Touring Japan

[huhenio]

Have anyone tried to tour Japan on a bike?

Wifey got free tickets and she is looking at the crazy expensive bike tours, but I firmly believe that we can do it on our own.

Any experiences to share?

... or just do my own homework with some mapping software and hotel reservations? Get a local celphone to call a cab or something when needed? Buy used bikes and furnish them for the trip?

Questions questions.

 

[philso]

hi,

i don't have too much time at the moment, but i'll try to give you a few pointers and then get back to you when i have bit of free time.
1st, i'd recommend using youth hostels. they're plenty of them. you'll pass at least 2 or 3 per day. generally around $20 or $25 US, although i stayed at one that was about $10. a "minshuku" is a kind of budget b&b. in big cities with many tourists, try the tourist info. office usually in or around the main JR train station for cheap places to stay. cheaper hotels are known as "business hotels". campgrounds are few , but many people pitch a tent just about anywhere off the road that looks good. it's a pretty safe country. regular hotels are exhorbitant, as is everything else.
a lot of people speak some basic english, and many will jump at the opportunity to practice their english with you, but i wouldn't expect a taxi drive to know any. i don't know how useful a cell phone would be unless your japanese is pretty good.
roads are often dangerously narrow with a high volume of traffic. in places, instead of a shoulder, there are deep drainage ditches. expect to do a lot of climbing; it's very mountainous.
the up-side is that there are a lot of nice places to check out, and people are very friendly to foreign tourists.
you don't mention how much touring experience you have or whether you're planning a fully loaded tour, credit card tour, or something in between.
if you could let me know a little more specifically how you'd like to travel, i can probably give you some more detailed info.
good luck.

 

[huhenio]

Something in between loaded and credit card.

Nice safe hostels are IN.

Camping is out of the question. I am 35 so wifey is.

Rural Japan is the most likely area ... Need to get on the Google Earth for topography.

Renting bikes is not out of the question due cost of transport. - I might end up buying a road frame and components since I am there!!!

Big cities will be toured like normal tourist.

Wifey speaks some Japanese ... enough to get in and out of trouble. - she lived in japan for 4 years in the 80's. She travels to japan regularly for business.

 

[philso]

How long are you going for? my guess is that it would be much cheaper to buy a bike than to rent one. if you don't mind riding a piece of ****, you can get a mountain bike anywhere that will get you around for between about $150 -$300. a semi-good bike more suitable for touring(though not a true touring frame) can be gotten for around $500-$700. I've recently been looking around for a touring bike for my daughter. she's 12 so i don't want to spend big bucks on a bike she'll probably still outgrow. a cheap touring bike goes for around $700 - $800 or so. the only issue for you if you want a decent touring bike would be sizing issues, especially if you're anything taller than about 5'10" or so. you'd have to do a lot of looking around or wait for a special order.

here's a less expensive aluminum frame tourer with good wheelbase and chainstay clearance. the brand's name is riteway. look for the shepherd 1.0.
http://www.riteway-jp.com/riteway/index.htm

here's another: steel frame and a number of nice details like lugged frame, braze on for pump(which comes with bike) etc. main downside is the 26 in wheels. look for the emperor touring master
http://www.maruishi-cycle.com/

fuji makes a decent not-too-expensive tourer, but i've yet to be able to find their japanese homepage. here's their u.s.
http://www.fujibikes.com/2005/bikes.asp?id=22

however, why bother to buy one after you get to japan? you'll be wasting time and not saving any money. a boxed up bike is only 1 piece of luggage. you and your wife can throw your panniers in another box and still be way under the baggage limit. speaking of panniers, buy them in the u.s.. there's a very poor selection and they're outrageously expensive.

since you won't be needing a tent, stove, etc., 2 decent sized rear panniers and a handlebar bag sound like they would be sufficient.

if you're going rural, almost any little village would have a "minshuku" if you get stuck anywhere. however, it is well worth it to get a youth hostel membership. get the handbook and map for japan. there's got to be about a thousand or so of them, and they're great for meeting people.

good luck and have fun

 

[philso]

here's a very informative homepage:

http://www.japancycling.org/v2/

 

[huhenio]

here's a very informative homepage:

http://www.japancycling.org/v2/

Probably will be flying with the bikes as luggage, and maybe fedexing luggage if needed.

I rather be stuck in japan buying clothes than buying bikes!!

 

[Ryanotokyo]

It sounds like you are pretty well sorted, and confident. A little bit of Japanese will go a long way, even in the country side. Hardest part about doing a short trip yourself is finding a good, enjoyable route. At this time of year, there are plenty of options. Shikoku is wonderful. A trip around Izu peninsula is great, particularly the central mountains and west coast. Try to find little hot spring towns so you can enjoy the local atmosphere. Ride from Hakone down to Shuzenji, down to Shimoda, and then back up the west coast for example. You could also ride over the mountains into Nikko. Try to avoid the busy roads - get the small mountain passes. Much harder climbing, but very much worth it in terms of view, air quality and piece of mind away from cars. Wakayama is very good if you are in Kansai. Shikoku. If you are not camping, the trick may be to find a place that is built up enough to have several towns with accomodation choices, but far enough out of the big urban centres that you get a bit of peace and quiet, and fresh air away from the cars. Good luck.