about ceramic art.
It must be extremely interesting to see the magic of the potter turning clay into pots or jugs using a kick-wheel.
After fine Kaiseki cuisine as a lunch, also visit a traditional Indigo Dyeing studio with Japanese traditional style dyeing equipment working over 200 years.
Finish cycling at a local Sake Brewery followed by really fancy Sake tasting experience. A charismatic owner of the sake brewery will host an impressive and delightful tasting of excellent top-quality sakes.
Stay at the same onsen hotel in Mashiko.
(Overnight stay・Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner provided)
Day 9 / Break up the tour
After having breakfast and checking out of the hotel, the tour breaks up. You can take a train or bus from Mashiko station.
(Breakfast provided)
ACCOMMODATION
In Nasu and Bato, you will be staying at Japanese traditional style ryokans with long history and fascinating atmosphere. The accommodations in Ashino, Kitsuregawa and Mashiko will be cozy modern resort hotel surrounded by nature with comfortable rooms and open spaces. In Nikko, you will stay at Nikko Kanaya Hotel, an elegant and classic resort hotel (the oldest resort hotel in Japan), where magnificent architecture, deep history and untouched nature merge. Every ryokan and hotel (except Nikko Kanaya Hotel) has its own excellent ONSEN for you to relax in after a day of riding. All accommodations offer top-level hospitality and finely tuned Japanese style service.
FOOD
For your culinary delight the tour offers kaiseki dinner featuring dozens of dishes served at a long-established ryokan, local specialties in each village you visit, and a great variety of Japanese food made with a range of seasonal ingredients.
Some of the unique dishes include shabu-shabu and sukiyaki of the finest wagyu beef (“Nasu wagyu beef”), super fresh river fish (grilled or sashimi), highland vegetables, cheese and ice cream available at ranches-owned shops, jidori chikin, and tasty soba with tempura etc. While biking, you will have chances to have a closer look of places where these local ingredients are produced.
If you love to drink, yes, this tour includes 2 Sake brewery visits and tasting experiences there. Here, Tochigi is the rice production center of the Kanto region. And craft beer in Nasu and Tochigi wine will be another great highlight of this tour.
EQUIPMENT
High-performance Full Carbon Road Bikes (CANNONDALE Synapse Carbon 3L) and High power e-hybrid bikes (MIYATA/BESV) are available for rent at a rate of 30,000JPY for whole tour.
A support vehicle (sag-wagon) will be available throughout the entire tour. No need to carry your bags on your bike during the ride – they will travel in a support vehicle between hotels.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- 8 nights’ accommodation on twin share basis
- 8 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 8 dinners
- Cycling Tour guide(s)
- Van support
- Mechanical support
- Luggage transfer by van
- Snacks, fruits and water during ride
- All visit and experience fees at crafts studios, cultural sites and Japanese garden in the itinerary
- Sake tasting fees at the sake brewery in the itinerary
- Transportation between Nasushiobara station, Ride Experience tour desk and accommodation on the day 1
- Transportation from Nikko to Mashiko on the day 7
- Transportation from Sake brewery to the accommodation on the day 8
- Accident insurance (limited)
