Kyoto to the Sea

A Few Things to Do Now

You have booked your trip — now there are a few things that will help us get everything ready for you.

Complete your Guest Questionnaire. We use the information in your questionnaire to plan bike sizing, dietary needs, travel arrangements and other details for your tour. You can return and update your answers as plans change.

Guest Questionnaire: secure.pedalers.travel/guestQuestions.php

You will need your Booking ID from your confirmation email and the passphrase you selected when you booked.

Check your passport and entry requirements. Every guest needs a valid passport. Pedalers recommends that your passport remain valid for at least six months beyond the end of your trip. Many Pedalers guests, including U.S. passport holders, can visit Japan for a short tourist stay without obtaining a visa in advance, but requirements depend on your nationality and travel routing. Each traveler is responsible for confirming the requirements that apply to their journey, including countries transited along the way.

Get Some Riding In

The most important goal before the tour is building endurance.

You do not need to train for speed, but you should be comfortable pedaling for several hours during the day. Several stages cover 45 to 70 km, so regular rides before your trip will make the longer days much more enjoyable.

As a useful side benefit, regular riding also gives your legs, shoulders and backside time to get accustomed to spending several hours on a bicycle.

Your Guide Team

We will send information about your guide team shortly before departure. That message will include names and contact information so you can reach the guides if your travel is delayed or you have difficulty connecting with the group.

The guides ride with the group, while our support vehicle moves luggage between hotels, carries drinking water and can provide a lift when someone wants a break from riding.

Getting to Kyoto

The tour begins in Kyoto and finishes in Kinosaki Onsen. Plan to arrive in Kyoto before 15:00 (3 pm) on Day 1. Your final pre-tour information will include the exact meeting arrangements.

Kyoto does not have a major international airport. Kansai International Airport (KIX) near Osaka is generally the most convenient gateway. Kyoto can also be reached by train after arriving through Nagoya (NGO) or Tokyo's Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) airports.

Japan's trains run very precisely and often stop only briefly. Be on the platform before your train arrives and be ready to get off as your station approaches.

Heading Home from Kinosaki

The tour finishes in Kinosaki Onsen on Day 9.

Plan your onward train for after 10:00 am. Kinosaki has train connections back toward Kyoto and Osaka and onward through Japan. Your guide team can help with local train arrangements during the tour.

Money, Cards & ATMs

Japan's currency is the yen (JPY).

Cards are increasingly common, especially in cities and larger businesses, but cash remains useful in rural communities, markets, small restaurants and traditional inns.

ATMs at 7-Eleven/Seven Bank and Japan Post are generally among the most useful for travelers using overseas bank cards.

If an ATM or card terminal asks whether you want the transaction converted into your home currency, choose Japanese yen instead.

Your home bank then performs the conversion using its buy rate, which is normally more favorable than the sell rate used when the ATM or card-machine provider converts the transaction into your home currency.

It is a good idea to have sufficient yen with you before leaving Kyoto for the more rural portions of the trip.

Phones, Internet & Wi-Fi

Mobile coverage is generally good through Japan, although service can occasionally be less consistent in mountain valleys or more remote coastal areas.

Check with your mobile provider before traveling about international roaming, or consider a travel SIM or eSIM.

Wi-Fi is available at most accommodations, although rural inns may not offer the same speed or reliability as large city hotels.

Electricity

Japan uses 100-volt electricity. Western Japan, including the region covered by this tour, operates at 60 Hz.

Outlets normally use the two flat-blade plug familiar to North American travelers. Grounded three-prong outlets are less common.

Most modern phones, cameras, laptops and chargers accommodate a broad voltage range. Check the label on your charger: equipment marked 100-240V does not require a voltage converter.

Weather & Riding Conditions

We operate the trip primarily in spring and fall when conditions are normally comfortable for cycling. Expect pleasant riding temperatures, with cooler mornings and evenings in the mountains and along the Sea of Japan.

Rain is always possible, so bring a lightweight rain jacket and at least one layer that can be added on cooler mornings or descents.

The roads are paved throughout the tour. Much of our riding follows quieter rural roads rather than busy modern highways. There are several longer climbs, generally with manageable grades around 4 to 7 percent.

Your Bicycle

Pedalers provides your bicycle for the tour.

Your Guest Questionnaire asks for your height and inseam so we can select the correct frame size. Please provide an actual inseam measurement rather than the inseam printed on a pair of pants.

To measure it, stand barefoot against a wall with your feet about 15 cm / 6 inches apart. Place a book firmly between your legs as though it were a bicycle saddle and measure from the top of the book straight down to the floor. Measuring two or three times helps ensure an accurate result.

Your Helmet & Water Bottle

Please bring your own bicycle helmet and water bottle.

We ask guests to bring their own helmets because helmet padding absorbs sweat and skin oils, and we do not feel shared helmets can be cleaned thoroughly enough between users.

We also skip the souvenir water bottles many tour companies hand out. Most are used for a short period and then become unnecessary plastic, so we would rather you bring a bottle you already use and like.

Our support vehicle carries plenty of drinking water for refills throughout the riding day.

If you regularly ride with clip-in pedals or have a favorite saddle, feel free to bring them. The guides can install them on your Pedalers bicycle.

If you are considering bringing your own bicycle to Japan, contact us first so we can discuss the logistics.

Food in Rural Japan

Food is one of the pleasures of traveling through Japan. Expect rice, noodles, fresh fish, local vegetables, pickles, soups and regional dishes, with the menu changing as we move from the mountains toward the coast.

There is one important limitation guests should understand before traveling:

The small traditional ryokan and rural inns used on this tour cannot reliably provide vegetarian or vegan meals.

Many rural inns prepare one seasonal menu for everyone staying that evening. Even dishes that appear vegetable-based frequently contain fish broth, dashi or other seafood-based ingredients.

Guests with allergies or other dietary requirements should give us complete details in their Guest Questionnaire so we can discuss what can reasonably be accommodated before the trip.

Japanese Inns, Tatami & Footwear

Several nights introduce you to traditional Japanese accommodation, where footwear customs are very different from those in most Western hotels.

Shoes are removed when entering designated areas, and inns may provide slippers for walking in hallways and other parts of the building.

There is one cardinal rule:

Never walk on a tatami-matted floor wearing any kind of footwear.

No shoes. No sandals. No slippers — including slippers supplied by the inn.

Tatami floors are entered only in socks or bare feet.

Many inns provide a yukata, a light cotton robe that can be worn around the property and sometimes around the surrounding hot-spring town. Formal evening clothing is unnecessary.

Onsen — Japanese Hot-Spring Baths

Bathing at an onsen is normally done naked, without a swimsuit.

Hotel onsens are generally segregated by gender. Some properties have separate men's and women's bathing areas, while others have one onsen with different bathing hours for men and women.

Some larger outdoor onsens may be mixed-gender.

Before entering the bath, wash thoroughly at the washing area. Towels are kept out of the bathing water.

There are a number of other customs involving inns, temples, bathing, footwear and everyday etiquette that may be quite different from what guests are accustomed to at home.

Your guides will go over the important etiquette points during orientation, and guests are expected to follow those guidelines throughout the trip.

Preferred Accommodations

Our current preferred properties include:

• Kyoto: Seikoro Ryokan
• Miyama: Kayabukitei
• Obama: Sekumiya
• Maizuru: Kagetsu
• Miyazu / Amanohashidate: Seikiro Ryokan
• Taiza: Yoshinoya Ryokan
• Kinosaki Onsen: Onishiya Suisahouen

These are our preferred choices but may not be available for every departure. Any substitute will be selected for a similar standard and style.

What to Bring

For riding

• Bicycle helmet
• Large water bottle
• Cycling shorts or comfortable riding bottoms
• Cycling jerseys or lightweight shirts
• Cycling gloves, if you normally use them
• Comfortable cycling shoes or athletic shoes
• Lightweight rain jacket
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Lightweight layer for cool mornings and descents
• Tights or leggings for cooler departures, if you tend to feel the cold
• Your own pedals or saddle, if desired

For after riding

• Comfortable casual clothing
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Lightweight sweater, fleece or similar layer
• Undergarments and socks
• Clothing appropriate for any pre- or post-tour plans

Useful extras

• Prescription medications
• Personal toiletries
• Phone and charging cables
• Small power bank
• Plug adapter if needed
• Small daypack or waist pack
• Mosquito repellent
• Favorite riding snack, if there is something you particularly like

You do not need formal evening clothing. Packing relatively light also makes travel in Japan easier.

Tipping Your Guide Team

Tipping is not mandatory, but gratuities are always appreciated when you feel the guide team has done a particularly good job.

Gratuities are best given directly to the guides at the end of the tour. We will provide current suggested amounts with your final tour information.

Questions Before You Go?

If something is unclear, ask us. Questions about flights, equipment, food or travel documents are much easier to solve before you leave home.