# Riding Japan

> Riding Japan plans snowboarding and cycling trips anywhere in Japan. Its runs and routes come from open data, and its planner knows which trains carry boards and bikes. It covers 17 regions, 144 towns and neighbourhoods, 283 places to stay, 248 places to eat and drink, 55 sights, 55 culture and history, 71 dishes and drinks, 86 tours, guides and rentals, 23 ways to get around, 51 events and seasons, 15 weather stations, 24 cycling routes, 5 ride days, 90 ski resorts, 9 resort groups, 5 lift passes, 83 hot springs, 2 sister guides and 1 collection.

Every entry lists the sources its facts come from and the month they were checked. Prices are in Japanese yen, each with the year it applies to. The site earns affiliate commission on some bookings; paid links are marked, and https://ridingjapan.com/disclosures explains how.

## Regions
- [Tohoku](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/tohoku)
- [Nagano](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/nagano)
- [Niigata](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/niigata)
- [Gunma](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/gunma)
- [Tochigi and Nikko](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/tochigi)
- [Ibaraki and Tsukuba](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/ibaraki)
- [Kanto and Boso](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/kanto-boso)
- [Izu and Fuji](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/izu-fuji)
- [Gifu and Hida](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/gifu-hida)
- [Hokuriku and Noto](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/hokuriku-noto)
- [Nagoya and Ise](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/nagoya-ise)
- [Shiga and Lake Biwa](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/shiga-biwako)
- [Kansai](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/kansai)
- [Setouchi](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/setouchi)
- [San'in and Tottori](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/sanin-tottori)
- [Shikoku](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/shikoku)
- [Kyushu](https://ridingjapan.com/regions/kyushu)

## Towns and neighbourhoods
- [All 144 towns and neighbourhoods](https://ridingjapan.com/towns): The full list is on this page, and every entry is in llms-full.txt.

## Places to stay
- [All 283 places to stay](https://ridingjapan.com/stays): The full list is on this page, and every entry is in llms-full.txt.

## Places to eat and drink
- [All 248 places to eat and drink](https://ridingjapan.com/eat): The full list is on this page, and every entry is in llms-full.txt.

## Sights
- [Arakurayama Sengen Park](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/arakurayama-sengen-park): Arakurayama Sengen Park in Fujiyoshida gives the postcard view of Mt. Fuji rising behind a five-storey pagoda, and it suits anyone willing to climb 398 steps at dawn; the trade-off is a crowd that has strained the homes below, so come early and carry your rubbish home.
- [Mt. Aso Nakadake Crater](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/aso-nakadake-crater): Nakadake's crater suits anyone who wants to look into an active volcano when Aso is quiet, and since 1 September 2026 alert level 2 keeps everyone at least 1 km from the crater.
- [Beppu Jigoku Meguri](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/beppu-jigoku-meguri): The Beppu hells suit families and first-time visitors who want to see Beppu's springs boil up out of the ground, and they are hot springs to look at, with foot baths the only place to dip in.
- [Chikubu Island](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/chikubu-island): Chikubu Island suits anyone with half a day in Nagahama or Imazu and an interest in temples, though the boats thin out to two a day in winter and the landing fee comes on top of the fare.
- [Chirihama Nagisa Driveway](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/chirihama-nagisa-driveway): The Chirihama Nagisa Driveway is the beach on the Noto Peninsula's west coast that you drive along at the water's edge, and the Ishikawa tourism body calls it the only one in Japan. The prefecture closes it in high waves, so check the road map before you set out.
- [Daikanbo](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/daikanbo): Daikanbo suits anyone who wants the whole Aso caldera in one view, and it sits on the northern rim more than 12 km from the active crater, far outside the zones the volcanic alert levels close.
- [Daio Wasabi Farm](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/daio-wasabi-farm): Daio Wasabi Farm in Azumino is Japan's largest flatland wasabi farm, and it suits anyone after a free, easy walk among spring-fed fields with the Northern Alps behind; it's 2.3 km from JR Hotaka Station, a 30-minute walk or a 10-minute taxi.
- [Doai Station](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/doai-station): Doai Station suits rail fans and anyone with a spare hour near the Tanigawadake ropeway, and its famous down platform takes about ten minutes of stair climbing to get out of.
- [Dogashima](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/dogashima): Dogashima on Izu's west coast is a cluster of white tuff islands where a small boat noses into Tensodo, a sea cave with a hole in its roof, and it suits anyone with an hour to spare on the coast road; the walk-out tombolo to Sanshiro Island needs the right low tide, and from October to February it never shows in daylight.
- [Hakkoda Ropeway](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/hakkoda-ropeway): The Hakkoda Ropeway suits walkers and families in Aomori who want an easy ride to 1,324 metres and a loop through alpine wetland; snow covers the summit trails until late June, so the green-season walk belongs to July to October.
- [Hakone Ropeway](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/hakone-ropeway): The Hakone Ropeway carries 18-seat gondolas over the steaming vents of Owakudani between Sounzan and Lake Ashi, and suits anyone crossing Hakone on the classic loop; rising volcanic gas can stop it, so keep the bus in mind as a fallback.
- [Hakuba Iwatake](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/hakuba-iwatake): Hakuba Iwatake is a 1,289-metre summit above Hakuba village with a seven-minute gondola and a terrace facing the Hakuba Sanzan, and it suits families and anyone who wants the big Alps view without a hike; the 2026 green season ends on 15 November.
- [Happo-ike Pond](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/happo-ike): Happo-ike is a pond at 2,060 metres on the Happo-one ridge in Hakuba that mirrors the Hakuba Sanzan on a still day; it suits fit walkers from June to early November, since the lifts take you only to 1,830 metres and the rest is a rocky 90-minute climb.
- [Inubosaki Lighthouse](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/inubosaki-lighthouse): Inubosaki Lighthouse suits riders starting the Pacific Cycling Road who want the cape's view before they head south, and its trade-off is a climb of a 31 m brick tower that closes at 16:00 in winter.
- [Irohazaka](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/irohazaka): Irohazaka suits drivers and riders who want the 48 hairpins between Nikko and Lake Chuzenji, and on autumn holidays its traffic jams can turn a 20-minute climb into hours.
- [Iya Kazurabashi](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/iya-kazurabashi): The Iya Kazurabashi suits anyone who can handle a swaying 45-metre walk 14 metres above the river, and it takes about an hour by road from the Ikawa-Ikeda interchange.
- [Jigokudani Yaen-koen](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/jigokudani-yaen-koen): Jigokudani Yaen-koen is a gorge in Yamanouchi where a wild troop of Japanese macaques comes to feed and, in the cold months, to sit in a hot spring; it suits anyone who can walk 35 minutes each way on a snowy forest path, and the park warns that some days the monkeys never come.
- [Jogasaki Coast](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/jogasaki-coast): Jogasaki Coast in Ito is a run of black lava cliffs that walkers cross on a 48-metre suspension bridge slung 23 metres above the surf, and it suits anyone happy on uneven ground for an hour or two; the trail is rough underfoot and the bridge is no place for vertigo.
- [Jomon Sugi](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/jomon-sugi): Jomon Sugi suits fit hikers who want to stand before Yakushima's largest cedar, and the round trip is a full day on foot that starts on a pre-dawn bus.
- [Joren Falls](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/joren-falls): Joren Falls drops 25 metres off a basalt cliff into a fern-hung gorge on the upper Kano River in Izu, and suits a 30-minute leg stretch on any drive or ride over Amagi; the price is 200 steps back up from the pool.
- [Kagikake Pass](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/kagikake-pass): Kagikake Pass suits riders and drivers circling Mt. Daisen who want the best roadside view of its south face, and it fills up in the autumn colour season.
- [Kamikochi](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/kamikochi): Kamikochi is a high valley in the Northern Alps west of Matsumoto that private cars can never enter, and it suits walkers from late April to mid-November; the road and everything in the valley close from 16 November to mid-April.
- [Kegon Falls](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/kegon-falls): Kegon Falls suits anyone who has made the climb to Lake Chuzenji and wants its signature view in under an hour, and the falls draw such crowds in the autumn leaves that the drive up can take longer than the visit.
- [Kenroku-en](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/kenroku-en): Kenroku-en suits garden lovers and families who want one of Japan's three great gardens in the middle of Kanazawa, and its trade-off is heavy crowds by mid-morning.
- [Kirosan Observatory Park](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/kirosan-observatory-park): Kirosan Observatory Park suits anyone who wants the widest view over the Kurushima Strait and its bridge, and the trade-off for riders is a climb of about 300 metres to the summit.
- [Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/kiyotsu-gorge-tunnel): Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel is a 750 m walking tunnel into one of Japan's three great gorges, with viewpoints over cliffs of columnar rock, and it suits anyone staying in Yuzawa or Tokamachi in any weather; in autumn it sells out on reservation-only days and in winter snow can close it without warning.
- [Kosanji Temple and the Hill of Hope](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/kosanji-hill-of-hope): Kosanji suits anyone riding through Setoda who wants an hour among bright temple halls and white marble, and the trade-off is an adult ticket of ¥1,800.
- [Kurobe Gorge Railway](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/kurobe-gorge-railway): The Kurobe Gorge Railway suits families and train lovers who want an open-sided ride up the Kurobe Gorge, and its trade-off is a season that ends on 30 November and a restricted stop at Keyakidaira while repairs continue.
- [Kurushima Kaikyo Observatory](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/kurushima-kaikyo-observatory): The Kurushima Kaikyo Observatory suits riders at the Imabari end who want a close look at the bridge and the tide race, and the trade-off is an 18:00 closing that comes an hour earlier in winter.
- [Kusasenri](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/kusasenri): Kusasenri suits anyone who wants a wide, easy stop high on Aso with the steaming Nakadake crater in view, and it stays open at alert level 2, when the crater itself is closed.
- [Lake Biwa Museum](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/lake-biwa-museum): The prefecture's lake museum suits families and anyone who wants to know what lives in Lake Biwa, though some aquarium tanks are shut for repairs and there's almost nowhere inside to eat a packed lunch.
- [Lake Tazawa](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/lake-tazawa): Lake Tazawa suits travellers on the Akita Shinkansen who want a lakeside afternoon on the way to Nyuto Onsen; it's a scenic stop more than a full day, so pair it with the onsen or Kakunodate.
- [Metasequoia Avenue](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/metasequoia-avenue-makino): Makino's 2.4 km avenue of about 500 metasequoias suits a slow ride or walk in any season, though it's a local road with traffic and the autumn colour weeks bring jams.
- [Murodo](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/murodo): Murodo suits sightseers and spring skiers who want the top of the Alpine Route at 2,450 m without climbing it, and its trade-off is weather that can turn to blizzard in spring and a route closed from December to mid-April.
- [Naeba Dragondola](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/naeba-dragondola): The Naeba Dragondola is a 5,481 m gondola that climbs from Naeba toward the Kagura side in about 25 minutes, and it suits families and walkers in October's autumn colour; it runs for sightseeing only from 10 October to 8 November in 2026 and fills up on fine weekends.
- [Nojimasaki Lighthouse](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/nojimasaki-lighthouse): Nojimasaki Lighthouse suits riders rounding the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula who want a short climb for the view, and its trade-off is a lunch-hour closure from noon to 13:00 since March 2026.
- [Mt. Nokogiri](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/nokogiriyama): Mt. Nokogiri suits anyone who wants a short climb by ropeway to a cliff-edge view over Tokyo Bay, and its trade-off is a temple circuit of steep stone steps that takes about an hour and a half.
- [Notojima Aquarium](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/notojima-aquarium): Notojima Aquarium suits families who want a full day of sea life on an island in Nanao Bay, with whale sharks, dolphin and sea-lion shows and penguin walks, and the drive from Wakura Onsen takes about 15 minutes.
- [Oirase Gorge](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/oirase-gorge): Oirase suits walkers who want a long, easy riverside walk through old forest below Lake Towada; the road runs beside the path the whole way, so weekend traffic follows you in autumn.
- [Oishi Park](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/oishi-park): Oishi Park on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi frames Mt. Fuji across the water above beds of lavender and kochia, and suits families and riders lapping the lake who want the view without a climb; between 10:00 and 16:00 on spring and autumn weekends the lakeside road jams with traffic.
- [Omishima Museum of Art](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/omishima-museum-of-art): The Omishima Museum of Art suits visitors at Oyamazumi Shrine who want a quiet hour with modern Japanese painting next door, and the trade-off is a collection centred on one school of work.
- [Sada Chinkabashi](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/sada-chinkabashi): The Sada Chinkabashi suits riders and families who want to cross the Shimanto River on a bridge with no railings, and it is a working road, so give way to local cars.
- [Senkoji Temple and Park](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/senkoji): Senkoji suits anyone with a spare hour in Onomichi who wants the view over the channel to Mukaishima, and the trade-off is a steep climb on stone steps unless you take the ropeway.
- [Shin-Hotaka Ropeway](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/shin-hotaka-ropeway): The Shin-Hotaka Ropeway lifts you to a 2,156 m rooftop deck facing the Hotaka peaks in about 25 minutes, and it suits anyone staying in Okuhida who wants the Northern Alps without climbing; skis and snowboards are not allowed on board.
- [Shirahige Shrine Lake Torii](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/shirahige-shrine-lake-torii): Shirahige Shrine's red gate in Lake Biwa suits anyone riding or driving the west shore who will stop properly and look from the shrine's own deck, since the shrine warns that crossing Route 161 in front of it is very dangerous.
- [Ogimachi Castle Site Observatory](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/shirakawa-go-viewpoint): The Ogimachi Castle Site Observatory looks down on the thatched gassho houses of Shirakawa-go, and it suits anyone who wants the village's best-known view in one short climb; on light-up nights only ticket holders reach it.
- [Shiratani Unsuikyo](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/shiratani-unsuikyo): Shiratani Unsuikyo suits walkers who want Yakushima's moss forest without the full day to Jomon Sugi, and it is closed for now after a landslide cut its access road in September 2026.
- [Takayama Old Town](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/takayama-old-town): Takayama's old town is a grid of Edo-period merchant streets with sake breweries and craft shops, and it suits a slow morning walk from JR Takayama Station; drivers have to use the city's paid car parks.
- [Tanigawadake Ropeway](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/tanigawadake-ropeway): The Tanigawadake Ropeway suits anyone who wants Mt. Tanigawa's ridges without a climb, and in winter it carries skiers too, so walkers lose the chairlift and the one-way ticket.
- [Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/togakushi-forest-botanical-garden): Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden is a free 71-hectare spread of woodland and wetland at the foot of Mt. Togakushi, and it suits walkers and birdwatchers from late April to late November; it is also home to many Asian black bears, so carry a bell.
- [Tokoro Museum Omishima](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/tokoro-museum-omishima): Tokoro Museum Omishima suits riders willing to detour to Omishima's west coast for sculpture with a sea view, and the trade-off is a climb to its hillside site.
- [Tottori Sand Dunes](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/tottori-sand-dunes): The Tottori Sand Dunes suit anyone who wants to walk across a sea of sand inside a national park on the Sea of Japan, and swimming off the dunes is banned by ordinance.
- [Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture, Imabari](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/toyo-ito-museum-of-architecture): The Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture suits anyone curious about design who is riding Omishima's west coast, and the trade-off is an ¥840 ticket for two small buildings.
- [Zao Snow Monsters](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/zao-juhyo): Zao's snow monsters suit anyone in Yamagata from January to early March, skier or not, who can ride a ropeway; the summit is often in a blizzard at −10°C or colder, so the view depends on the weather on the day.
- [Okama Crater](https://ridingjapan.com/sights/zao-okama): Okama suits drivers and riders on the Zao Echo Line between late April and early November who want to look into an active volcano's crater lake; the road shuts all winter and the summit often sits in cloud.

## Culture and history
- [Atomic Bomb Dome](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/atomic-bomb-dome): The Atomic Bomb Dome is where every visit to Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park should begin, and you see the ruin only from the paths outside its fence.
- [Chiran Peace Museum](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/chiran-peace-museum): The Chiran Peace Museum suits anyone who wants to understand the army's special attack missions flown from this airfield in 1945, and it is a museum of letters and portraits to be read slowly and in silence.
- [Chuson-ji](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/chuson-ji): Chuson-ji suits anyone travelling the Tohoku Shinkansen who wants Hiraizumi's gold-covered Amida hall and the treasures of the Oshu Fujiwara; give it one to two hours and climb the Tsukimizaka slope on foot.
- [Daisen-ji](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/daisen-ji): Daisen-ji suits anyone walking up from the Daisen village who wants a mountain temple of 1,300 years' standing, and its treasure hall shuts all winter.
- [Dewa Sanzan](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/dewa-sanzan): Dewa Sanzan suits travellers who want to walk an old pilgrimage across three sacred mountains near Tsuruoka; only Haguro-san opens all year, so the full round of Gassan and Yudono-san belongs to summer.
- [Enryaku-ji](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/enryaku-ji): Enryaku-ji suits anyone who wants to see where Japanese Buddhism trained its founders, on a mountaintop above Lake Biwa, though its main hall is under renovation and snow can close the halls early in winter.
- [Fushimi Inari Taisha](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/fushimi-inari-taisha): Fushimi Inari suits an early-morning ride from Kyoto Station to the head shrine of Japan's Inari shrines, and its trade-off is dense crowds on the lower torii paths later in the day.
- [Futago-ji](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/futago-ji): Futago-ji suits riders crossing the Kunisaki peninsula who want a mountain temple at the centre of its old Buddhist world, and in autumn colour season the crowds come too.
- [Futarasan Shrine](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/futarasan-shrine): Futarasan Shrine suits visitors who want the older, quieter heart of Nikko's mountain worship a few minutes' walk from Toshogu, and its free grounds hold less carving and colour than its famous neighbour.
- [Gokayama](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/gokayama): Gokayama suits travellers who want steep-roofed gassho villages that people still live in, and its trade-off is a bus journey into the mountains and villages that ask visitors to stay away after dusk.
- [Gujo Hachiman](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/gujo-hachiman): Gujo Hachiman is a small castle town where spring water runs through the streets below a wooden castle, and it suits a slow day or a summer night of dancing; the castle closes from 20 December to 10 January.
- [Hachiman-bori Canal](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/hachiman-bori-omi-hachiman): Omi-Hachiman's canal and merchant streets suit a slow afternoon on foot or by boat, though this is a lived-in town and the canal crowds up in cherry season.
- [Haguro-san](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/haguro-san): Haguro-san suits walkers near Tsuruoka who want a cedar-lined stone stairway past an old pagoda to a mountaintop shrine; the climb takes up to 90 minutes each way and the steps turn slick in rain and snow.
- [Hida Folk Village](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/hida-folk-village): Hida Folk Village gathers farmhouses from across the Hida mountains close to central Takayama, and it suits families and anyone who will not reach Shirakawa-go; the winter paths lie under snow, so dress for it.
- [Hikone Castle](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/hikone-castle): Hikone Castle suits anyone who wants to stand inside one of Japan's original keeps, though the keep's stairs climb at 60 degrees and holiday crowds mean a queue to get in.
- [Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/hiroshima-peace-memorial-museum): The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum suits every visitor to the city who wants to understand what the atomic bomb did to people, and the trade-off is long queues at busy times unless you book an early or late slot online.
- [Ise Jingu](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/ise-jingu): Ise Jingu suits anyone who wants to see the centre of Shinto worship on foot and at an early hour, and its inner sanctuaries stay closed to visitors, with no photographs where people pray.
- [Izumo Taisha](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/izumo-taisha): Izumo Taisha suits anyone who wants to see one of Japan's oldest and most revered shrines in daily worship, and the grounds behind the main hall close at 16:30.
- [Kakunodate Bukeyashiki Street](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/kakunodate-bukeyashiki): Kakunodate's Bukeyashiki Street suits travellers on the Akita Shinkansen who like Edo-period house plots and weeping cherries; it's busiest by far in cherry season, so come early in late April or in quieter months.
- [Kanazawa Castle](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/kanazawa-castle): Kanazawa Castle suits history lovers and families who want a free park of rebuilt gates and old stone walls, and its trade-off is that no keep survives.
- [Kanazawa chaya districts](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/kanazawa-chaya-districts): Kanazawa's chaya districts suit couples and photographers who want lanes of latticed Edo-period teahouses, and their trade-off is crowds at Higashi Chaya from late morning.
- [Kotoku-in (Great Buddha of Kamakura)](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/kotoku-in): Kotoku-in suits anyone in Kamakura who wants to stand before the open-air Great Buddha and step inside it, and its trade-off is a temple with no car park, so you arrive by Enoden, bus or bike.
- [Koyasan](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/koyasan): Koyasan suits travellers who want a night in a working mountain temple town and the walk through Okunoin at dusk, and its trade-off is a long climb by train and cable car from Osaka.
- [Kumamoto Castle](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/kumamoto-castle): Kumamoto Castle suits anyone who wants to see a great castle being rebuilt stone by stone, and the repair works keep visitors to a set viewing route.
- [Kurokabe Square](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/kurokabe-square-nagahama): Nagahama's Kurokabe quarter suits a browse through glass shops and old streets close to the station, though it's busiest on weekends and most shops close at 17:00.
- [Matsue Castle](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/matsue-castle): Matsue Castle suits anyone who wants to climb an original keep listed as a National Treasure, and you carry your shoes in a bag up the steep wooden stairs.
- [Matsumoto Castle](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/matsumoto-castle): Matsumoto Castle holds Japan's oldest surviving five-tier, six-storey keep, and it suits anyone passing through central Nagano with an hour to spare; inside, the stairs are narrow and steep, and Golden Week and Obon bring entry limits.
- [Matsuyama Castle](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/matsuyama-castle): Matsuyama Castle suits anyone who wants an Edo-period keep with a view over the city to the Seto Inland Sea, and a bike has to stay at the bottom of the hill.
- [MonET (Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art)](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/monet-echigo-tsumari): MonET in Tokamachi is the main museum of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field, and it suits anyone exploring the art across Tokamachi and Tsunan who wants a starting point that stays open in winter; it closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- [Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/nagasaki-atomic-bomb-museum): The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum suits anyone who wants to understand what happened to this city on 9 August 1945, and the exhibition renewal running through March 2027 screens off parts of the rooms while the work goes on.
- [Nagasaki Peace Park and the Hypocentre](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/nagasaki-peace-park): Nagasaki's Peace Park suits anyone who wants to stand at the place where the bomb exploded, and it reads best after the museum next door has told you what happened here.
- [Narai-juku](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/narai-juku): Narai-juku is the Nakasendo post town at the exact midpoint of the road between Edo and Kyoto, and its kilometre of Edo-era houses suits an unhurried stop on the way through the Kiso Valley; the Kiso no Ohashi footbridge is under repair until the end of March 2027.
- [Nikko Toshogu](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/nikko-toshogu): Toshogu suits anyone who wants to see the Tokugawa shogunate's richest shrine in the cedar woods above Nikko, and its crowds peak so hard in autumn and at holidays that an opening-time visit makes the day.
- [Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/nirayama-reverberatory-furnace): The Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace in Izunokuni is the only furnace of its kind in Japan that both worked and survives, and it now belongs to the Meiji Industrial Revolution World Heritage listing; it suits history readers with an hour to spare between Mishima and Shuzenji, though the visit amounts to the furnace and a short film.
- [Okunoshima](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/okunoshima): Okunoshima suits visitors who want to learn how Japan's army made poison gas in secret on this island from 1929, and the trade-off is a small museum and ruins that tell the story in fragments.
- [Onomichi Temple Walk](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/onomichi-temple-walk): The Onomichi temple walk suits anyone with half a day in Onomichi and comfortable shoes, and the trade-off is a hillside of steps through a neighbourhood where people live.
- [Oyama Shrine](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/oyama-shrine): Oyama Shrine suits hikers and pilgrims who want to understand the faith behind Tateyama, one of Japan's three sacred mountains, and its trade-off is a summit shrine that is staffed only from July to September.
- [Oyamazumi Shrine](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/oyamazumi-shrine): Oyamazumi Shrine suits anyone crossing Omishima who wants to see the island's great shrine and Japan's largest store of old armour, and the trade-off is a detour of a few kilometres off the blue line.
- [Perry Road](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/perry-road): Perry Road in Shimoda follows the Hiraname River to Ryosen-ji, the temple where the shogunate and Commodore Perry signed the Shimoda Treaty in 1854, and it suits an unhurried evening walk under willows and gas lamps; the lane has no parking, so come by train or leave the car at the free car park of Michi-no-Eki Kaikoku Shimoda Minato.
- [Sado Gold Mine (Sado Kinzan)](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/sado-gold-mine): Sado Gold Mine at Aikawa is the visitor site of the Sado Island Gold Mines that UNESCO listed on 27 July 2024, and it suits travellers on Sado for a day or more who want to walk through Edo-era and Meiji-era tunnels; the tunnels stay at about 10°C all year, so bring a jacket in August.
- [Sakitsu Village](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/sakitsu-village): Sakitsu suits riders on Ama-Ichi who want to understand how Amakusa's Hidden Christians kept their faith, and a visit inside the church needs advance notice and quiet manners.
- [Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/shikoku-henro): The Shikoku henro suits riders who want a long route with a purpose, and the temples ask riders to behave as guests among people who are there to pray.
- [Shirakawa-go](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/shirakawa-go): Shirakawa-go is a farming village of steep thatched gassho houses that people still live in, and it suits travellers who want Japan's snow country at its most traditional; it is a UNESCO site with heavy day-tour traffic, so arrive early or stay the night.
- [Shuzen-ji](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/shuzen-ji): Shuzen-ji is the Soto school temple at the heart of Shuzenji Onsen, said to have been founded by Kukai in 807, and it suits a quiet hour on any Izu trip with a stroll through the onsen town; the temple has no car park, so arrive on foot or by the bus from Shuzenji Station.
- [Takada Castle Site Park](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/takada-castle-site-park): Takada Castle Site Park in Joetsu is the moated park where Tokugawa Ieyasu's sixth son built his castle, and its rebuilt three-storey turret and moats suit travellers on the Hokuriku Shinkansen in early April when about 4,000 cherry trees bloom; the turret shuts Monday to Thursday in January and February.
- [Takayama Jinya](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/takayama-jinya): Takayama Jinya is the only Edo-period government office in Japan whose main buildings still stand, and it suits anyone in Takayama with half an hour and an interest in how the shogunate ran a province; the rooms have no heating in winter.
- [Todai-ji](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/todai-ji): Todai-ji suits a morning in Nara with the Great Buddha before the tour groups arrive, and its trade-off is a separate cash fee at each hall.
- [Togakushi Shrine](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/togakushi-shrine): Togakushi Shrine is five shrines spread across the foot of Mt. Togakushi above Nagano City, and it suits walkers who want a half-day pilgrimage through old cedar forest; the Okusha inner shrine closes from 7 January to late April.
- [Tomioka Silk Mill](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/tomioka-silk-mill): Tomioka Silk Mill suits a rest day or a stop on the way to the mountains for anyone curious how Japan industrialised, and it lies well south of the ski areas, so you change trains at Takasaki to reach it.
- [Tomonoura](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/tomonoura): Tomonoura suits anyone with a spare day near Fukuyama who wants an Edo-period port town on the Inland Sea, and the trade-off is a 30-minute bus ride from Fukuyama Station.
- [Mt. Tsukuba Shrine](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/tsukubasan-shrine): Mt. Tsukuba Shrine suits walkers and riders who want to pay their respects at the foot of the twin peaks before the climb, and its real sanctuaries sit on the two summits, so a visit to the hall alone sees only the threshold.
- [Tsumago-juku](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/tsumago-juku): Tsumago-juku is the 42nd post town on the old Nakasendo from Edo, kept as a lived-in Edo-period street by its own residents, and it suits walkers who pair it with the 9 km trail to Magome. Cars stay out from 10:00 to 16:00, and the car parks sit along Route 256.
- [Tsuruga Castle](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/tsuruga-castle): Tsuruga Castle suits visitors to Aizu who want a red-tiled castle keep with a museum inside and a tea house in the grounds; the keep holds a museum of Aizu's history, and cherry season brings the biggest crowds.
- [Yamadera (Risshaku-ji)](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/yamadera): Yamadera suits anyone near Yamagata or Zao who can manage 1,015 stone steps for a mountain temple and a cliff-edge view; the climb takes about 90 minutes round trip, and winter ice can shorten the day.
- [Zenko-ji](https://ridingjapan.com/culture/zenko-ji): Zenko-ji in Nagano City is a working temple whose National Treasure main hall keeps a hidden Buddha that no one is shown, and it suits visitors who come for the morning service and quiet time in the hall; in 2027 it holds the Gokaicho, the temple's largest event.

## Dishes and drinks
- [Ankou nabe](https://ridingjapan.com/food/ankou-nabe): Ankou nabe suits anyone in Ibaraki in winter who wants the coast's prized hotpot, and its liver-rich broth is heavy going for anyone who likes their fish light.
- [Basashi](https://ridingjapan.com/food/basashi): Basashi is raw horse meat sliced like sashimi, a speciality of central and southern Nagano that grew out of the region's working horses, and it suits diners who are comfortable eating both raw meat and horse.
- [Biwa masu](https://ridingjapan.com/food/biwa-masu): Biwa masu suits anyone who likes salmon sashimi and wants to taste Lake Biwa itself, and the fish is scarce on autumn menus while the fishery closes.
- [Omi chanpon](https://ridingjapan.com/food/chanpon-noodles): Omi chanpon suits riders who want a big, light bowl of vegetables and noodles after a day on the bike, and most bowls you will find come from one chain.
- [Dango-jiru](https://ridingjapan.com/food/dango-jiru): Dango-jiru suits riders who want a cheap, filling bowl on a cold day in Oita or Aso, and its chewy hand-pulled noodles are thicker and plainer than udon.
- [Echizen soba](https://ridingjapan.com/food/echizen-soba): Echizen soba suits skiers coming off the hill at JAM Fukui Katsuyama who want a light lunch, and its one catch is that Fukui serves it cold even in midwinter.
- [Ehime Mikan](https://ridingjapan.com/food/ehime-mikan): Ehime mikan are the sweet, easy-peel satsuma mandarins the prefecture has grown on a large scale since the Meiji era, and autumn into winter is their season.
- [Fujinomiya yakisoba](https://ridingjapan.com/food/fujinomiya-yakisoba): Fujinomiya yakisoba suits riders passing the west side of Fuji who want a cheap, chewy plate of noodles, and only shops the trademark holder approves may sell it under the name.
- [Funazushi](https://ridingjapan.com/food/funazushi): Funazushi suits curious eaters who like strong cheese and old sake, and its sour, ripe smell puts plenty of people off at the first slice.
- [Gohei mochi](https://ridingjapan.com/food/gohei-mochi): Gohei mochi is pounded rice pressed onto a skewer, grilled, brushed with a sweet nutty sauce and grilled again, and in Hida the sauce often carries egoma seeds.
- [Gunma konnyaku](https://ridingjapan.com/food/gunma-konnyaku): Gunma konnyaku is the firm, springy jelly made from konjac corms grown across the prefecture, and it tastes of little on its own, so it lives or dies by its sauce.
- [Gyutan](https://ridingjapan.com/food/gyutan): Gyutan is Sendai's charcoal-grilled beef tongue, cut thick and seasoned with salt or miso, and it suits any meat eater on a first night in Tohoku. The trade-off is choice, because every specialist shop cuts, seasons and grills it its own way.
- [Hakata ramen](https://ridingjapan.com/food/hakata-ramen): Hakata ramen suits anyone arriving in Fukuoka hungry, a fast bowl of cloudy pork-bone soup and thin noodles, and it is pork through and through.
- [Hegi soba](https://ridingjapan.com/food/hegi-soba): Hegi soba suits anyone eating their way through Uonuma, and its one catch is the size of the tray, which is built for sharing.
- [Hida beef](https://ridingjapan.com/food/hida-beef): Hida beef is Gifu's wagyu brand, and Takayama is the place to eat it as nigiri, steak, yakiniku or grilled with miso on a magnolia leaf.
- [Hiroshima okonomiyaki](https://ridingjapan.com/food/hiroshima-okonomiyaki): Hiroshima okonomiyaki stacks a thin batter crêpe with a heap of cabbage, pork and noodles on the griddle, and it makes a filling, cheap meal anywhere in the prefecture.
- [Hitsumabushi](https://ridingjapan.com/food/hitsumabushi): Hitsumabushi is grilled eel cut into strips over rice in a wooden tub, eaten in rounds that end with dashi poured over, and at Atsuta Horaiken a tub costs ¥4,950.
- [Hoba miso](https://ridingjapan.com/food/hoba-miso): Hoba miso is miso grilled on a dried magnolia leaf over a little stove at your table, and it is the dish of a Hida winter.
- [Hoshi-imo](https://ridingjapan.com/food/hoshi-imo): Hoshi-imo suits riders who want a chewy, sweet ride snack that keeps in a jersey pocket, and the best batches appear only from midwinter.
- [Hoto](https://ridingjapan.com/food/hoto): Hoto suits hungry riders on a cold day at Fuji Five Lakes, and one iron pot of flat noodles and pumpkin in miso is a heavy meal to ride on.
- [Imabari yakitori](https://ridingjapan.com/food/imabari-yakitori): Imabari yakitori is chicken pressed flat on an iron griddle with no skewer and glazed in a sweet and salty tare, and it suits an evening after the ride, since most shops open only at dinner.
- [Imoni](https://ridingjapan.com/food/imoni): Imoni is Yamagata's autumn pot of taro, beef, konnyaku and leeks in a sweet soy broth, and it suits anyone who wants to eat the way the prefecture gathers. The trade-off is setting: the classic bowl comes from a pot on a riverbank in autumn, so a ski-season bowl comes from an inn or restaurant kitchen instead.
- [Ise udon](https://ridingjapan.com/food/ise-udon): Ise udon suits anyone who wants the pilgrims' noodle of Ise, thick and soft under a black tamari tare, and the lack of bite surprises people used to firm udon.
- [Izumo soba](https://ridingjapan.com/food/izumo-soba): Izumo soba is the dark buckwheat noodle of Matsue and Izumo, and it suits anyone visiting the castle or the shrine, though the warigo dashi is poured over the noodle and takes a round to get used to.
- [Jingisukan](https://ridingjapan.com/food/jingisukan): Jingisukan is lamb grilled with vegetables on a domed iron pan, and at Zao Onsen it is the village's own dinner after a ski day. The trade-off is that its origin is argued over, and the version Zao tells is its own local account.
- [Kakinoha-zushi](https://ridingjapan.com/food/kakinoha-zushi): Kakinoha-zushi is pressed sushi of vinegared rice and thin-sliced mackerel wrapped in a persimmon leaf, and it comes from the mountain homes of Yoshino in Nara Prefecture.
- [Kanazawa curry](https://ridingjapan.com/food/kanazawa-curry): Kanazawa curry suits hungry skiers and riders who want a heavy, cheap plate, and its one catch is that the thick roux leaves no room for anything else.
- [Katsuo no Tataki](https://ridingjapan.com/food/katsuo-no-tataki): Katsuo no tataki is bonito seared over a fierce straw fire and sliced thick, and Kochi is where it comes from and where it tastes of smoke.
- [Kinmedai](https://ridingjapan.com/food/kinmedai): Kinmedai suits seafood lovers riding the Izu coast in winter, when the red fish is at its fattest, and rough winter seas can keep the boats in port.
- [Kiritanpo](https://ridingjapan.com/food/kiritanpo): Kiritanpo is Akita's pounded rice, packed round a cedar stick, grilled and cut into a chicken hot pot, and it suits anyone who wants a warming meal on a cold night. The trade-off is that it is a dish of the new-rice season, so the festivals and the home pots cluster in autumn.
- [Kure kaiji curry](https://ridingjapan.com/food/kure-kaigun-curry): Kure kaiji curry is the curry of individual Maritime Self-Defense Force ships and bases, cooked in Kure restaurants from the ship cooks' own recipes, and each shop serves one ship's version.
- [Kagoshima kurobuta](https://ridingjapan.com/food/kurobuta): Kagoshima kurobuta suits anyone who wants to taste the prefecture's prized black pork where it is raised, and it costs more than ordinary pork.
- [Masu-zushi](https://ridingjapan.com/food/masu-zushi): Masu-zushi suits anyone who wants Toyama's best-known dish packed for a train or a picnic, and its one catch is choosing between dozens of makers who each press it differently.
- [Matsuba-gani](https://ridingjapan.com/food/matsuba-gani): Matsuba-gani is the male snow crab landed along the San'in coast, and it suits a winter trip, since the season opens only on 6 November.
- [Miso katsu](https://ridingjapan.com/food/miso-katsu): Miso katsu is a pork cutlet under a sweet, dark sauce of the region's bean miso, and Nagoya and Tsu both say they served it first.
- [Mitarashi dango (Hida style)](https://ridingjapan.com/food/mitarashi-dango): Takayama's mitarashi dango are rice dumplings grilled on a skewer and basted with plain soy sauce, so they taste savoury where most of Japan's are sweet.
- [Mizusawa udon](https://ridingjapan.com/food/mizusawa-udon): Mizusawa udon is a firm, glossy white udon served cold at the old udon houses by Mizusawa Kannon near Ikaho, and the shops on the udon road close in mid-afternoon.
- [Morioka Reimen](https://ridingjapan.com/food/morioka-reimen): Morioka reimen is a cold, springy noodle of wheat flour and potato starch in a beef and chicken broth with kimchi, and it suits anyone who wants something sharp and clean after a soak or a heavy meal. The trade-off is heat from the kimchi, so ask for it mild or on the side.
- [Motsunabe](https://ridingjapan.com/food/motsunabe): Motsunabe suits groups who want a cheap, hearty pot of offal and greens to share in Fukuoka, and the texture of the offal is the part some visitors need to warm to.
- [Nagasaki chanpon](https://ridingjapan.com/food/nagasaki-chanpon): Nagasaki chanpon suits anyone who wants a whole meal in one big bowl, pork, seafood and vegetables over thick noodles, and it is heavier than most ramen.
- [Namero](https://ridingjapan.com/food/namero): Namero is the Boso fishermen's chopped raw fish with miso and herbs, and it suits anyone happy to eat raw horse mackerel at a harbour lunch counter on the Chiba coast.
- [Niigata sake](https://ridingjapan.com/food/niigata-sake): Niigata sake suits drinkers who want to work through a whole prefecture's cellar on one trip, and its catch is the sheer number of labels, with 91 member breweries in the prefecture's guild.
- [Nozawana](https://ridingjapan.com/food/nozawana): Nozawana is the leafy turnip green behind Nagano's favourite pickle, and the pickle is at its best around New Year after a month of fermenting.
- [Okkirikomi](https://ridingjapan.com/food/okkirikomi): Okkirikomi is Gunma's farmhouse stew of wide, unsalted wheat noodles simmered raw with root vegetables in a miso or soy broth, and it is mostly a home dish that a few restaurants serve in winter.
- [Omi beef](https://ridingjapan.com/food/omi-beef): Omi beef suits riders who want one big wagyu dinner on the loop, and the certified cuts are expensive.
- [Onomichi ramen](https://ridingjapan.com/food/onomichi-ramen): Onomichi ramen is a soy-based broth with flat noodles and minced pork back fat floating on top, and the style has two roots: the Shukaen stall of 1947 and a Fukuyama souvenir maker's small-fish broth of the 1990s.
- [Oyaki](https://ridingjapan.com/food/oyaki): Oyaki are Nagano's stuffed dumplings of wheat or buckwheat dough, and they are the prefecture's everyday hand-held snack, with fillings that change through the year.
- [Sanuki Udon](https://ridingjapan.com/food/sanuki-udon): Sanuki udon is Kagawa's thick, springy wheat noodle, eaten at counters across the prefecture from early morning, and the best way in is a self-service shop.
- [Sanzoku-yaki](https://ridingjapan.com/food/sanzoku-yaki): Sanzoku-yaki is the fried chicken of Matsumoto and Shiojiri, a whole thigh or breast marinated in garlic and soy and fried in one piece, and one order feeds a hungry rider.
- [Sasa dango](https://ridingjapan.com/food/sasa-dango): Sasa dango suits anyone who wants a Niigata snack for the train, and its one catch is the bamboo leaf, which you peel away and never eat.
- [Setoda lemon](https://ridingjapan.com/food/setoda-lemon): Setoda lemons come from Ikuchijima's groves in the Geiyo islands, the heart of Japan's biggest lemon-growing prefecture, and you taste them in cakes, gelato and drinks all along the island road.
- [Shinshu miso](https://ridingjapan.com/food/shinshu-miso): Shinshu miso is the pale, salty rice miso that Nagano makes for most of Japan, and you will taste it in oyaki and ramen long before you see a tub of it.
- [Shinshu soba](https://ridingjapan.com/food/shinshu-soba): Shinshu soba is the buckwheat noodle Nagano is known for across Japan, and the best bowls arrive in autumn, when the new harvest reaches the shops from mid-October.
- [Shiro-ebi](https://ridingjapan.com/food/shiro-ebi): Shiro-ebi suits anyone eating their way round Toyama Bay, and its one catch is the price of the peeled raw kind, which is shelled by hand.
- [Shizuoka oden](https://ridingjapan.com/food/shizuoka-oden): Shizuoka oden suits anyone passing through Shizuoka city who wants a cheap hot snack by the skewer, and its dark broth and fish powder taste stronger than oden elsewhere.
- [Taimeshi](https://ridingjapan.com/food/taimeshi): Taimeshi is sea bream with rice, and on the Imabari side of the route it means a whole grilled bream cooked into the rice, served from the pot or in the Imabari Station ekiben.
- [Takayama ramen](https://ridingjapan.com/food/takayama-ramen): Takayama ramen is thin curly noodles in a clear soy broth, and the local habit is to boil the soy base in the pot with the stock.
- [Takoyaki](https://ridingjapan.com/food/takoyaki): Takoyaki are Osaka's batter balls with octopus inside, fried in round moulds, and Aizuya in Tamade says its founder made the first ones in 1935.
- [Tare katsudon](https://ridingjapan.com/food/tare-katsudon): Tare katsudon suits anyone who finds the egg-topped katsudon too heavy, and its catch is that you mostly find it in Niigata city, a long way from the ski towns.
- [Tateyama aburi kaisendon](https://ridingjapan.com/food/tateyama-aburi-kaisendon): The Tateyama aburi kaisendon is a seared seafood bowl that Tateyama's restaurants serve as the town's premium dish, and it suits riders who can book lunch a day ahead.
- [Tenmusu](https://ridingjapan.com/food/tenmusu): Tenmusu is a small rice ball wrapped round prawn tempura, born in Tsu and sold as a Nagoya snack, and it keeps its taste cold, so a box travels well on a ride.
- [Toriten](https://ridingjapan.com/food/toriten): Toriten suits anyone in Oita who wants the local answer to fried chicken, and it is chicken in a light tempura batter that most people eat with vinegar, soy and mustard.
- [Tottori beef-bone ramen](https://ridingjapan.com/food/tottori-gyukotsu-ramen): Tottori beef-bone ramen suits riders crossing central and western Tottori who want the local bowl, and you find it mostly between Sakaiminato and Misasa, with few shops in the east.
- [Toyama black ramen](https://ridingjapan.com/food/toyama-black-ramen): Toyama black ramen suits riders who want their salt back after a long day, and its one catch is a broth so salty that most people eat it with rice.
- [Uonuma Koshihikari](https://ridingjapan.com/food/uonuma-koshihikari): Uonuma Koshihikari suits anyone who wants to taste why Niigata calls itself rice country, and its catch is that menus rarely name the rice they serve.
- [Utsunomiya gyoza](https://ridingjapan.com/food/utsunomiya-gyoza): Utsunomiya gyoza suits anyone in Tochigi who wants a cheap, filling lunch with a local argument attached, since no single recipe defines it and every shop defends its own.
- [Wanko Soba](https://ridingjapan.com/food/wanko-soba): Wanko soba is Iwate's soba served a mouthful at a time, tossed into your bowl by a server until you cover it with the lid. It suits anyone who wants a meal that doubles as a game, and the trade-off is that it can turn into an eating contest if you let the pace run away.
- [Izu wasabi](https://ridingjapan.com/food/wasabi): Izu wasabi suits food lovers who want to grate the fresh root themselves over soba, and the real thing costs far more than the paste in a tube.
- [Yakimanju](https://ridingjapan.com/food/yakimanju): Yakimanju is Gunma's grilled skewer of plain steamed buns brushed with a thick, sweet miso glaze, and it has to be eaten hot because it turns hard as it cools.
- [Yamagata Soba](https://ridingjapan.com/food/yamagata-soba): Yamagata soba is darker, thicker and firmer than the Shinshu kind, and it suits anyone who likes a noodle with real chew. The trade-off is that the famous soba roads run through small towns north of Yamagata city, so a proper crawl needs a car or a day.
- [Nikko yuba](https://ridingjapan.com/food/yuba): Nikko yuba suits food lovers and vegetarians who want the town's signature ingredient, and its mild taste needs a quiet palate.

## Tours, guides and rentals
- [All 86 tours, guides and rentals](https://ridingjapan.com/operators): The full list is on this page, and every entry is in llms-full.txt.

## Ways to get around
- [Akita Shinkansen](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/akita-shinkansen): The Akita Shinkansen brings Tazawako and Kakunodate within about three hours of Tokyo by Komachi. Akita itself lies another 99 minutes on from Morioka.
- [Atsumi Line cycle train](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/atsumi-line-cycle-train): The Atsumi Line cycle train carries a whole bike from Toyohashi to Mikawa-Tahara for ¥100, and it suits anyone starting the Atsumi Peninsula or the Pacific Cycling Road's Aichi stage without a bike bag. On weekdays the bike rides only on trains leaving between 10:00 and 14:59.
- [B.B.BASE](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/bb-base): B.B.BASE is JR East's cycle train out of Ryogoku, where your bike rides whole in a rack and you ride beside it to the Boso Peninsula. It runs only on set days, and the next one is B.B.BASE Teganuma on 17 October 2026.
- [Hokuriku Shinkansen](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/hokuriku-shinkansen): The Hokuriku Shinkansen carries skiers from Tokyo into the Nagano and Myoko snow country in under two hours. Check the train name before you book, because only the Hakutaka stops at Iiyama for Nozawa Onsen and at Joetsu-Myoko for Myoko and Arai.
- [Ise-wan Ferry](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/ise-wan-ferry): Ise-wan Ferry crosses the mouth of Ise Bay from Cape Irago to Toba in an hour, and it is the link that joins the Pacific Cycling Road's Aichi and Mie stages. A whole bike costs ¥1,400 on top of the ¥1,980 adult fare, while a bagged bike rides free.
- [Izu Kyuko Line](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/izu-kyuko-line): The Izu Kyuko Line runs down Izu's east coast from Ito to Shimoda, and its free cycle train suits riders who want to ride one way along the coast and train back. Its cycle train covers listed local trains south of Minami-Ito, and the bike goes in a bag anywhere north of there.
- [Joetsu Shinkansen](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/joetsu-shinkansen): The Joetsu Shinkansen puts Yuzawa and Minakami about an hour from Tokyo, close enough for a day on the snow. Ride a Toki when you can, because the all-stops Tanigawa adds 20 minutes or more.
- [Kinokuni Line cycle trains](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/kinokuni-line-cycle-trains): JR West's Wakayama cycle trains let you ride the coast and take a whole bike back on the train, and they suit anyone doing the Pacific Cycling Road's Wakayama stage between Shingu and Wakayama. The trade-off is that each stretch of line has its own booking rule, so check which train you need before you set off.
- [Kintetsu rinko and cycle trains](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/kintetsu-rinko-and-cycle-trains): Kintetsu carries bagged bikes free on every train and whole bikes on its Ise-Shima cycle train between Matsusaka and Kashikojima, and it suits riders landing at Toba off the Irago ferry or riding the Pacific Cycling Road's Mie stage. On weekdays the cycle train covers only Isuzugawa to Kashikojima between about 09:00 and 15:00.
- [Kyushu Shinkansen](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/kyushu-shinkansen): The Kyushu Shinkansen puts Kumamoto, the gateway to Aso and Amakusa, half an hour south of Hakata on a Mizuho. Oversized bags need a booked seat, just as on the Tokaido and Sanyo lines.
- [Nagano to Hakuba express bus](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/nagano-hakuba-express-bus): Alpico's express bus is the simplest link from the Nagano Shinkansen to Hakuba, 70 minutes from Nagano Station to Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal for ¥2,900. The winter timetable for December 2026 onward had not been published on 11 October 2026.
- [Nozawa Onsen Liner](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/nozawa-onsen-liner): The Nozawa Onsen Liner runs from the Shinkansen at Iiyama to the village's central terminal in about 25 minutes for ¥600. Check the connection before you book a train, since the bus does not wait for late Shinkansen.
- [Rinko at Onomichi Station](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/rinko-at-onomichi-station): Onomichi Station sits by the port where the Shimanami Kaido begins, and riders arrive on the Sanyo Line. The Shinkansen stops at Shin-Onomichi instead, so plan a change at Fukuyama.
- [Sanyo Shinkansen](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/sanyo-shinkansen): The Sanyo Shinkansen is the fast way from Osaka to Fukuyama and Onomichi for the Shimanami Kaido, about an hour on a Nozomi. Big bags follow the same booking rule as the Tokaido Shinkansen.
- [Shin-Osaka Station](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/shin-osaka-station): Shin-Osaka is the hub for Kansai riders heading west to Onomichi or north to Lake Biwa and Hokuriku. Lifts reach every platform, which makes it a straightforward station to cross with a bike bag.
- [Oversized baggage on the Shinkansen](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/shinkansen-oversized-baggage): Anyone taking a ski bag, a big suitcase or a boxed bike on the Shinkansen west or south of Tokyo should book a seat with an oversized-baggage area. JR East's lines north of Tokyo run no such booking.
- [Takkyubin for boards and bikes](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/takkyubin-for-boards-and-bikes): Sending skis and boards ahead by takkyubin lets you travel to the snow with a day bag and pick your gear up at the resort desk. Hand it over two days before you ski, and use Yamato for a boxed bike.
- [Tohoku Shinkansen](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/tohoku-shinkansen): The Tohoku Shinkansen takes skiers north from Tokyo to Morioka for APPI and on to Shin-Aomori for Hakkoda. Pick the Hayabusa that skips the most stops, since the gap between the fastest and slowest Hayabusa to Shin-Aomori ran to 22 minutes in our October 2026 checks.
- [Tokaido Shinkansen](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/tokaido-shinkansen): The Tokaido Shinkansen runs Tokyo to Shin-Osaka in under two and a half hours and stops at Mishima for Izu on the way. A bag measuring more than 160 cm in length, width and height combined needs a seat with an oversized-baggage area booked ahead.
- [Tokyo Station](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/tokyo-station): Tokyo Station is where the Shinkansen to Nagano, Niigata, Tohoku and Shin-Osaka all begin, with JR East's trains and JR Central's under one roof. Allow time to cross between the two halves with a board bag.
- [WILLER night buses](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/willer-night-buses): WILLER's night buses get you from Tokyo to Nagano by dawn for a fraction of the Shinkansen fare, with your board bag in the trunk. Bikes cannot ride at all, and WILLER runs no Hakuba bus of its own.
- [Yamagata Shinkansen](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/yamagata-shinkansen): The Yamagata Shinkansen runs from Tokyo to Yamagata in under three hours with no change, and Yamagata is the station for Zao Onsen. Pick the Tsubasa with the fewest stops, since the slowest one we checked took 17 minutes longer.
- [Yoro Railway cycle train](https://ridingjapan.com/transport/yoro-railway-cycle-train): Yoro Railway carries whole bikes free on every train at weekends and on midday weekday trains, and it suits riders crossing from the Nagoya side at Kuwana toward Ogaki and the Ibi valley. The weekday window runs only from about 09:00 to 15:00.

## Events and seasons
- [Alps Azumino Century Ride](https://ridingjapan.com/events/alps-azumino-century-ride): The Alps Azumino Century Ride is a long ride from Matsumoto and Azumino up the valley to Hakuba and back, held twice in spring 2026, and suits fit riders who want the Northern Alps with free aid stations along the way. Entry in 2026 started at ¥13,000, and fees are not refunded if the ride is cancelled.
- [Biwako Marathon](https://ridingjapan.com/events/biwako-marathon): The Biwako Marathon suits runners who planned a year ahead, since all 8,000 places for 14 March 2027 have gone, though anyone riding the south shore that day should expect road closures.
- [Chichibu Night Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/chichibu-night-festival): The Chichibu Night Festival suits anyone in Tokyo in early December who wants a float festival with winter fireworks, and its trade-off is a packed town on the night of 3 December.
- [CSC Criterium Series](https://ridingjapan.com/events/csc-criterium-series): The CSC Criterium Series races on a short special loop of 840 metres inside the Japan Cycle Sports Center's 5 km circuit near Shuzenji, and suits visiting riders who want a low-key spring race on closed roads in Izu; the two longer classes need a JCF licence or a temporary registration, while the 8.4 km class 3 takes anyone.
- [Cycling Shimanami](https://ridingjapan.com/events/cycling-shimanami): Cycling Shimanami suits riders who want the one day in two years when bikes ride the expressway itself across the Shimanami bridges, and the trade-off is a spring lottery for most places.
- [Daisen Hamanasu Cycling](https://ridingjapan.com/events/daisen-hamanasu-cycling): Daisen Hamanasu Cycling suits families and easy riders who want a short supported ride on the Daisen coast with lunch and an onsen at the finish, and its longest course is 32 km.
- [Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale](https://ridingjapan.com/events/echigo-tsumari-art-triennale): The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale returns from 17 July to 7 November 2027 across Tokamachi and Tsunan, and it suits travellers with a car and two or three days to find art in old farmhouses and rice terraces; the works lie far apart, so plan on a car or one of the art field's bus tours.
- [Echigo-Tsumari Snow Fireworks](https://ridingjapan.com/events/echigo-tsumari-yuki-hanabi): Echigo-Tsumari Snow Fireworks lights a snowfield at Nakago Green Park in Tokamachi on 27 February 2027, and it suits art-minded winter visitors who want fireworks over snow and an early pass to the 2027 triennale; the ¥8,000 adult ticket is dear unless you also plan to see the summer festival, and you can only get there by the official shuttle.
- [Gassan Spring Ski Season](https://ridingjapan.com/events/gassan-ski-season): Gassan's opening suits skiers and ski tourers who want to extend the season into spring on a sacred mountain's snowfields; it has just a pair lift and a T-bar, and tourers head beyond them onto open snow.
- [Ainokura light-up](https://ridingjapan.com/events/gokayama-ainokura-light-up): The Ainokura light-up suits photographers and couples who want a UNESCO gassho village lit after dark, and its trade-off is a short window of six evenings a year.
- [Gujo Odori](https://ridingjapan.com/events/gujo-odori): Gujo Odori is a summer dance where visitors join residents in the circle for more than 30 nights, and it suits travellers who want to dance at a festival as well as watch one; the climax is the all-night dancing of 13 to 16 August.
- [Hachimantai Hill Climb](https://ridingjapan.com/events/hachimantai-hill-climb): The Hachimantai Hill Climb suits road riders who want a closed-road race up the Aspite Line at the start of autumn; it takes 500 riders and sets strict cut-off times on the climb.
- [Hakkoda Spring Tour Season](https://ridingjapan.com/events/hakkoda-spring-tour-season): Hakkoda's spring season suits experienced ski tourers who want long descents from the ropeway to onsen and roads below; every tour route lies outside the patrolled area, so go with a guide or with full avalanche gear and a plan.
- [Hakuba Happo-one Fire Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/hakuba-happo-one-fire-festival): The Hakuba Happo-one Fire Festival is a February evening of torchlight skiing, a bonfire and fireworks on the Nakiyama slope, and suits families staying in Happo who want a short night out. The 2027 date had not been announced by October 2026.
- [Hata-Shimanto Area Doppuri Ride](https://ridingjapan.com/events/hata-shimanto-doppuri-ride): The Doppuri Ride suits strong riders who want two long days of coast and river in southwest Kochi with food at every aid station, and the Shimanto day is 152.5 km with a time limit.
- [Ibaraki K1 Ride](https://ridingjapan.com/events/ibaraki-k1-ride): The K1 Ride suits riders who want to circle Kasumigaura with food stops on the Ring-Ring Road at the end of November, and its 5:30 start means a night in Tsuchiura first.
- [Okihiki Gyoji](https://ridingjapan.com/events/ise-jingu-okihiki-gyoji): The Okihiki suits visitors who want to see Ise's own people haul timber for the new shrine, and it comes round only twice in a 20-year cycle, next from May to July 2027.
- [Utsunomiya Japan Cup Cycle Road Race](https://ridingjapan.com/events/japan-cup-cycle-road-race): The Japan Cup suits cycling fans who want to see WorldTour teams race in Asia's top one-day event a train ride from Tokyo, and the Sunday road race on the Kogashi climb draws crowds that make the shuttle buses the only sane way in.
- [Kumamoto Castle Shiro Akari](https://ridingjapan.com/events/kumamoto-shiro-akari): Shiro Akari suits anyone in Kumamoto this autumn who wants to see the castle lit at night, and the evening crowds make a pre-bought ticket worth having.
- [Metasequoia Avenue Autumn Colour](https://ridingjapan.com/events/metasequoia-avenue-autumn-colour): The Metasequoia avenue's autumn weeks suit anyone who can come on a weekday, since the colour is brick-brown and the weekend traffic jams are long.
- [Mt. Fuji Hill Climb](https://ridingjapan.com/events/mt-fuji-hill-climb): The Mt. Fuji Hill Climb sends about 8,500 riders up the closed Fuji Subaru Line each June, 24 timed kilometres and 1,255 metres to the fifth station, and suits any fit rider who wants a mass climb on Fuji with a forgiving cut-off; the fifth station can sit near 6°C at the finish, so pack winter gloves for the group descent.
- [Nagahama Hikiyama Matsuri](https://ridingjapan.com/events/nagahama-hikiyama-matsuri): Nagahama's Hikiyama festival suits anyone near the lake in mid-April who wants to watch children perform kabuki on gilded floats, though the 15 April high point starts at dawn and the streets pack tight.
- [Nagasaki Kunchi](https://ridingjapan.com/events/nagasaki-kunchi): Nagasaki Kunchi suits visitors in early October who want to see the city's biggest shrine festival, and its dates never move from 7 to 9 October.
- [Nagasaki Lantern Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/nagasaki-lantern-festival): The Nagasaki Lantern Festival suits winter visitors who want the city at its most colourful, and the centre gets very crowded on the opening night and weekends.
- [Norikura Hill Climb](https://ridingjapan.com/events/norikura-hill-climb): The Norikura Hill Climb is a 20.5 km uphill time trial on the Norikura Echo Line with 1,260 m of climbing to the Nagano–Gifu border, and suits riders who want to race to about 2,720 m on a road closed to traffic. The 2026 race on 30 August was cancelled for heavy rain, and entry fees are not refunded.
- [Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Fire Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/nozawa-onsen-dosojin-fire-festival): The Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Fire Festival is a fire festival held every 15 January and listed as a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and it suits visitors staying in the village who can stand in the cold for a few hours. In 2026 entry tickets went only to residents and overnight guests, so book a room in Nozawa first.
- [Off-Road Triathlon in Tahara](https://ridingjapan.com/events/off-road-triathlon-in-tahara): The Off-Road Triathlon in Tahara suits mountain bikers who can swim, with a 23 km bike leg in the Tahara Alps, and entries close on 13 October 2026.
- [Sado Long Ride 210](https://ridingjapan.com/events/sado-long-ride-210): Sado Long Ride 210 is a mass ride round Sado Island held in mid-May, with courses from 100 km up to a 210 km lap, and it suits fit riders who want a closed-loop island day with aid stations stocked by local volunteers; the island's many unlit tunnels make a bright rear light essential.
- [Sagicho Matsuri](https://ridingjapan.com/events/sagicho-matsuri): Omi-Hachiman's Sagicho festival suits anyone in Shiga in mid-March who wants to see a fire festival up close, though the old town fills up and parking runs out.
- [Shimano Suzuka Road](https://ridingjapan.com/events/shimano-suzuka-road): The Shimano Suzuka Road suits amateur racers and families who want to ride Suzuka Circuit across a full weekend, and the 2027 dates hadn't been posted by October 2026.
- [Shirakawa-go Winter Light-Up](https://ridingjapan.com/events/shirakawa-go-light-up): Shirakawa-go's light-up shows the thatched village under snow and lamplight on four January evenings in 2027, and it suits anyone who plans months ahead; every visitor needs a reservation, and the famous view from the observatory comes only with a village stay or a route-bus tour.
- [Snow Machine Japan](https://ridingjapan.com/events/snow-machine-hakuba): Snow Machine Japan is an electronic music festival that takes over Hakuba from 2 to 7 March 2027, and suits groups who want DJ sets after a day on the hill. Anyone after quiet spring skiing should pick another week.
- [Suzuka 8-Hour Enduro](https://ridingjapan.com/events/suzuka-8-hour-enduro): The Suzuka 8-Hour Enduro suits riders who want a long, sociable day lapping a Formula 1 circuit, and entries for 14 November 2026 closed on 5 October.
- [Takada Castle Site Park Cherry Blossom Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/takada-castle-cherry-blossom-festival): The Takada Castle Site Park Cherry Blossom Festival lights about 4,000 cherry trees around the castle moats in Joetsu each April, and it suits couples and families on the Hokuriku Shinkansen who want night-time blossom; the 2027 dates are not out yet and weekend parking needs booking.
- [Takayama Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/takayama-festival): The Takayama Festival brings out Edo-era floats in April and October, and it suits travellers who want one of Japan's great float festivals inside a walkable old town; the dates never move to a weekend, so plan the trip around them.
- [Tokamachi Snow Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/tokamachi-snow-festival): Tokamachi Snow Festival runs from 19 to 21 February 2027 across Tokamachi in Niigata's deep-snow country, and it suits families and snow-country first-timers who want residents' snow sculptures and local food in the open air; the venues spread over a wide area, so you rely on the free shuttle buses.
- [Tottori Sugoi! Ride](https://ridingjapan.com/events/tottori-sugoi-ride): The Tottori Sugoi Ride suits riders who want a supported autumn tour from the sand dunes through Iwami and Yazu, and entries close about six weeks before the day.
- [Tottori Uminami Road Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/tottori-uminami-road-festival): The Tottori Uminami Road Festival suits families and new riders who want a gentle 33 km group ride on the Yumigahama shore, and the 2026 edition was a one-off with no date set for another.
- [Tour de Kumano](https://ridingjapan.com/events/tour-de-kumano): The Tour de Kumano suits fans who want to watch a UCI stage race on the roads of the Kii peninsula, and its trade-off is courses spread far apart along the coast with slow transport between them.
- [Tour de Kyushu](https://ridingjapan.com/events/tour-de-kyushu): The Tour de Kyushu suits fans who want to watch international road racing through Kyushu's cities and the Aso caldera, and its rolling road closures cut across ordinary traffic on race days.
- [Tour de Utsukushigahara](https://ridingjapan.com/events/tour-de-utsukushigahara): The Tour de Utsukushigahara is a 21.6 km uphill time trial from Matsumoto to the Utsukushigahara plateau with 1,270 m of climbing, and suits riders based in Matsumoto who want a June hill climb. It has an e-bike class, and entry in 2026 cost ¥10,000.
- [Tour of Japan Fujisan Stage](https://ridingjapan.com/events/tour-of-japan-fujisan-stage): The Fujisan stage is the Tour of Japan's queen stage, a 62 km race that ends with 11.4 km up the Fuji Azami Line to Subashiri at an average of 10 per cent, and it suits fans who want to watch the pros on a climb the organisers rate above Alpe d'Huez; the road closes before the riders arrive, so whoever goes up to watch stays up until mid-afternoon.
- [Tour of Japan Tokyo Stage](https://ridingjapan.com/events/tour-of-japan-tokyo-stage): The Tour of Japan's Tokyo stage suits anyone in Tokyo at the end of May who wants to watch a pro race close up for free, and its trade-off is a wharf venue about 25 minutes on foot from the nearest monorail station.
- [Toyama Bay Cycling](https://ridingjapan.com/events/toyama-bay-cycling): Toyama Bay Cycling suits riders who want a supported spring day on the National Cycle Route with local food at every aid station, and its trade-off is an entry window that closes as soon as the places fill.
- [Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/uesugi-snow-lantern-festival): The Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival suits travellers in Yamagata in mid-February who want a quiet candlelit evening in a castle town; it lasts one weekend, so plan around the dates once the committee sets them.
- [Utsunomiya Gyoza Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/utsunomiya-gyoza-festival): The gyoza festival suits anyone who wants to taste two dozen Utsunomiya gyoza shops in one afternoon at ¥200 a plate, and the 150,000 or so visitors it draws mean long queues at the famous names.
- [Velo-city 2027 Ehime](https://ridingjapan.com/events/velo-city-2027): Velo-city 2027 suits planners, advocates and anyone who works on cycling in cities, and you need a delegate ticket, which goes on sale later.
- [Yubatake Candle Yume no Akari](https://ridingjapan.com/events/yubatake-candle-yume-no-akari): The Yubatake candle nights suit anyone staying in Kusatsu on the right Saturday, and they last only an evening, so plan the trip around the date.
- [Yuki-no-Otani snow wall walk](https://ridingjapan.com/events/yuki-no-otani-walk): The Yuki-no-Otani walk suits sightseers and families who want to stand between snow walls up to 20 m high at Murodo, and its trade-off is Golden Week crowds and winter weather at 2,450 m.
- [Zao Snow Monster Light-Up](https://ridingjapan.com/events/zao-juhyo-light-up): The Zao light-up suits anyone staying in Zao Onsen who wants to see the snow monsters lit in colour after dark; it's bitterly cold at the top and skis aren't allowed, so dress for −10°C and come as a sightseer.
- [Zao Juhyo Festival](https://ridingjapan.com/events/zao-juhyo-matsuri): The Zao Juhyo Festival suits families and skiers in Zao Onsen between late December and late February, when the village lights its baths and holds a torch run down the slopes; most events are small and local, so treat it as a bonus to a ski trip.

## Weather stations
- [Ajiro](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/ajiro)
- [Aso-Otohime](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/aso-otohime)
- [Hakuba](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/hakuba)
- [Hikone](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/hikone)
- [Ikuchijima](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/ikuchijima)
- [Imabari](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/imabari)
- [Iwate-Matsuo](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/iwate-matsuo)
- [Kusatsu](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/kusatsu)
- [Minakami](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/minakami)
- [Nozawa Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/nozawa-onsen)
- [Sekiyama](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/sekiyama)
- [Sukayu](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/sukayu)
- [Takayama](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/takayama)
- [Yamagata](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/yamagata)
- [Yuzawa](https://ridingjapan.com/climate/yuzawa)

## Cycling routes
- [Ama-Ichi](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/ama-ichi): Ama-Ichi suits riders who want to cross the Amakusa islands from Misumi to Ushibuka over the Amakusa Five Bridges and past the World Heritage sites at Misumi West Port and Sakitsu, and the trade-off is a run of narrow bridges between the second and fifth crossings.
- [Aso Daikanbo and Milk Road Loop](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/aso-caldera): The Aso Daikanbo and Milk Road loop is route B of Aso's official cycling network, and it suits riders who want the classic view over the caldera from the northern rim in a half day from JR Aso Station; the trade-off is one sustained climb up the caldera wall.
- [Azumino Water Course](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/azumino): The Azumino Water Course is Azumino city's own easy loop past wasabi fields and irrigation channels under the Northern Alps, and it suits a Hakuba or Matsumoto rider who wants a spring day on the flat; the trade-off is a fiddly line through lanes that you'll want the city's map to follow.
- [Biwaichi](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/biwaichi): Biwaichi suits riders who want a mostly flat lap of Lake Biwa over two or three days with the water on their left the whole way round, and its trade-off is the busy road on the west shore between Takashima and Kita-Komatsu and again from Katata into Otsu.
- [Fuji Five Lakes from Lake Yamanaka to Lake Motosu](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/fuji-five-lakes): This Fuji Five Lakes ride links Lake Yamanaka to Lake Motosu in one day along the official Fujiichi lines, and it suits riders who want every lake and Fuji views from a bus stop to a bus stop; the trade-off is forest climbs between the western lakes.
- [Fukushima Hamadori Cycle Route](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/fukushima-hamadori): The Fukushima Hamadori Cycle Route suits riders who want Fukushima's Pacific coast from Iwaki north to Shinchi, with beaches, the Matsukawaura lagoon and towns that are rebuilding and welcoming visitors, and the trade-off is a few narrow tunnels and some roads that stay closed to bikes under evacuation orders.
- [Izuichi Izu Peninsula Loop](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/izu-peninsula): Izuichi is Shizuoka's official cycling loop round the Izu Peninsula from Numazu, and it suits strong riders with two days who want the wild west coast and the onsen towns of the east; the trade-off is a hilly route rated advanced, with no railway on the west side.
- [Japan Alps Cycling Road](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/japan-alps-cycling-road): The Japan Alps Cycling Road is Nagano Prefecture's official loop round the whole prefecture, and it suits strong touring riders with a week or more who can break it at Shinkansen and JR stations; the trade-off is a mountain route that links valleys by long climbs.
- [Kunisaki Peninsula Loop](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/kunisaki-peninsula): The Kunisaki Peninsula loop is the longest of the Nio Rindo courses that Kunisaki's four towns publish, and it suits riders who want castle towns and coast roads in one long day from Oita Airport; the trade-off is a hilly western half.
- [Norikura Echo Line from Sanbondaki](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/norikura): The Norikura Echo Line from Sanbondaki climbs a car-free road to the Tatamidaira bus terminal on the Gifu border, and it suits fit riders who want a high mountain climb shared only with buses and taxis; the trade-off is a short season, from July to October.
- [Pacific Cycling Road Stage 1 from Choshi to Hamakanaya](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/pacific-cycling-road-1): Stage 1 of the Pacific Cycling Road takes the whole Chiba coast from Choshi Station round the Boso Peninsula to the Tokyo Wan Ferry at Hamakanaya, and it suits riders who like flat beach roads first and a rolling coast after. Wind costs you most on the open Kujukuri shore, where JMA's normals give Choshi a west-north-west prevailing wind all winter.
- [Pacific Cycling Road Stage 2 from Kurihama to Yugawara](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/pacific-cycling-road-2): Stage 2 of the Pacific Cycling Road crosses Kanagawa from the Tokyo Wan Ferry at Kurihama round the Miura Peninsula and along the Shonan coast to the Shizuoka border at Yugawara, and it suits a long day out of Tokyo with a train home from almost every town. Expect town riding through Shonan, where the line follows the coastal national road past a string of beach-front cafés.
- [Pacific Cycling Road Stage 3 from Atami to Shiomizaka](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/pacific-cycling-road-3): Stage 3 of the Pacific Cycling Road is the long Shizuoka stage, from Atami down the east coast of Izu, round the peninsula's tip and up its west coast to Numazu, then along Suruga Bay and the Enshu coast to the Aichi border at Shiomizaka. It suits strong riders with several days, and the west Izu coast between Matsuzaki and Heda is the hardest riding on the route with no railway to fall back on.
- [Pacific Cycling Road Stage 4 from Shiomizaka to Cape Irago](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/pacific-cycling-road-4): Stage 4 of the Pacific Cycling Road follows the Pacific shore of the Atsumi Peninsula from the Shizuoka border at Shiomizaka to the ferry at Cape Irago, and it suits anyone who wants an easy coastal day between two bigger stages. The open shore gives the wind a free run, and JMA's normals put Irago's winter wind in the north-north-west.
- [Pacific Cycling Road Stage 5 from Toba to the Kumano River](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/pacific-cycling-road-5): Stage 5 of the Pacific Cycling Road crosses Mie from the ferry at Toba down the Ise-Shima and Kumano-nada coasts to the Kumano River at the Wakayama border, and it suits riders who like ria coast with steep coves between long beaches. From Toba the council offers a coastal course and an inland one, which meet at Kii-Nagashima; this stage traces the coastal course.
- [Pacific Cycling Road Stage 6 from Shingu to Kada](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/pacific-cycling-road-6): Stage 6 of the Pacific Cycling Road follows the Wakayama coast from the Kumano River at Shingu round Kushimoto at Honshu's southern tip and up the Kii Channel to the finish at Kada port in Wakayama City. It suits riders who want Kumano's World Heritage shrines and a mild winter coast in one stage, and Wakayama's route page recommends it in every season with a warning about ice in winter.
- [Shibu Pass from Yudanaka](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/shibu-pass): Shibu Pass from Yudanaka climbs Route 292 through Shiga Kogen to the highest point on Japan's national road network, and it suits fit riders who want a big alpine climb from a railway terminus; the trade-off is a season from late April to mid November.
- [Shimanami Kaido Cycling Road](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/shimanami-kaido): The Shimanami Kaido Cycling Road suits anyone who wants to cross the Seto Inland Sea by bike from Onomichi in Hiroshima to Imabari in Ehime over six expressway bridges, and the one catch is a climb up a ramp to every bridge deck. Bicycles cross the bridges free under the Shimanami Cycling Free scheme until 31 March 2028.
- [Shimanto River Sinking Bridges from Ekawasaki](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/shimanto-river): The Shimanto River sinking bridges course is a short out-and-back from JR Ekawasaki Station that the Shimanto tourism association publishes, and it suits families and easy riders who want three railing-free bridges in two hours; the trade-off is a narrow lane that keeps the pace slow.
- [Akinada Tobishima Kaido](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/tobishima-kaido): The Akinada Tobishima Kaido is a day ride from Kure across seven bridges to Okamura island in Ehime, and it suits riders who want old port towns and sea views across the islands; the catch is the far end, where you need a ferry or the same road back.
- [Tottori Uminami Road](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/tottori-uminami-road): The Tottori Uminami Road suits riders who want to cross Tottori Prefecture along the Sea of Japan from Higashihama to Sakaiminato past the Tottori Sand Dunes, and the trade-off is that most of it runs on ordinary roads beside the traffic.
- [Toyama Bay Cycling Route](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/toyama-bay-cycling-route): The Toyama Bay Cycling Route suits riders who want a flat day along the bay with the Tateyama range across the water, and the trade-off is that the full route runs one way from Himi to Asahi, so you will need the train to get back.
- [Tsukuba-Kasumigaura Ring-Ring Road](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/tsukuba-kasumigaura-ring-ring-road): The Tsukuba-Kasumigaura Ring-Ring Road suits riders who want a car-free start on an old railway line under Mt. Tsukuba before a long lap of Lake Kasumigaura, and the trade-off comes on the lake section, where the route joins ordinary roads and the embankments have no guard rails.
- [Yukiguni Uonuma Golden Cycle Route](https://ridingjapan.com/routes/yukiguni-uonuma-gcr): The Yukiguni Uonuma Golden Cycle Route suits riders who want quiet roads through the rice country of Uonuma under the Echigo mountains, with a dam hill climb thrown in, and the trade-off is the snow, since some roads on the route close for the winter in one of Japan's snowiest districts.

## Ride days
- [Ski Happo-one in the morning and ride Azumino after lunch](https://ridingjapan.com/ride-days/azumino-after-a-hakuba-morning): This spring day suits skiers who want a few firm morning runs at Happo-one and a flat afternoon ride among Azumino's wasabi fields, and its catch is the Oito Line, whose sparse trains set the pace of the whole day.
- [Ride the north shore of Lake Biwa from Nagahama to Kinomoto](https://ridingjapan.com/ride-days/biwaichi-north-shore-half-day): This half day suits riders who want the easy northern stretch of Biwaichi on a cheap e-assist bike, ending in a hot bath and a short train ride, and its catch is a north shore where snow settles in winter, so ride it in spring or autumn.
- [Soak at sunrise in Ito and ride the Izu coast to Shimoda](https://ridingjapan.com/ride-days/izu-coast-and-onsen-day): This coast day suits strong riders who want a sunrise soak, the lava cliffs at Jogasaki and two kinmedai meals between Ito and Shimoda, and its catch is the steady climbing on Route 135 with traffic beside you.
- [Ride the Shimanami to Imabari on a rented e-bike](https://ridingjapan.com/ride-days/shimanami-e-bike-day): This e-bike day suits riders who want the whole Shimanami crossing from Onomichi to Imabari in one go, with a motor to take the sting out of every bridge ramp, and its catch is a firm deadline, since the E-bike has to reach a terminal before it closes that evening.
- [Ride Toyama Bay to Ikuji and climb to the baths at Unazuki](https://ridingjapan.com/ride-days/toyama-bay-and-unazuki-day): This day suits riders who want the flattest stretch of Toyama Bay with three seafood stops and an onsen at the end, and its catch is the calendar, since the railway carries unbagged bikes only at weekends and on holidays.

## Resorts
- [Akakura Kanko Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/akakura-kanko): Akakura Kanko suits strong carvers and hotel guests who want long groomed fall lines under the old Akakura Kanko Hotel, and its trade-off is a short list of runs with no night riding.
- [Akakura Onsen Ski Area](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/akakura-onsen): Akakura Onsen suits guests in the onsen village who want to keep riding after dark, and its trade-off is a top at about 1,200 metres, well below its Myoko neighbours.
- [Aomori Spring](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/aomori-spring): Aomori Spring suits riders who want powder in the beech trees of Mt. Iwaki with a ski-in hotel, and its high-season day ticket costs ¥10,800.
- [APPI](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/appi-kogen): APPI suits skiers who want long groomed cruisers and a ski-in hotel stay in northern Iwate, and its 2026/27 day-ticket prices are still to be announced.
- [Arai Mountain Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/arai-mountain-resort): Arai suits strong riders who want lift-served freeride terrain and a hotel at the gondola, and its trade-off is a network of only five lifts.
- [Daisen Mountain Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/daisen-mountain-resort): Daisen Mountain Resort suits skiers in western Japan who want sea views from the slopes above the Daisen-ji village, and its new operator had published few facts for 2026/27 by October.
- [Dynaland](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/dynaland): Dynaland suits families and Nagoya day-trippers who want to ride from dawn to 23:00 on one ticket, and the trade-off is that the night session covers only the lower slopes off a single quad.
- [Edelweiss Ski Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/edelweiss-ski-resort): Edelweiss suits families and weekday skiers who want cheap tickets and a kids' park two hours from Tokyo, and with no gondola and no night skiing it holds little for strong riders.
- [GALA Yuzawa](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/gala-yuzawa): GALA suits day-trippers from Tokyo who want to step off the Shinkansen and onto a gondola, and its trade-off for 2026/27 is a smaller mountain with the ungroomed South area closed.
- [Gassan](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/gassan): Gassan suits skiers who want to keep riding into early summer on a huge open snowfield, and it closes for the whole of winter.
- [Geto Kogen](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/geto-kogen): Geto Kogen suits powder riders who want ungroomed steeps and 14 tree-run areas in deep Iwate snow, and the 2026/27 station shuttle now charges a fare.
- [Grandeco](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/grandeco): Grandeco suits families and powder riders who want a compact, high Urabandai resort with a long season, and its four lifts make for a small mountain.
- [Hachi Kita](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hachi-kita): Hachi Kita suits stronger riders who want moguls and long top-to-bottom runs within reach of Osaka, and its trade-off is two car parks whose roads do not join in winter.
- [Hachi Kogen](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hachi-kogen): Hachi suits families and park riders from Kansai who want wide, gentle slopes and a big terrain park, and its trade-off is a bus ride from Yoka Station with no timetable on the resort's own pages.
- [Hachimantai Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hachimantai): Hachimantai Resort suits families at Panorama and tree riders at Shimokura, and the two areas sit apart with a free shuttle linking them.
- [Hakkoda](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hakkoda): Hakkoda suits strong riders who want ungroomed powder off a single ropeway with tour routes beyond, and it offers almost nothing for beginners.
- [Hakuba47](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hakuba-47): Hakuba47 is the park and tree-riding hill of the valley for riders who like features and steep trees, and it shares one ticket with Goryu.
- [Hakuba Cortina](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hakuba-cortina): Cortina suits powder riders who want deep snow and trees at the cheapest ticket in Hakuba, and its short season ends in March.
- [Hakuba Goryu](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hakuba-goryu): Goryu suits families and night riders who want the gentle Toomi slope at the door, and the best snow sits a gondola ride up at Alps-daira.
- [Hakuba Happo-one](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hakuba-happo-one): Happo-one suits strong riders who want the biggest vertical in Hakuba, and a storm can shut the upper ridge for the day.
- [Hakuba Iwatake](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hakuba-iwatake): Iwatake suits families and mixed groups who want the best view in Hakuba from a short gondola ride, and its low summit means a thin early season.
- [Hakuba Norikura Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hakuba-norikura): Norikura suits riders who want quiet slopes and a hot spring at the bottom, and it shares one cheap ticket with Cortina next door.
- [Hakuba Sanosaka](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hakuba-sanosaka): Sanosaka suits families and groups who want a quiet, cheap day above Lake Aoki, and its low slopes depend on natural snow.
- [Tsugaike Mountain Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hakuba-tsugaike): Tsugaike suits families and beginners on its enormous base slopes, and strong riders head for the gated powder of TSUGA POW, though there is no night skiing this winter.
- [Hida Honokidaira](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hida-honokidaira): Hida Honokidaira suits Takayama visitors who want a real mountain day 40 minutes from the station by bus, and the trade-off is a 300 m vertical spread over short courses.
- [Hida Takayama Ski Area](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hida-takayama-ski): Hida Takayama Ski Area suits families and beginners staying in Takayama who want a cheap and unhurried half day on the snow, and the trade-off is a single pair lift since the 2020 storm damage.
- [Hirugano Kogen](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hirugano-kogen): Hirugano Kogen suits families and first-timers who want wide gentle slopes and a huge sledding area five minutes from the expressway, and the trade-off is a 150 m vertical with no advanced terrain.
- [Hodaigi](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hodaigi): Hodaigi suits families and intermediate riders who want the biggest piste network in Minakami, and its lift system has no gondola to shelter you on a stormy day.
- [Hunter Mountain Shiobara](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/hunter-mountain-shiobara): Hunter Mountain Shiobara suits families and intermediate skiers who want a long groomed day out of Tokyo with a free Shinkansen shuttle, and its 500 m of vertical on mostly made snow gives powder hunters little to chase.
- [Ikenotaira Onsen Alpen Blick Ski Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/ikenotaira-onsen): Ikenotaira suits families and park riders who want wide open slopes in the middle of Myoko Kogen, and its trade-off is that four of its five chairs are pairs.
- [Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/ishiuchi-maruyama): Ishiuchi Maruyama suits groups who want one of the largest areas along the Kan-etsu Expressway with tree runs and night riding, and its trade-off is that its 2026/27 dates and prices were still unpublished in October.
- [Iwappara Ski Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/iwappara): Iwappara suits families and first-timers who want a huge, gentle main slope close to Echigo-Yuzawa, and its trade-off is a short season that ends in late March.
- [Jigatake](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/jigatake): Jigatake suits first-timers and young families who want wide gentle slopes and free parking, and there is little here for strong riders.
- [Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/joetsu-kokusai): Joetsu Kokusai suits families who want a big hotel on the slopes and night riding every evening, and its trade-off for park riders is that the halfpipe and snow park are gone from 2026/27.
- [Kagura Ski Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/kagura): Kagura suits powder hunters and spring riders who want the highest terrain and the longest season around Yuzawa, and its trade-off is a chain of ropeway, chairs and gondola from the Mitsumata car park before you reach the high bowl.
- [Kandatsu Snow Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/kandatsu-kogen): Kandatsu suits Tokyo day-trippers and night owls who want natural snow seven minutes from Echigo-Yuzawa, and its trade-off is a modest top at about 1,000 metres.
- [Kashimayari](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/kashimayari): Kashimayari suits families with young children who want a winter theme park beside the slopes, and keen riders will run out of terrain by lunch.
- [Kawaba](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/kawaba): Kawaba suits park riders and powder chasers who drive from Tokyo, because its slopes start high and its tree areas open by permit, and it is hard to reach by train since the station shuttles ended.
- [Kurumayama Kogen SKYPARK](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/kurumayama-kogen): Kurumayama suits families and day-trippers from Tokyo who want sunshine and big views over the Shinshu mountains, and its runs depend on snowmaking from top to bottom.
- [Kusatsu Onsen Ski Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/kusatsu-onsen-ski-resort): Kusatsu Onsen Ski Resort suits beginners and families who want an easy slope above one of Japan's great hot-spring towns, and advanced riders will finish its five courses by lunch.
- [Madarao](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/madarao): Madarao suits tree and powder riders who want marked tree runs and a quiet lift line, and it is new to the Ikon Pass for 2026/27.
- [Maiko Snow Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/maiko-snow-resort): Maiko suits groups who want long cruising and a hotel on the slopes one minute from the expressway, and its trade-off is a 20 to 30-minute shuttle ride from Echigo-Yuzawa for anyone coming by train.
- [Marunuma Kogen](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/marunuma-kogen): Marunuma Kogen suits riders who want Gunma's highest lift-served snow and a season that runs into May, and it sits 50 minutes up the road from the nearest expressway exit.
- [Masumizu Kogen Ski Area](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/masumizu-kogen): Masumizu Kogen suits families and night skiers from Yonago who want one wide run with a view to the sea, and it had posted nothing for 2026/27 by October.
- [Meiho Snow Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/meiho): Meiho suits skiers who want one long run and steep moguls an hour and a quarter from Ichinomiya, and the trade-off is that it sits apart from the Takasu resorts and their shared ticket.
- [Minakami Kogen](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/minakami-kogen): Minakami Kogen suits families who want a hotel on the slopes and gentle runs for small children, and confident riders will tire of its four lifts in a morning.
- [Mizuho Highland](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/mizuho-highland): Mizuho Highland suits Hiroshima-side skiers who want the longest run in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions, and that 3,700 m line needs the Chestnut course open, which depends on snow.
- [Myoko Suginohara](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/myoko-suginohara): Suginohara suits families and cruisers who want the longest top-to-bottom run in Myoko, and its trade-off is a short season that Prince ends in late March.
- [Naeba Ski Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/naeba): Naeba suits groups who want a big hotel at the lifts and night riding every evening, and its trade-off is a season that ends in early April while Kagura next door runs into May.
- [NEKOMA Mountain](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/nekoma): NEKOMA Mountain suits powder riders and park riders who want two connected ski areas on one ticket, and the South Area closes a month before the North Area in spring.
- [Nikko Yumoto Onsen Ski Park](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/nikko-yumoto-onsen-ski-park): Nikko Yumoto Onsen Ski Park suits families who want a gentle first day on snow beside a sulphur hot-spring village, and its four short courses and thin recent winters give keen skiers no reason to travel.
- [Mt. Norikura Snow Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/norikura-kogen): Mt. Norikura suits quiet-seeking riders and ski tourers who want milky hot springs at the foot of a high volcano, and it is a long way from the Shinkansen.
- [Norn Minakami](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/norn-minakami): Norn Minakami suits families and after-work riders who want the closest slopes to Minakami and long weekend nights, and its five short courses run out after a morning for strong riders.
- [Nozawa Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/nozawa-onsen): Nozawa suits riders who want a big, varied mountain above a hot-spring village with free public baths, and it sits outside both the Ikon and Epic passes.
- [Oguna Hotaka](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/oguna-hotaka): Oguna Hotaka suits drivers who want a long cruise from 1,828 m and a busy park, and it sits an hour by taxi from the nearest JR station.
- [Okukannabe](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/okukannabe): Okukannabe suits confident riders who want the steepest pitches on Kannabe Kogen and a quiet weekday, and its trade-off is a smaller lift system with no night riding.
- [Okutone Snow Park](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/okutone-snow-park): Okutone Snow Park suits Minakami regulars who want a small hill close to the Yunokoya road, and it had published almost nothing for 2026/27 by October.
- [Oze Iwakura](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/oze-iwakura): Oze Iwakura suits families and carvers who want a big, varied mountain with a hotel at the slopes, and it stays a long drive or bus ride from any Shinkansen station.
- [Ryuoo Ski Park](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/ryuoo-ski-park): Ryuoo suits riders who want a long top-to-bottom run and dry snow near the summit at a low ticket price, and the best of that snow sits a ropeway ride above the base.
- [Seki Onsen Ski Area](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/seki-onsen): Seki Onsen suits experienced riders chasing deep, ungroomed snow on a tiny two-lift hill, and its trade-off is that a couple of dry days leave it tracked out with little else to ride.
- [Shiga Kogen Giant](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-giant): Giant suits strong riders who want one long, steep, open face, and there is little else on the hill.
- [Shiga Kogen Hasuike](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-hasuike): Hasuike suits children and beginners on gentle slopes in the middle of Shiga Kogen, and one triple lift is all there is.
- [Shiga Kogen Higashidateyama](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-higashidateyama): Higashidateyama suits riders who want a gondola top with an Olympic run and a long tree-lined way down, and it is the way up to Terakoya.
- [Shiga Kogen Hoppo Bunadaira](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-hoppo-bunadaira): Hoppo Bunadaira suits beginners and families on one very wide slope, and its restaurants are a lift ride away.
- [Shiga Kogen Ichinose Diamond](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-ichinose-diamond): Ichinose Diamond suits intermediates and families who want a wide open slope with views, and its short vertical makes it a stop on the way rather than a full day.
- [Shiga Kogen Ichinose Family](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-ichinose-family): Ichinose Family suits mixed groups who want a wide central slope with an easy way down from the top, and the upper pitch is steeper than the name suggests.
- [Shiga Kogen Ichinose Yamanokami](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-ichinose-yamanokami): Ichinose Yamanokami suits riders crossing toward Yakebitaiyama and Okushiga, and on its own it is a single lift of easy slopes.
- [Shiga Kogen Kumanoyu](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-kumanoyu): Kumanoyu suits powder riders who want north-facing snow and a hot spring at the bottom, and it sits apart from the central areas.
- [Shiga Kogen Maruike](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-maruike): Maruike suits families with a kids' park and riders who want the famous steep Maruike A course, and parking here is tiny.
- [Shiga Kogen Nishidateyama](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-nishidateyama): Nishidateyama suits riders who want a race-pedigree giant slalom run and a long forest beginner run on one hill, and it shares parking with Giant.
- [Shiga Kogen Okushiga Kogen](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-okushiga-kogen): Okushiga suits powder riders and families who want natural snow at the quiet northern end of Shiga Kogen, though it lies a long way from the central areas.
- [Shiga Kogen Sun Valley](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-sun-valley): Sun Valley suits riders who want a technical slope at the entrance to Shiga Kogen, and it often keeps running when the wind closes higher areas.
- [Shiga Kogen Takamagahara Mammoth](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-takamagahara-mammoth): Takamagahara suits fast carvers and parents who need childcare, and the moguls on the left are harder than they look.
- [Shiga Kogen Tanne no Mori Okojo](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-tanne-no-mori-okojo): Tanne no Mori Okojo suits riders who like runs through the forest, and it has one lift and no ticket office of its own.
- [Shiga Kogen Terakoya](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-terakoya): Terakoya suits riders who want high snow and the classic Shiga Kogen view, and its two lifts make it a place to visit rather than stay all day.
- [Shiga Kogen Yakebitaiyama](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-yakebitaiyama): Yakebitaiyama suits strong intermediates who want dry powder at 2,000 m and the Prince Hotels at the base, though its YAKEBI powder areas are for advanced riders only.
- [Shiga Kogen Yokoteyama and Shibutoge](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shiga-kogen-yokoteyama-shibutoge): Yokoteyama suits anyone who wants to ski the highest lift-served slopes in Japan into late May, and the top is exposed to wind and close to an active volcano.
- [Shizukuishi](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/shizukuishi): Shizukuishi suits families and cruisers who want a quiet Prince resort with long runs facing Mt. Iwate, and its season ends early, on 22 March 2027.
- [JAM Fukui Katsuyama Mountain Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/ski-jam-katsuyama): JAM Fukui Katsuyama suits families and western Japan skiers who want long runs and marked tree runs beside a ski-in hotel, and its trade-off is a modest 1,320 m summit.
- [Takasu Snow Park](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/takasu-snow-park): Takasu Snow Park suits Nagoya riders who want long cruising runs off one gondola and a proper halfpipe, and the trade-off is that the lifts stop at 16:30 with no night session on this side of the mountain.
- [Tangram Ski Circus](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/tangram-ski-circus): Tangram suits families who want a ski-in hotel with an onsen and Lake Nojiri views, and stronger riders will want the joint ticket for Madarao next door.
- [Tateyama Sanroku Ski Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/tateyama-sanroku): Tateyama Sanroku suits families and Toyama locals who want two ski areas below the Alpine Route, and its trade-off is a low hill whose season depends on early snow; 2025/26 opened only on 28 December.
- [Tazawako](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/tazawako): Tazawako suits skiers who want powder and moguls above Japan's deepest lake, and the season is a short one, from 19 December 2026 to 28 March 2027.
- [Tenjindaira](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/tenjindaira): Mt.T suits strong riders who want steep powder and backcountry gates on a day trip from Tokyo, and it gives beginners very little room to learn.
- [Togakushi](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/togakushi): Togakushi suits families and mogul riders who want a day trip from Nagano city with the Togakushi range in view, and its season ends in March.
- [Up Kannabe](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/up-kannabe): Up Kannabe suits families and first-timers from Kansai who want gentle slopes and Saturday night riding, and its trade-off is a small hill with only four courses.
- [Wakasa Hyonosen Ski Resort](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/wakasa-hyonosen): Wakasa Hyonosen suits Kansai and Tottori skiers who want the Tottori side of Mt. Hyonosen at a modest day price, and its website publishes almost nothing beyond prices and directions.
- [Washigatake](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/washigatake): Washigatake suits park riders and early-season skiers who want to start in November five minutes from the expressway, and the trade-off is a modest 410 m of vertical with no gondola.
- [Whitepia Takasu](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/whitepia-takasu): Whitepia Takasu suits riders who want views of Mt. Hakusan from a smaller hill joined to Washigatake, and the trade-off is that the lifts close at 16:30 with no night session.
- [Zao Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/resorts/zao-onsen): Zao Onsen suits anyone who wants to ski through the snow monsters and soak in a sulphur onsen town at the end of the day, and the snow monsters bring sightseers onto the same summit ropeway.

## Resort groups
- [Hachimantai and APPI](https://ridingjapan.com/resort-groups/hachimantai-appi): The Hachimantai ski areas suit a week in northern Iwate with APPI's long runs and Hachimantai Resort's tree riding, and no shared ticket or shuttle links them.
- [Hakuba Valley](https://ridingjapan.com/resort-groups/hakuba-valley): Hakuba Valley strings ten ski resorts along one valley under a single ticket, and a free shuttle with that ticket links them all, so you can chase the snow and dodge the wind from one base.
- [Minakami](https://ridingjapan.com/resort-groups/minakami): Minakami suits riders who want several small resorts and an onsen town within 75 minutes of Tokyo by Shinkansen, and it sells no shared lift ticket, so each hill needs its own pass.
- [Myoko Kogen](https://ridingjapan.com/resort-groups/myoko-kogen): Myoko Kogen suits riders who want several resorts and onsen villages on one volcano with a shared season pass, and its trade-off is that no single day ticket covers them all.
- [Okumino (Takasu Mountains)](https://ridingjapan.com/resort-groups/okumino): Okumino's Takasu resorts suit Nagoya and Kansai riders who want five ski areas on one IC card about 90 minutes from Nagoya, and the trade-off is that no train line reaches the district, so a car-free trip means a highway coach and the free shuttle.
- [POWDER5 Gunma](https://ridingjapan.com/resort-groups/powder5-gunma): POWDER5 Gunma suits drivers who want to hop between five Gunma resorts on one hour ticket, and its hours run out fast if you spend them on a single long day.
- [Shiga Kogen](https://ridingjapan.com/resort-groups/shiga-kogen): Shiga Kogen joins 18 ski areas on one high plateau under a single key ticket, and its snow between 1,325 m and 2,307 m keeps the season going from December into May.
- [Yuzawa](https://ridingjapan.com/resort-groups/yuzawa): Yuzawa suits Tokyo riders who want to ride the same day they leave the city, with resorts a short shuttle from Echigo-Yuzawa, and its trade-off is that no single ticket covers the whole valley.
- [Zao](https://ridingjapan.com/resort-groups/zao): Zao suits riders who want one big ticketed mountain above an onsen town with the snow monsters at the top, and sightseers share the summit ropeway with riders.

## Lift passes
- [Epic Pass](https://ridingjapan.com/lift-passes/epic-pass): The Epic Pass suits a skier whose Japan trip centres on Hakuba, with five consecutive days across all ten Hakuba Valley resorts on one free ticket. The days run back to back from the first scan, so a storm day or a rest day still uses one.
- [Hakuba Valley All-Mountain Day Pass](https://ridingjapan.com/lift-passes/hakuba-valley-ticket): The Hakuba Valley ticket suits anyone spending a week in Hakuba who wants to follow the snow between resorts, since every day opens all ten and the shuttle between them. An adult day costs ¥11,100 this winter, and a rest day spent riding the shuttle still uses a day.
- [Ikon Pass](https://ridingjapan.com/lift-passes/ikon-pass): The Ikon Pass suits a skier planning a long Japan trip across several mountains, because the full pass gives seven days at each of ten Japanese resorts. Hakuba Valley is the big name missing from the list, since Hakuba sells its pass days through Epic.
- [NAGANO7 Powder Dream Pass](https://ridingjapan.com/lift-passes/nagano-7-powder-dream-pass): The NAGANO7 Powder Dream Pass suits a skier or snowboarder spending a whole winter in northern Nagano, since one 2026/27 season pass opens Shiga Kogen, Nozawa Onsen, Madarao, Tangram, Ryuoo, Togakushi and Romance no Kamisama. It starts at ¥140,000 for an adult, and you have to collect it in Japan in person with your passport.
- [Shiga Kogen All-Mountain Ski Pass](https://ridingjapan.com/lift-passes/shiga-kogen-all-area-ticket): The Shiga Kogen ticket suits a skier who wants to roam one big mountain for several days, since a single ticket opens all 18 areas and their 45 lifts and gondolas. Early morning and night riding sit outside it and need a ticket of their own.

## Hot springs
- [Akakura Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/akakura-onsen): Akakura Onsen is the hot-spring village at the foot of Myoko's Akakura ski areas, and in winter you bathe in hotel baths that take day visitors because the public Taki no Yu closes from early November to late April.
- [Taki no Yu (Akakura Onsen)](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/akakura-onsen-taki-no-yu): Taki no Yu is Akakura Onsen's public outdoor bath with one rock pool for men and one for women, and it suits hikers and cyclists between late April and early November because it closes for the whole ski season.
- [Arima Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/arima-onsen): Arima suits a half-day bath trip from Kobe or Osaka with two kinds of water in one town, and its trade-off is entry limits at both public baths on busy days.
- [Aso Bochu Onsen Yume no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/aso-bochu-onsen-yume-no-yu): Yume no Yu suits riders finishing a day on the caldera roads who want a cheap soak beside the station before the train, and it closes two Mondays a month.
- [Benifuji no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/benifuji-no-yu): Benifuji no Yu suits Lake Yamanaka riders who want Fuji over the open-air tubs, and it is shut for renovation until March 2027.
- [Dogo Onsen Honkan](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/dogo-onsen): Dogo Onsen Honkan suits anyone who wants to bathe in a working Meiji-era bathhouse that is also a national Important Cultural Property, and the trade-off is a wait at peak times, which the operator posts live on its website.
- [Dogo Onsen Asuka-no-Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/dogo-onsen-asuka-no-yu): Asuka-no-Yu suits bathers who want Dogo's water with an outdoor bath and a calmer room, and its special family bath upstairs needs a booking.
- [Dogo Onsen Tsubaki-no-Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/dogo-onsen-tsubaki-no-yu): Tsubaki-no-Yu suits bathers who want Dogo's water for ¥500 among Matsuyama locals, and you bring your own soap.
- [Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/echigo-yuzawa-onsen): Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen is the spa town around the Joetsu Shinkansen's Echigo-Yuzawa Station, and its five town-run public baths at ¥850 each suit skiers at Gala and Iwappara who want a soak on the way back; three of the five sit outside town, so you need a car or a taxi for the full set.
- [Fuji-chobo no Yu Yurari](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/fuji-chobo-no-yu-yurari): Yurari suits riders on the Fuji Five Lakes loop who want a Fuji view from the tub, and it costs more than the local baths and bans tattoos.
- [Fuku no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/fuku-no-yu-shiobara): Fuku no Yu suits skiers and cyclists coming down from Hunter Mountain or the Shiobara climbs who want a cheap soak with a view of the gorge, and it sits in a campground with simple facilities.
- [Gero Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/gero-onsen): Gero Onsen suits anyone who wants a soft alkaline soak with an easy ride from Nagoya, with about 70 places to stay along the Hida River. The trade-off is that the open-air pool on the river bed at Funsenchi no longer allows bathing.
- [Ginzan Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/ginzan-onsen): Ginzan Onsen suits travellers who want to see a wooden Taisho-era inn street under snow and can stay the night; winter day trips now run on timed shuttle tickets from a car park 2 km away.
- [Gozanoyu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/gozanoyu): Gozanoyu suits a first-time visitor who wants a quick, easy soak right on the Yubatake with two kinds of Kusatsu water, and it has no outdoor pool.
- [Hako-yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/hako-yu): Hako-yu suits riders who want a cheap, quick soak in the middle of Shuzenji without booking a ryokan, and it has indoor tubs only.
- [Hakone Yuryo](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/hakone-yuryo): Hakone Yuryo suits riders ending a Hakone climb at Yumoto who want a big bath close to the station, and it costs about twice a public bath.
- [Happo no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/happo-no-yu): Happo no Yu is the biggest of Hakuba Happo Onsen's four day baths, and it suits skiers coming off Happo-one who want a long soak with a mountain view; at ¥1,000 for adults in 2026 it costs more than the other three.
- [Higaku no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/higaku-no-yu): Higaku no Yu suits hikers and ropeway visitors who want outdoor baths and a big plate of food under the Northern Alps. The trade-off is the winter closure from mid-December.
- [Hirayu no Mori](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/hirayu-no-mori): Hirayu no Mori suits anyone who wants to bath-hop between outdoor pools in the forest for ¥700. The trade-off is the bus ride from Takayama.
- [Hirayu no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/hirayu-no-yu): Hirayu no Yu suits a quick, cheap soak in a village outdoor bath for a donation of about ¥300. The trade-off is that there is no washing area.
- [Hoshi Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/hoshi-onsen): Hoshi Onsen suits bathers who want one of Japan's great old wooden bathhouses, with water rising through the gravel under the tub, and its main bath is mixed with no bathing wear allowed.
- [Ieyasu no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/ieyasu-no-yu): Ieyasu no Yu suits anyone waiting for a train at Atami who wants hot feet for free, and it closes at 16:00.
- [Ishiwari no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/ishiwari-no-yu): Ishiwari no Yu suits riders finishing at Lake Yamanaka who want a cheap soak while Benifuji is shut, and it closes on Thursdays.
- [Ito Marine Town Seaside Spa](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/ito-marine-town-seaside-spa): Ito Marine Town's Seaside Spa suits riders on Route 135 who want a sea-view soak at a roadside station, and it costs more at weekends.
- [Kaede no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/kaede-no-yu): Kaede no Yu is the day bath right beside Yudanaka Station, and it suits travellers with an hour to fill between the train and the snow-monkey bus. It costs ¥500 for adults in 2026 and closes on the first Tuesday of each month.
- [Kaike Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/kaike-onsen): Kaike Onsen suits riders who want hot salty baths beside the Yumigahama shore after a flat coastal ride, and day bathing depends on which inns take visitors that day.
- [Kinosaki Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/kinosaki-onsen): Kinosaki's public baths suit anyone who wants to bathe in several old bathhouses in one evening with a single pass, and their trade-off is that two of the seven are closed for renovation in 2026.
- [Shimanami Onsen Kisuke no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/kisuke-no-yu): Kisuke no Yu suits riders finishing in Imabari who want a long soak a few minutes from the station, and the trade-off is that it publishes no tattoo rule.
- [Kitaomi no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/kitaomi-no-yu): Kitaomi no Yu suits riders finishing in the north of the lake, since it opens early and takes Biwaichi Bike returns, though it bars tattoos and charges more on weekends.
- [Kur Garden Rotenburo](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/kur-garden-rotenburo): Kur Garden Rotenburo suits a morning outdoor soak by the Hida River, since it opens at 8:00. The trade-off is that it closes on Thursdays.
- [Kurokawa Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/kurokawa-onsen): Kurokawa suits couples and bath lovers who want to hop between riverside outdoor baths in a quiet mountain village, and buses are so few that you need to book a seat or drive.
- [Kusatsu Onsen Yubatake](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/kusatsu-yubatake): Kusatsu Onsen's Yubatake is the free, steaming centre of the town and the source that feeds the inns around it, and the locals' free public baths a few steps away suit visitors who can take very hot, very acidic water with nothing but a tub and a tap.
- [Makino Kogen Onsen Sarasa](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/makino-kogen-onsen-sarasa): Sarasa suits a soak at the top of the Metasequoia avenue after a day in Makino, though it turns away anyone with tattoos and closes every Wednesday.
- [Mare Gracia Omishima](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/mare-gracia-omishima): Mare Gracia Omishima suits riders on Omishima's west coast who want a sea-view soak near Oyamazumi Shrine, and the trade-off is a seawater bath with a Wednesday closing.
- [Takanoyu (Matsunoyama Onsen)](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/matsunoyama-onsen-takanoyu): Takanoyu is the public bath in the middle of Matsunoyama Onsen and charged adults ¥600 in 2025. It suits Echigo-Tsumari art visitors and snow-country drivers who want the area's famously salty water; it closes on Thursdays and sits far from any Shinkansen stop.
- [Mikurigaike Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/mikurigaike-onsen): Mikurigaike Onsen suits hikers and spring ski tourers who want a milky sulphur bath at 2,410 m, and its trade-off is indoor tubs only and a short walk over snow in spring.
- [Mimizuku no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/mimizuku-no-yu): Mimizuku no Yu is the Hakuba Happo Onsen day bath closest to Hakuba Station, and it suits anyone with a gap before a train or bus; it costs ¥800 for adults in 2026 and has an outdoor bath facing the Hakuba Sanzan.
- [Misasa Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/misasa-onsen): Misasa Onsen suits travellers who want an old radium spring town with a public bath for ¥400, and its famous river bath is mixed and sits in the open by Misasa Bridge.
- [Nakazaki Sanso Okuhida no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/nakazaki-sanso-okuhida-no-yu): Nakazaki Sanso Okuhida no Yu suits a soak and a meal before or after the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway. The trade-off is the ¥1,000 price.
- [Nozawa Onsen Oyu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/nozawa-onsen-oyu): Oyu is the bathhouse at the heart of Nozawa Onsen and the one to try first; it costs nothing, and its two tubs run hot enough to need a slow start.
- [Nozawa Onsen Soto-yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/nozawa-onsen-soto-yu): Nozawa Onsen's thirteen soto-yu are free bathhouses that village families have kept since the Edo period, and they suit anyone who can take very hot water with nothing more than a tub and a tap. Bring your own towel and soap.
- [Nyuto Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/nyuto-onsen): Nyuto Onsen suits travellers who want to stay a night or two in the beech forest above Lake Tazawa and hop between old inns; it's a cluster of separate lodgings with no town around them, so plan meals at your inn.
- [Obinata no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/obinata-no-yu): Obinata no Yu is an outdoor bath built around huge natural boulders above Hakuba, and it suits summer and autumn hikers driving to or from the Daisekkei trailhead; it opens only from late April to the end of October.
- [Ogoto Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/ogoto-onsen): Ogoto Onsen suits a lakeside night after Enryaku-ji or the west-shore Biwaichi, with nine ryokan and a free foot bath, though its water comes out at 36°C and most of the baths belong to the inns.
- [Ogoto Onsen Kanko Koen Foot Bath](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/ogoto-onsen-kanko-koen-foot-bath): This free foot bath by the lake suits a riding break on the west shore, though you'll need your own towel or ¥150 to buy one.
- [Otaki-no-yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/otaki-no-yu): Otaki-no-yu suits bathers who want Kusatsu's full bathhouse with an indoor hall, an outdoor pool under a hot waterfall and a row of graded hot tubs, and it costs more than the other two town baths.
- [Ponshukan Sake Bath (Echigo-Yuzawa Station)](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/ponshukan-sake-bath): Ponshukan's sake bath is the hot spring inside Echigo-Yuzawa Station, ¥950 for adults, and it suits travellers with an hour before the Shinkansen who want a soak without leaving the building; its hours change with the season, so check before you plan around it.
- [Sai-no-kawara Rotenburo](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/sai-no-kawara-rotenburo): Sai-no-kawara Rotenburo suits anyone who wants a very big outdoor bath in the woods at the edge of Kusatsu, and it has no washing area, so you rinse at your inn before you come.
- [Sato no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/sato-no-yu): Sato no Yu is a small winter-only bathhouse in the Happo streets of Hakuba, and it suits skiers walking back from Happo-one at the end of the day; it opens only 16:00–20:00 and has indoor baths alone.
- [Sawada Koen Rotenburo](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/sawada-koen-rotenburo): Sawada Koen Rotenburo suits riders on the west Izu coast who want a cliff-top bath at sunset, and its small tubs fill fast at sundown.
- [Seki Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/seki-onsen): Seki Onsen is the iron-rich hot spring above Akakura where small inns sell day baths from ¥500, and it suits skiers at the Seki Onsen ski area who want rust-coloured water without a bathhouse crowd; there is no public bath, so you depend on the inns' hours.
- [Setoda Tarumi Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/setoda-tarumi-onsen): Setoda Tarumi Onsen suits riders who want natural hot-spring water on Ikuchijima with the sun going down over Sunset Beach, and the trade-off is that the inn publishes no day-bathing terms.
- [Shibu Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/shibu-onsen): Shibu Onsen is a lane of old inns with nine public baths, and it suits travellers who stay the night; day visitors get only the ninth bath, Shibu O-yu, for ¥800 (adults, 2026).
- [Shika no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/shika-no-yu): Shika no Yu suits bathers who want Nasu's oldest public bath with scalding milky sulphur water for ¥500, and with no outdoor pool and tubs up to 46 degrees it rewards patience more than lingering.
- [Shin-Hotaka no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/shin-hotaka-no-yu): Shin-Hotaka no Yu suits bathers who want a riverside rotenburo in the gorge and do not mind wearing a swimsuit or wrap. The trade-off is that it is a mixed bath and closes for the winter.
- [Shirahama Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/shirahama-onsen): Shirahama's Sakinoyu suits riders who want a seaside soak in rock pools after the Wakayama coast, and its trade-off is an early closing time of 17:00 through the winter.
- [Shirakawago no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/shirakawago-no-yu): Shirakawago no Yu suits a warm-up after a cold walk round Ogimachi, two minutes from the bus terminal. The trade-off is the ¥900 price.
- [Shirasagi-no-Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/shirasagi-no-yu): Shirasagi-no-Yu suits a cheap, old-fashioned soak in the middle of Gero for ¥470. The trade-off is that it has an indoor bath only.
- [Shuzenji Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/shuzenji-onsen): Shuzenji Onsen suits riders who want an old temple town with hot water at the end of an Izu day, and its narrow lanes fill with day-trippers on autumn weekends.
- [Naena no Yu (Suginohara Onsen)](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/suginohara-naena-no-yu): Naena no Yu is the only hot-spring bath in Suginosawa village and costs ¥500 for adults. It suits skiers coming off Myoko Suginohara or hikers back from Sasagamine; it closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- [Sukayu Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/sukayu-onsen): Sukayu suits anyone who wants to bathe the way Japan's mountain spas have for 300 years, in one huge cypress hall; the main bath is mixed, so women who want privacy use the separate Tama-no-yu or the women-only hour.
- [Takaragawa Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/takaragawa-onsen): Takaragawa Onsen suits couples and families who want to bathe together in huge riverside pools in the snow, with bathing wear provided for everyone, and it sits at the end of a mountain road a long way above Minakami.
- [Takegawara Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/takegawara-onsen): Takegawara suits anyone who wants Beppu's public bath at its most traditional, a short walk from the station, and the sand bath often has a queue.
- [Tamatsukuri Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/tamatsukuri-onsen): Tamatsukuri Onsen suits travellers who want one of Japan's oldest hot springs a short ride from Matsue, and day-bathing prices change from inn to inn.
- [Tenzan Tohji-kyo](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/tenzan-tohji-kyo): Tenzan suits riders who want a quiet soak after Hakone's climbs and need a bath that takes a tattoo, and it admits tattooed bathers only one at a time.
- [Tokaikan Bath](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/tokaikan-bath): Tokaikan's bath suits weekend visitors who want to soak inside an old wooden ryokan building, and it opens only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
- [Tokko-no-yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/tokko-no-yu): Tokko-no-yu suits anyone who wants to see the spring Shuzenji grew from, and you can only look at it, since bathing and foot-soaking are both banned.
- [Toshichi Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/toshichi-onsen): Toshichi suits hikers and drivers on the Hachimantai Aspite Line who want a milky open-air soak at 1,400 metres; it opens only from late April to late October and the main outdoor pools are mixed.
- [Tsubame Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/tsubame-onsen): Tsubame Onsen is Myoko's highest hot spring at about 1,100 m, with milky sulphur water and two free wild baths, and it suits hikers coming off Mt. Myoko between late spring and early November; the wild baths shut for winter under snow.
- [Kogane no Yu (Tsubame Onsen)](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/tsubame-onsen-kogane-no-yu): Kogane no Yu is the free outdoor bath at Tsubame Onsen with separate pools for men and women, and it suits walkers on Mt. Myoko from spring to autumn who want milky sulphur water in the open air; it is closed in winter.
- [Tsurunoyu Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/tsurunoyu-onsen): Tsurunoyu suits travellers who want the oldest inn at Nyuto Onsen and its four milky springs; it fills with day visitors from 10:00 to 15:00, so the quietest soak belongs to overnight guests.
- [Unazuki Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/unazuki-onsen): Unazuki Onsen suits couples and families who want a clear, gentle bath beside the Kurobe Gorge with a ¥510 public bathhouse in town, and its trade-off is a quiet winter once the gorge railway stops.
- [Wada Jurojin no Yu](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/wada-jurojin-no-yu): Wada Jurojin no Yu suits riders who want the cheapest hot bath in Ito with the locals, and it opens only from mid-afternoon.
- [Wakura Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/wakura-onsen): Wakura Onsen suits travellers who want a hot, salty sea-side spring on Nanao Bay, with the Soyu public bath reopened and a free foot bath by the water. Eleven inns take guests again, and some of them still run from temporary quarters.
- [Yamanaka Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/yamanaka-onsen): Yamanaka Onsen suits couples who want a gorge-side hot-spring town with a ¥500 public bath and old craft streets, and its trade-off is a long trip from Toyama and the mountains.
- [yubune](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/yubune): yubune suits riders stopping in Setoda who want a modern sento with a sauna on the old shopping street, and the trade-off is a ¥1,200 weekend price.
- [Yudanaka Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/yudanaka-onsen): Yudanaka Onsen is the hot-spring town around Yudanaka Station, and its soto-yu pass suits snow-monkey visitors who want two of its communal baths without staying the night; keys are limited and the last pass goes out at 15:30.
- [Yufuin Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/yufuin-onsen): Yufuin suits couples and slow travellers who want a hot spring town in a quiet basin under Mt. Yufu, and its baths are spread across the valley and run by many owners.
- [Iwa no Yu (Yuzawa)](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/yuzawa-iwa-no-yu): Iwa no Yu is the Yuzawa public bath out in the Tsuchitaru valley with a stone tub for about fifteen people and a view over a mountain stream, and it suits skiers and hikers coming back from Tsuchitaru and the Daigenta Canyon; you need a car or taxi to reach it.
- [Komako no Yu (Yuzawa)](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/yuzawa-komako-no-yu): Komako no Yu is the Echigo-Yuzawa public bath named for the heroine of Snow Country, with a tub for about fifteen people and a tatami rest room, and it suits travellers who want a roomier town bath for ¥850; it closes on Thursdays.
- [Yama no Yu (Yuzawa)](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/yuzawa-yama-no-yu): Yama no Yu is the oldest of Echigo-Yuzawa's five public baths and charges ¥850 for a small sulphur soak. It suits anyone who wants the Snow Country town as it was; the tub holds only five or six people and the bath closes on Tuesdays.
- [Zao Onsen](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/zao-onsen): Zao Onsen is the hot-spring village at the foot of the Zao ski area, and it suits skiers who want a cheap soak after the lifts close; the three public baths are small and basic, so bring your own towel.
- [Zao Onsen Dai-Rotenburo](https://ridingjapan.com/onsen/zao-onsen-dai-rotenburo): The Dai-Rotenburo suits anyone in Zao between late April and late November who wants a big wild bath by a mountain stream; it closes for the whole ski season, so winter visitors use the village's public baths instead.

## Sister guides
- [Hokkaido](https://ridingjapan.com/sister-guides/hokkaido): Hokkaido has the driest, deepest snow in Japan, and Ride Hokkaido covers every resort, touring zone, onsen and town on the island. Riding Japan sends you there for the Hokkaido part of a trip and picks you up again in Tokyo.
- [Okinawa](https://ridingjapan.com/sister-guides/okinawa): Okinawa is where Japan rides in winter, with warm coast roads and island loops from December to March, and Ride Okinawa covers every island from the main island to Yonaguni and Yoron. Riding Japan sends you there for the island part of a trip.

## Route collections
- [Japan's National Cycle Routes](https://ridingjapan.com/collections/national-cycle-routes): Japan's twelve National Cycle Routes are the rides MLIT holds to a national standard for signs, rest stops, rental and rail links, from the 70 km Shimanami Kaido to the 1,487 km Pacific Cycling Road. Eleven run through the ground this guide covers, and Tokapuchi 400 in Hokkaido links out.

## Practical guides
- [Can you do the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage by bike?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/shikoku-pilgrimage-by-bike): Yes. The temples' association lets pilgrims choose how they travel and in what order, and riders follow the roads round about 1,400 km of island. Arrive at each temple as a pilgrim: bow at the gate, worship before the stamp and leave the camera away while people pray.
- [Can you go in an onsen in Japan with a tattoo?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/onsen-etiquette-and-tattoos): Some of Japan's baths take tattoos, some want them under a cover sticker, and most publish no rule at all. Here is the routine at the taps and in the tub, the baths that say yes, and the ones that say no.
- [Can you take a bike on the Shinkansen?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/bikes-on-the-shinkansen): Every Shinkansen takes a bike packed as rinko, wheels off and fully bagged, up to 250 cm and 30 kg. West of Tokyo you should book the seat with the space behind it, and north of Tokyo there is nothing to book.
- [Do you still need cash in Japan?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/money-cards-and-ic-cards-in-japan): Cards and a tap-to-pay travel card cover most of a trip to Japan, and plenty of village baths, soba counters, temple gates and bike-hire desks still want yen. This guide sets out what to carry and how tax-free shopping changes on 1 November 2026.
- [How do backcountry gates and rescue costs work at Japan's ski resorts?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/avalanche-gates-and-rescue-costs): Japanese resorts let riders out only through designated gates once a climbing plan is filed, and every resort here that publishes a rescue rule bills the rider. Zao bans riding off its courses altogether.
- [How do you cycle Japan end to end, from Cape Soya to Cape Sata?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/cycling-japan-end-to-end): Japan's National Cycle Routes stop well short of joining the northern and southern capes, so riders link them with ordinary roads. Ride Hokkaido covers the island, this guide picks you up at Aomori, and the season decides the direction.
- [How do you send skis, boards and bikes ahead in Japan?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/takkyubin-for-boards-and-bikes): Hand a covered ski or board bag to Yamato two days before you ride and it waits at the resort desk. A bike goes only boxed, within 200 cm and 30 kg, and Sagawa's web booking stays down after its September 2026 breach.
- [How do you stay safe on a cycling trip in Japan?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/ride-safety-in-japan): Heat sends far more people to hospital than anything with teeth, so the heatstroke alert is the first thing to read on a summer morning. After that come hornets and bears on forest roads, dark tunnels, typhoons from August, and what to do when the ground shakes near the sea.
- [How long does it take to cycle the Shimanami Kaido?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/how-long-does-shimanami-take): Most riders cross from Onomichi to Imabari in one full day. Split it with a night on Ikuchijima or Omishima if you want the islands, or take a sports e-bike and ride it in a morning, as long as it goes back before the terminal closes.
- [How much does a ski trip to Japan cost?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/japan-ski-trip-cost): One adult sharing a room spends about ¥90,000 on a budget week in Yuzawa and from about ¥178,000 for a mid-range week in Hakuba, before flights and rental. A ryokan-hotel week in Myoko runs to about ¥286,000.
- [Is the Ikon Pass or the Epic Pass better for skiing in Japan?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/ikon-vs-epic-in-japan): Ikon gives seven days at each of ten Japanese mountains for 2026/27, eight of them on Honshu. Epic gives five back-to-back days across Hakuba's ten resorts, plus Rusutsu in Hokkaido.
- [Should you ski Hakuba or Niseko?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/hakuba-vs-niseko): Hakuba suits riders who want big alpine vertical and ten resorts on one ticket, a train ride from Tokyo. Niseko suits riders who want four linked resorts, lift-served gates under one set of rules and lights on every evening.
- [What are Japan's cycling rules and fines in 2026?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/japan-cycling-rules-2026): Since 1 April 2026 the police can hand any rider aged 16 or over a blue ticket with a fixed fine. Holding a phone costs ¥12,000 and a red light ¥6,000, and the rules apply on a rental bike the same as on your own.
- [What does JaPow mean?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/what-japow-means): JaPow is skier slang for Japan's powder snow, a blend of Japan and pow. The snow comes from cold northwesterly winds that cross the Sea of Japan and unload on the mountains facing it, with January the snowiest month at every JMA station we keep near a ski area.
- [What is a rinko bag, and which one do you need for Japan's trains?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/rinko-bags): A rinko bag is the soft cover that turns a bike into luggage for Japan's trains. JR wants every part inside it and the whole bag within 250 cm and 30 kg, and a shop like Y's Road in Ueno will match one to your frame.
- [When is the best time to ski in Japan?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/when-to-ski-in-japan): Mid-January to the end of February brings the most snow on Honshu and in Tohoku. Book around New Year and the 2027 holiday weekends, or wait for March and April, when the days run long and spring prices kick in.
- [Where can you ride gravel in Japan?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/gravel-riding-in-japan): Japan's gravel lives on forest roads built for forestry, and in national forests the Forestry Agency asks you to clear entry with the local forest office first. Published gravel rides are few, so start from a station that rents gravel bikes and ask locally.
- [Where can you ski on a day trip from Tokyo?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/ski-day-trips-from-tokyo): In winter the Shinkansen stops inside GALA Yuzawa's base building. Kagura has the biggest terrain within reach of Echigo-Yuzawa, and Mt.T in Minakami has the steepest, an hour from Tokyo plus a bus.
- [Which Japanese phrases help on a ski or cycling trip in Japan?](https://ridingjapan.com/guides/japanese-phrases-for-the-lift-line-and-the-road): Two words carry most of a trip, and about forty more get you a lift pass, a new inner tube, a seat for a bagged bike and help when something goes wrong. Each line comes with its kana and a romaji reading you can say out loud.

## Journal
- [How do you ride the Tobishima Kaido as a quieter day after Shimanami?](https://ridingjapan.com/journal/tobishima-kaido-after-shimanami): Start at JR Aki-Kawajiri and cross seven bridges to Okamura, where a 23-minute ferry carries you over to Omishima for the night. The boats set the shape of the day, so plan lunch around them.
- [Should you stay in Nozawa Onsen instead of Hakuba?](https://ridingjapan.com/journal/nozawa-onsen-as-a-ski-village): Nozawa suits riders who want to walk from the inn to the lifts in the morning and to a free village bath at night, on one big mountain at ¥7,800 a day. Hakuba suits anyone who wants ten resorts on one ticket and Epic Pass days.
- [When can you ride Norikura, Shibu Pass and the Japan Alps Cycling Road?](https://ridingjapan.com/journal/japan-alps-high-roads-in-summer): Norikura's car-free road opens to bikes from 1 July to 31 October. Shibu Pass runs from late April to mid November, and the 800 km loop round Nagano breaks into station-to-station days.
- [When should you ride Zao and Hakkoda for the snow monsters?](https://ridingjapan.com/journal/zao-and-hakkoda-in-the-snow-monster-weeks): February is the month. Zao Ropeway puts its snow monsters at full size then, on a big ticketed mountain above a sulphur onsen village. Hakkoda gives one ropeway and two ungroomed courses through its own fir groves, with tour routes opening from early March.
- [Where should you base a week of deep snow in Myoko?](https://ridingjapan.com/journal/myoko-for-a-week-of-deep-snow): Akakura Onsen makes the best base for most riders, with two ski areas above its main street and the Mt. MYOKO shuttle to Ikenotaira and Suginohara. Save Seki Onsen for the morning after a storm and Arai for a day of lift-served freeride.
- [Which ski-hill onsen towns are best for a soak after the last lift?](https://ridingjapan.com/journal/ski-onsen-towns-after-the-last-lift): Nozawa puts thirteen free public baths a short walk from the lifts. Kusatsu is the clearest answer for tattooed riders, and Shibu and Ginzan give their best baths to the people who stay the night.

## Tools
- [Map](https://ridingjapan.com/map): Interactive map of every place on the site
- [Plan](https://ridingjapan.com/plan): Trip planner that builds a day-by-day plan from the places on this site

## Cycling
- [Cycling](https://ridingjapan.com/cycling): The cycling hub: routes with GPX, ride days, bike rental and the riding climate
- [Rentals](https://ridingjapan.com/cycling/rentals): Bike rental and repair shops, with fleets and day prices
- [Climate](https://ridingjapan.com/cycling/climate): Monthly climate normals read for riders, with the wind and rain at each station

## Site
- [About and method](https://ridingjapan.com/about): Who writes Riding Japan and where its facts come from.
- [Disclosures](https://ridingjapan.com/disclosures): Which links are paid and how the site earns.
- [Credits](https://ridingjapan.com/credits): Photographers and data sources, with their licences.
- [Full content](https://ridingjapan.com/llms-full.txt): Every page's text and data in one plain-text file.

## For AI assistants
- [For AI assistants](https://ridingjapan.com/mcp): How to add the Riding Japan MCP server to Claude, ChatGPT or another client.
- [MCP server](https://ridingjapan.com/api/mcp): Model Context Protocol endpoint (Streamable HTTP, POST, no authentication) with the tools search_places, get_place, find_nearby, get_climate, get_connections, find_routes, get_route, get_resort, get_runs, compare_resorts, find_resorts, get_alerts, get_zone and search_sister_guides. Every result links back to a page on this site.