Cycle Around Japan - Season 6 / Year 2019

Take in the tropical breeze and blue ocean while cycling around Miyako, a group of 8 islands in Okinawa Prefecture. Our cyclist explores the biggest one and samples local specialties including Shima-dofu, a kind of tofu made with seawater. San-shin, a traditional instrument made from the ebony tree is a key tool for playing folk songs loved by locals. This adventure features island-hopping by crossing numerous bridges and walking through a mangrove forest in low tide. Join us on this beautiful journey!

Kagoshima Prefecture, known as the land of brave samurai, was called Satsuma in ancient days. Our cyclist takes in scenic views on his ride along the sea and an active volcano. He discovers jars filled with a local specialty, fermented black vinegar, which make a tart and powerful beverage. In the mountains, he meets a craftswoman who revives old, beautiful buttons. He then finds a secret martial art inherited from samurai. Discover the spirit of this historic land on our 290km ride through Satsuma.

Take in the crisp air as we make our way around Mt. Fuji and surrounding lakes for a perfect winter bike ride. Our cyclist Michael picks the best trails on this challenging journey, which includes crossing a steep mountain to get scenic views of Japan's tallest peak. He also takes a fat bike tour through snowy mountains. Finally, he is rewarded with local lessons on the importance of preserving old ways and the environment. Join us on this 230-kilometer winter ride.

This three-day, 360km trip takes us from lowland Gifu Prefecture and its blossoming cherry trees north into the snow-covered central mountains. We'll visit a traditional swordsmith to watch him forge katana blades from living flame, a hillside town built on water, and forests with wood of such quality it inspired some of Japan's finest artisans. A final adventure involves our cyclist in a 200-year old tradition of amateur village kabuki, one of the many ways people have found to enjoy life in the remote mountains.

A 360km ride through the high mountains of Yamagata Prefecture, with a cyclist on his first long road trip. An interest in Eastern philosophy has drawn our traveler to the Three Mountains of Dewa, legendary abode of the gods. From a landscape of flowering cherry trees, we ride into the snow-capped mountains to meet a veteran artisan of Japanese chess pieces. On Mt. Haguro, we're guided up the sacred peak by a Yamabushi mountain ascetic. Finally, we help a free-spirited falconer train his raptor in the snowy wilderness.

Oita Prefecture was known since ancient times as the "Land of Plenty." But why? English cyclist James Hobbs looks for answers on a 3-day, 350-km ride through this southern region. His interest captured by a mysterious sight in a mountain forest, he learns the skill and effort required to cultivate quality mushrooms. Down by the coast, by a fertile sea filled with islands, he experiences Oita ingenuity first hand. And on one of the tiny islands, he meets a young couple who are its hope for the future.

In a 150-km summer cycle ride, Michael Rice explores the remote Oki Islands, deeply forested and surrounded by the crystal clear waters of the Sea of Japan. Riding in his triathlon gear, he's ready for a dip whenever Nishinoshima's beaches offer the chance. On Nakanoshima, he meets the 48th descendant of a proud family that looked after an exiled former emperor 8 centuries ago, and still cares for his tomb. And on Dogo, the largest island, he tries his hand at traditional Oki sumo wrestling.

A 250-km ride through Niigata Prefecture, its green rice fields shimmering under the summer sun. From an artisan in hammered copper we learn about the long road to mastery, while in the paddy fields we see the hottest, hardest part of the rice growing season. Climbing up into the mountains, we'll experience a traditional style of river fishing and visit a breeder whose Nishikigoi carp are now world famous, 2 stories of hard work and cooperation rebuilding lives and businesses destroyed by natural disasters.

Miyagi Prefecture is a beautiful part of Japan, and in autumn its seas and mountains are at their most scenic. Towns along this coast that were devastated by the great tsunami in 2011 have now almost completely been restored. Throughout this 300-km cycle adventure, we'll encounter the irrepressible spirit of people who shrugged off disaster and the loss of loved ones to rebuild their lives, as we visit a workshop making salt the ancient way and a local festival that kept spirits high when times were tough.