Akan–Mashu to Shiretoko 8 Day Cycling Tour Tour Information

Essentials

• High visibility cycling clothing

• Padded cycling shorts - Your bum will thank you

• Waterproof cycling jacket

• Fleece jacket or similar in case of cold weather

• Sunscreen

• Sunglasses or clear glasses - There are lots of bugs in Hokkaido

• Personal medication

• Eco-friendly shopping bag and other reusable items to reduce single-use plastic waste

• Travel insurance

• Passport

  • It is a requirement for accommodation providers to photocopy the passport of international visitors.

• Cash in Japanese yen

  • Small restaurants and shops in rural parts of Japan do not accept credit cards. Lunch in general costs ¥1,000-1,500 and dinner ¥2,000-3,000. You can withdraw cash from ATMs at post offices and 7-eleven convenience stores.

Recommemded

• Cycling shoes

• Your own helmet, seat and pedals; we supply these but nothing is more comfortable than your own gear!

• Cycling gloves - We can also supply some if needed

• Cycling water bottle - If you would like to use 2 water bottles. We provide 1 bottle and holders

• Cellphone power bank

• Travel SIM

• Familiar snacks to eat during cycling

• Camera

What We Provide

• Rental bike, a road bike or a hybrid bike of your choice

  • E-bikes are available for an additional charge of ¥30,000

• A helmet if needed. It is compulsory to wear one on our tour.

• Gloves if requested

• Water bottle (737ml)

• Front bag for hybrid bikes (8L volume), or seat post bag for road bikes (6L volume)

• Spare tube, tyre levers, multi tool, pump, and flat patches

• All the bikes are equipped with front and rear lights, and cycle computers

• Support vehicle

• Water and snacks

• First aid kit

We estimate that a medium-sized suitcase should be sufficient to hold everything on the packing list and still leave you with some space for souvenirs!

Large or oversized suitcases are not recommended on our tours. There are many reasons for this - first, we often change accommodation every night and It can be tricky to pack and unpack large suitcases everyday. Large luggage can also have trouble fitting into tour vehicles and you may struggle to get them on board Japan’s compact public transport. Additionally, some accommodations that we use do not have elevators.

If you are looking for ways to reduce your luggage load, we would suggest sticking to the packing list we provide and leaving anything not listed at home. Many of the accommodations we stay at have laundry facilities, so you can wash and re-use the same clothes on tour. If a large amount of luggage is unavoidable for whatever reason, let us know at the time of booking. We can advise you on luggage-holding services or how to use Japan’s luggage-forwarding system.

You are welcome to bring your own bike if you prefer. However, bike rental is included in the tour price free of charge, so the tour price remains the same even if you bring your own bike. We find most guests prefer to use one of our bikes and avoid the hassle of traveling with a bike.

If you do decide to bring your own bike we will provide the following support:

• Storage of your bike box during the tour

• Receiving and storing bikes sent by courier in advance

As with our rental bikes, we will also provide:

• Basic bike maintenance during the tour

• Mechanic service in case of mechanical problems with the bike

• Free access to basic replacement parts such as tires, tubes and wires in case of emergency*

*Please note that we only carry replacement parts that fit our own bikes. For example, if you bring your own bike which has SRAM components or tires larger than 35mm wide, we won’t be able to provide you with spare parts.

One of the easiest ways to reach tour start points is via Japan's fantastic railway system. JR (Japan Railways) doesn't impose any limitation regarding the size of your bike box or impose any additional charges for bringing it on board, but your bike will have to be stored in a bike bag or bike case that allows you to lift and carry it. The bicycle must be stored in regular luggage storage spaces on the train and cannot obstruct other passengers or the train doors. Please refer to JR Hokkaido's website to review their rules.

However, it’s important to note that luggage storage space on trains is never guaranteed and cannot be reserved. Therefore, if you’d prefer to avoid this situation and travel light, you can also consider forwarding your bike boxes using Yamato Transport from New Chitose Airport (CTS), Haneda Airport (HND), Narita Airport (NRT) or Kansai Airport (KIX) to the first night's hotel. Please visit Yamato's website for more details. The cost will range from 3,700 yen to 7,000 yen depending on the distance it has to travel (it will likely be less if your are using a coupled bike), and you should allow at least two days for your bike to arrive in the destination.

Please note that regional airports like Asahikawa and Abashiri Memanbetsu are located quite far from the first night's hotel. If you're flying to regional airports, we strongly suggest that you use Yamato to forward your bikes to the first night's hotel. Transfers between airports and hotels with bike boxes or bags can become quite difficult due to limited luggage space on shuttle buses and in taxis.

We will meet at 6:00 pm at our hotel in Central Abashiri. The closest airport is Abashiri Memanbetsu (MMB) and you can fly directly there from Tokyo Haneda (HND), Tokyo Narita (NRT), Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) and Sapporo Okadama (OKD). 

From Abashiri Memanbetsu Airport, airport shuttles depart for central Abashiri with the arrival of every domestic flight. The shuttle takes 26 mins from the Airport to JR Abashiri Station, and costs ¥920 per person. Our hotel is within walking distance of the station. 

Alternatively, you can take a JR train from Sapporo to Abashiri if you prefer. It takes 5.5 hours and costs just over ¥10,000 for a non-reserved seat. 

You can search train timetables in English on Japan Transit Planner website.

In the case of tours where the meeting point or end point is different to the first or last night’s accommodation (for example, meeting in Asahikawa but staying in Asahidake Onsen, staying in Tsurui but disbanding in Kushiro), it is best that you make any pre or post-tour night arrangements by yourself. Once booked, please inform us of where you will be staying so that we can pass the information on to your guides.

However, if the tour’s meeting point or disbanding point is the same as the first or last night’s accommodation, we can simply extend your stay so please let us know in this instance!

If you are struggling to make a pre or post-tour hotel booking, please let us know and we will see what we can do to help.

We will send you a link to our online sign up form, where we ask for the travel information of all the members travelling with you. 

Once we receive this, we will send you an invoice for your tour deposit, which is JPY 50,000 per person. We will confirm your booking upon receipt of your deposit payment.

The deposit is treated as a part of the tour price. Payment of the balance will be reminded by email, which is generally 5 weeks prior to the tour departure date.

We accept payment via Wise or Flywire. We will send you payment links, which you can use to send payment directly to ourselves (you don't need to create a Wise or Flywire account to send the funds). When paying via Wise, payment is available in Japanese Yen only, and you must pay any currency exchange or transfer fees by yourself. 

For credit card payment or domestic bank transfer converted to your own currency, we use Flywire, which will incur an additional transaction fee of 1.5%.

By paying for a deposit or full amount, you confirm that you have read, understand and agree to these Terms and Conditions.

Our general cancellation policy is shown as below.

• Cancelled more than 21 days prior to departure: Zero fees

• Cancelled between 20 days and 8 days prior to departure: 20% of the Tour Price

• Cancelled between 7 days and 2 days prior to departure: 30% of the Tour Price

• Cancelled 1 day prior to departure: 40% of the Tour Price

• Cancelled on the day of departure: 50% of the Tour Price

• No refunds will be given after the tour has commenced

For further details, we recommend you read our refund and cancellation policy in more detail on our Terms and Conditions page. Feel free to contact us at info@adventure-hokkaido.com if you have any additional questions.

Japan remains a popular travel destination and it is not unusual for accommodation in peak seasons to be booked out up to a year in advance. So, the sooner the better! Generally speaking, we ask for you to book 10 - 12 months in advance if you are looking at a custom departure. For scheduled departures, we make our dates available from up to a year in advance. If we feel that your date is too close for us to realistically put a trip together to the standard we pride ourselves on, we will let you know at the time of enquiry and will do our best to suggest alternative travel dates.

This is a mixed group tour and we accept bookings from one person up. However, our scheduled group tours require a minimum number of bookings for us to guarantee the departure of the tour, and to offer the tour at the price quoted. The minimum number of booked guests to guarantee the tour is three people.

If you book with less than three people, we will hold your place on the tour and wait for another group to join the tour. If the number of guests has not reached the minimum number by 60 days prior to departure, we will give you the option to cancel or to upgrade to a private departure. 

If you choose to cancel, we will refund the amount in Japanese Yen that you have paid us. You’re welcome to check with us at any time about the status of bookings. 

Please be advised that we will not be liable to compensate for any inconvenience or incidental expenses that might have incurred to you, including airline tickets.

Our tours are priced on a twin share basis. Those travelling by themselves will need to pay an additional supplement for use of a single room. If you enter the number of guests in your group and rooms you need, the dates and prices form will calculate the price for your group.

Our tours are priced on a twin share basis and those travelling by themselves will need to pay an additional supplement for use of a single room. If you are happy to share a room with another guest - of the same gender - then let us know at the time of booking. If we match you with another solo traveller then we can discount the single supplement for both of you.

Private departures of one of our existing tours is something that we can arrange, provided that we have guides available for your travel dates. The earlier it's planned the higher chance we can secure guides and our favourite accommodations for you. Requests made at least 10-12 months prior have a good chance of being accepted successfully, while 6 months prior is too late for peak seasons like August or February.

Yes, there is. We will provide a vehicle to support cyclists and carry water, snacks and any other items needed for cycling. If you need to stop cycling at any point during the day, you are welcome to take a rest in the support vehicle. Please be aware that the number of seats may be limited depending on the size of the group and the vehicle we use. Please be aware that in mixed groups, the van cannot be used to transport non-cycling guests.

We load all of our overnight gear into the support vehicle that travels with us - so you don't need to ride loaded with all tour luggage. However, we provide small handle bar or seat bags (depending on bike type) for you to store your daily necessities such as spare snacks, jacket and camera.

While we try to organise everything, mother nature is out of our control. If the weather is too bad to safely cycle, such as a typhoon or sudden storm, we will travel the route in our support vehicle. Along the way we will still stop at local restaurants and visit indoor facilities, so you can still experience the charm of the area while travelling safely and comfortably.

While vegetarianism and veganism are catching on in larger urban areas, across much of Japan it is still unheard of. Outside of main cities, there are very few pure vegetarian or vegan restaurants available and many Japanese do not have a clear understanding of what exactly qualifies a food as being truly vegan or vegetarian.

If you are travelling to Hokkaido as a vegan or vegetarian, you will have to accept that you may not be able to experience the full scope of Japanese food as your other travellers might. With advance notice and clear direction, some restaurants and accommodations are happy to cater to your requirements so please let us know your needs at the time of booking, but some facilities may choose to simply remove dishes from your meal instead of making a substitute. The main challenge is “dashi”, a meat or fish-based broth that is very commonly added to Japanese dishes. This can be hard to remove from Japanese cooking (it’s a bit like asking a European chef not to add salt and pepper!) as it is integral to a number of dishes.

See our Vegan & Vegetarian in Hokkaido blog to learn more.

Absolutely! This is a must for all travellers joining our tours. Please make sure you have valid travel insurance, covering the kind of activities you are undertaking during our tour, cancellations, loss of personal belongings, and any unforeseen circumstances while travelling. We will require the details of your travel insurance provider such as the name, policy number and phone number prior to the commencement of the tour.

If you're a Japanese citizen and on Japan's national health insurance scheme, we can mitigate our insurance requirement, although we still strongly recommend that you have flight cancellations and related expenses covered by some kind of insurance. Often your credit card provider can offer this coverage.

Tipping is not a part of Japanese culture and is not expected. Most jobs pay a high enough wage that workers can make a living without tips and service charges are often included as standard at restaurants, bars and so on (but this being Japan, you of course don’t pay a service charge and get nothing in return– you might get a little extra side dish called “otōshi” or some free bar snacks!) However, if you do wish to tip, feel free to do so. Nobody is going to mind the extra cash (even if you may have to reassure them several times that it’s okay to keep the money)!