WOR JAPAN:
NORTHERN KYUSHU - VOLCANOES, ONSEN & SAMURAI
UPCOMING TOURS:
SEPT/OCT 2025 - BOOKINGS OPENING SOON
Explore Japan’s southern island - natural landscapes, samurai castles, volcanoes and bubbling onsen towns
This tour at a glance
Dates
TENTATIVE DATES TBC: Thurs 25 Sept - Mon 6 Oct 2025
Start: Fukuoka, Japan
Finish: Kumamoto, Japan
Difficulty
Moderate
Daily ride distances are between 70 and 110kms, with average distance of 80km and average altitude gain of around 1000m with an additional loop ride of ~20km on some days.
Duration
11 nights, 10 days riding including 2 loop rides
We have 2 x two night stops with options for a loop ride or rest day.
Pricing
$TBC AUD per person twin share
$TBC single supplement (limited singles)
Tour Deposit $900 per person
Tour Highlights
Northern Kyushu is a region known for its national parks and natural beauty. We cycle through stunning landscapes, pedal through bamboo forests, tea fields, river valleys and rice paddies, climb to cross the Kuju Highlands and ride the Aso volcanic caldera - conquering the climb to the smoking active volcano - Aso-san on our final day. This is rural Japan at its spectacular best.
This tour is a fascinating historic and cultural journey - we cycle through lush forest to visit ancient temples, ride along coastlines past Samurai castles and visit historic tea houses surrounded by rolling tea fields. We stay in restored Edo era merchant houses and traditional ryokan to immerse ourselves in the real Japan and finish at the beautiful Kumamoto Castle.
Kyushu is bubbling with geothermal activity! We visit some of Japan’s most famous Onsen towns - historic Kurokawa onsen and Kannawa in Beppu - where steam rises from the streets. Nearly every night of the Tour our accommodation has an onsen for you to relax in - perfect after a day in the saddle and a part of traditional Japanese life.
This tour has a huge focus on traditional and regional cuisine. We enjoy multi-course kaiseki dinners, eat at local ramen and tofu stalls, and go on ‘izakaya’ crawls. We learn about sake and shochu, taste tea at one of Japan’s premier tea regions and indulge in the unique experience of Hell steamed cuisine “jigoku mushi” in Beppu. As cyclists we also make the most of Japan’s Konbini and Michi-no-eki along the way!
Details
Ride Kyushu - Volcanoes, Samurai Castles & Bubbling Onsen Towns
We meet in Fukuoka city - easily accessible by air and shinkansen, it offers a perfect blend of modern attractions and traditional charm, with vibrant street food (don’t miss the must-try Hakata ramen) and yaitai stalls along with galleries, beautiful parks, lively nightlife and temples tucked away in traditional neighbourhoods.
We warm up with a morning city-explorer loop ride along the beautiful coastlines of Shikanoshima island including a short ferry ride and climb to the observatory for 360 degree views over Fukuoka and Hakata bay. In the afternoon we take the Shinkansen (bullet train) south - to zip us out of the city to the countryside ready for the riding ahead.
Over 10 days riding, we explore the best of northern Kyushu - visiting Fukuoka, Oita and Kumamoto Prefectures. We ride through tea fields, lush forests and river valleys, visiting Samurai castles and houses, ancient temples. We spend 2 nights in Beppu - a famous onsen town - our hotel is in the heart of the Kannawa district, surrounded by steam and hot springs.
The second part of the Tour is mountainous - we ride along the famous Yamanami Highway, through the beautiful highlands a of the Kuju-Aso National Park. We cross the Makinoto Pass (1330m) and stay overnight in historic Kurokawa Onsen - often considered Kyushu’s heart - a 300 year old Onsen town lost in the mountains, channeling the spirit of the Edo era.
We spend 2 nights in Taketa - a historic castle town surrounded by rolling hills and farmland - with its traditional streetscapes featuring a beautiful wagashi (sweet) stores and shochu and sake breweries, interesting izakaya, and a fascinating cultural museum - a perfect spot to spend rest/loop day.
The tour culminates with 2 days riding around the spectacular Aso-caldera, one of the world’s largest volcanic caldera. Aso Gogaku (the 5 peaks of Aso) stands in the centre and our final climb to Nakadake - an active and smoking volcanic crater located in the centre of the 5 peaks of Aso is a highlight of the Tour.
We finish with a descent to Kumamoto city - the site of one of Japan’s ‘big 3 castles’ for a celebratory final night together.
Terrain This tour is on sealed roads and cycle paths and is suitable for road bikes. The terrain is largely flat valleys and rolling hills building to mountains with longer climbs (15-20km) in the second part of the Tour.
Cuisine Food is always a big and exciting part of WOR tours. It helps us understand about the terroir, lifestyle and philosophy of the people. From vending machines to conbini, street food, local markets, noodle bars, izakaya and the traditional art form of multi course kaiseki dinners - this tour to Japan offers so many wonderful tastes and flavors.
Distance 650km with optional extras up to a total 750km. (Approximate)
Average Daily Distance 60-115km / day. Average 80km. 20km daily optional extras.
Average Daily Altitude 1000m
Rest/Loop Days 2 loop/rest day in Beppu and Taketa.
Bikes Bring your own. E-bikes welcome (limited number per tour due to size/weight for our support vehicle). Contact us for further info. and if you are interested in hiring.
Group Size Small to mod sized group of cyclists. (Max 13)
Tour Style Our crew will be on the road each day to support you, however this is not a fully-guided “peloton” style ride. You will be able to ride at your own pace and stop when you want. We recommend you are comfortable with using a GPS device (e.g. Garmin, RidewithGPS on a smartphone). See our FAQ or contact us for further information.
Accommodation We stay in a mix of western style hotels and traditional ryokan (inns) - where we enjoy onsen (japanese bath) and relax in yukata in the evenings. Accommodation is mostly of a high standard. On one or two nights there may not be a private bathroom in your room - you will use the hotel/ryokan onsen.
Meals Included 11 breakfasts, 7 dinners.
Start in Fukuoka, Japan. Easily accessible by air (Fukuoka International Airport with flights to Australia - via Tokyo/Osaka/Taipei/HongKong/Singapore for example) or high speed rail links throughout Japan (Shinkansen).
Finish in Kumamoto, Japan. Kumamoto connects with Fukuoka via Shinkansen. There is also a domestic airport for air connections throughout Japan.
Inclusions Request our Tour information document for a comprehensive list of inclusions.
Exclusions Your bike & spare parts, travel to start/finish hotel, alcoholic & specialty beverages, other breakfasts/lunches/dinners not included in the Tour
Tour Itinerary Request Tour Information PDF via email.
Pre / Post Tour We have numerous ideas for how to extend your stay in Japan. Travel via one of Japan’s main cities (e.g. Tokyo/Osaka) for a stop-over or explore more of Kyushu post tour.
Have a question that isn’t answered here? View our FAQ or contact us.
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