DAY1
Non-Cycling Day

After arriving in Kagoshima we will meet up with the guide in the evening and the guide will brief you on the following 13 days of riding. We will have a welcome dinner at the hotel.

DAY2
approx. 40km

We start this tour with a blast, catching a ferry to Sakurajima, a volcanic island that sees 200+ eruptions per day. No worries, the eruptions are not dangerous, though we do suggest to have sunglasses/cycling glass just incase the ash flares up! After riding the circumference of the volcano, we take the ferry back to the city and enjoy what Kagoshima City has to offer.

DAY3
approx. 70km

For this day, we start with a Shinkansen (Bullet train) ride to Izumi, a town which is known for its migrating cranes. We head west and head to the second island of the tour, Nagashima. Connected via a bridge to the mainland, Nagashima is a beautiful island that has great ocean views. We ride until we hit Nagashima port, where we catch the ferry and cross in Kumamoto Prefecture’s Amakusa, our third island of the tour, and ride up to our accommodation for a relaxing night.

DAY4
approx. 55km

We head north and get to experience the Amakusa’s beauty. Amakusa is known for its rich history with Japan’s hidden Christians and its beautiful ocean views with roads hugging the edge of the island to show Japan’s western seas at their best. We ride though the scenic town of Sakitsu which is next to a beautiful cerulean sea and make our way up to our accommodation where we can hang up or cleats and helmets and enjoy the sunset by the sea.

DAY5
approx. 60km

Into the mountains we go for the start of this day. We ride to Amakusa City via the mountain and forest roads. Once in Amakusa we have lunch and continue to the north of the island to catch yet another ferry to our next destination, Shimabara, where a legendary giant used to call home. We cross into Nagasaki prefecture and ride our way to our stay for the day and relax for the next day of riding to come.

DAY6
approx. 50km

The destination for today is Mt. Unzen. Since ancient times, Mt. Unzen was regarded at a mysterious mountain within the clouds where the gods would gather. Mt. Unzen is a volcano which is famous for the “hell” hot springs within which produces white clouds. The day ends on top on Mt. Unzen where we can relax in the clouds of the legendary mountain.

DAY7
approx. 70km

From the top of Unzen we ride downwards on the “Dragon Road” which gets its mane from the Dragon/Snake-like appearance of road, making it a fantastic ride downhill. We ,make our way to the town of Isahaya, where we will ride through rice fields and by the river until we hit the center of town, grab some coffee and have a relaxing rest of the day in the town of Isahaya.

DAY8
approx. 30km

Today we start with a Shinkansen (bullet train) ride which takes us to Saga Prefecture’s Takeo Town. We go westward, entering the Kurokami area, where the mountains here also house many legends. As we make our way northwest we enter Okawachiyama, a hidden village within the mountains known for pottery. Our final cycling stop will be Imari city, where we will have the chance to freshen up and head to Fukuoka’s Hakata city via car and have some free time in the city before we catch a night ferry that will take us to the Goto Islands.

DAY9
approx. 70km

After spending the night on the seas, we reach the Goto Islands in the morning and continue our adventure. The Goto Islands are 100km away from the Japanese mainland, and much like Amakusa is rich in history of the Japanese Hidden Christians. We will ride westward covering the northern half of the island, passing though beautiful forest and oceanside roads as well as some beautiful beaches. We end the day by staying at a quaint fisherman village on the western half of the island.

DAY10
approx. 62km

Out second day in Goto has us traveling the southern half of the island, where we will be greeted with a good amount of climbing that takes us into the town of Itsukuyama where we can have a bit of a rest. We then continue towards the southern roads where we reach the town of Tomie where everything will flatten out and give us a chance to leisurely ride on an ocean side road that will take us to our stay for the night.

DAY11
approx. 64km

We are back to our island hoping ways as we catch the morning ferry to another island within the Goto area, Kamigoto. Kamigoto is known for relying mostly on the sea, with the island being mostly mountainous compared to the previous island’s various terrain. We arrive at Narao port heading northwest, riding by the seas and making our way to Arikawa where we have lunch. We then head to Yagatame, an area that is next to a great lookout called “Totoro Rock”. From the rock we head to our destination of Aokata, where we will stay for the night.

DAY12
approx. 30km

After our stay in Aokata, we head back to Narao taking another path that leads us to the south-eastern half of Kamigoto. Se have a special hidden gem that we will go to, but we won’t spoil it here. As we make our way south we will take a turn and head to Wakamatsu Island where we will have a couple of climbs waiting for us as we head to Hino Island, the Island of the Sun, where we can relax for a bit before we head back to Narao for the end of our day.

DAY13
approx. 10km

For our last day of riding, we catch the morning ferry to Nagasaki, where we will have lunch once we arrive. The final ride within the city will be one to remember, with one last push to a viewpoint where the whole of Nagasaki port will greet us, and us visiting a final shrine before we head to our hotel and look forward to a night of festivities.