Hokkaido Shiretoko - moderate
“We did the 7-day Hokkaido cycling tour across the Akan Manshu and Shiretoko National Parks in northeastern Hokkaido and the whole tour was incredible. It was a small group. The countryside was beautiful. The routes were very well planned with a great mix of breaks and scenic stops for sightseeing. There was a mix of moderate, Western-style hotels, but the most wonderful were the more Japanese hotels with traditional rooms (they lay out a tatami mat for sleeping at night) and the onsen (the hot spring fed baths, which are wonderful to relax in after a full day of cycling). The food throughout was outstanding, with several traditional Japanese dinners at some of the hotels, stops at local ramen shops, and visits to Izekayas (Japanese casual dining and drinking restaurants). Our guides Akira and Taku were incredibly attentive to the needs of every guest throughout, they put safety of the group first, but also worked very hard to ensure we all had a fantastic time. I could not recommend Oka Tours more highly.” Douglas, US
“Such fun. Extremely well organised. Routes always varied and interesting from beautiful Japanese farmland to mountains lakes volcanoes wilderness coastline and fishing villages. We even saw Russia. Tour guides Arika and Taku were perfect. I was at the back of the group but was never rushed and was very comfortable whereas I think the ones at the front where able to extend themselves. Always interesting places to have breaks. The accommodation was great and varied and always an onsen which is so relaxing after big rides. The food was magnificent. Altogether excellent.” Nick, New Zealand
“A lot of fun during 1-9 Sep. 2018, my tour Hokkaido Shiretoko. Akira & Takashi…you guys did a great job. Although that period of earthquake but our schedule ran smooth and completely. Also thx for Take, a host of forestlodge subaru for a wonderful recipe…” Oxman, Thailand
Setouchi - relaxed
“Thank you so much for an exceptional cycling tour. It’s 3 weeks since we returned home to Canada. Every day we continue to talk about, share and reflect on our time with you and your company. We loved everything about Japan – it was truly the trip of a lifetime for us. That said, our cycling portion with Oka and Tokyo bike tours were the two biggest highlights of our trip – many many fond memories, new learnings and active experiences. ” Marilyn and Michel, Canada
“Just completed the Shikoku / Shimanami / Hiroshima bike trip in Oct 2018, Easy to moderate ride with very few hills and fabulous scenery There were only four of us on the trip, which was a uncommon blessing. Akira, the owner and guide could not have done more for us, he was very attentive to all of our needs and a excellent historical guide. . The bikes were great, an unexpected surprise as we thought we would be using hybrids. We were given the option of road bikes. Apparently he has over 40 bikes available (not mentioned on the web site). Akira explained all the do and don’ts culturally. During the traditional evening meals he guided us through all the different foods and service history. The food was amazing. Would highly recommend Akira and his tour company Oka.” Steve, Canada
“Thank you for a great ride! We enjoyed seeing your country from two wheels! May our paths cross again.” Steve, Patty, Chris & Carol, USA
“The photos are amazing! It was such a joyful and unforgettable experience to ride with all you guys! I really enjoyed it (except the first day when we were going uphill haha)! All the best!” Yan, Hong Kong
“What a wonderful bike tour we have completed. Thanks to you and Atsushi for a well organised and planned ride. I would recommend your company to my friends in Australia. Lots of laughter with a great group of riders. Wonderful memories. Best wishes,” Margie, Australia
“Kevin and I are very grateful to you for the success and the enjoyment of our cycle tour with you. You displayed such a professional and attentive approach to every part of the organisation and the tour. We enjoyed the experience of something very new and different to us by being in Japan with you. One only has to listen to stories about other tours where such care was not exercised, and shudder at possible things that can go wrong. We never needed to worry. We not only enjoyed the cycling, but also the culture, learning about Japanese people, the food and the excellent accommodation. It was obvious that the people involved in all those aspects respected you very much and so did their best to make our time there the best possible. We have praised the trip and your tour to all we meet. We saw and experienced the best of everything that Japan has to offer. Thank you very much to you and Yuji.” Jenyne, Australia
“The trip was magical and wonderful. The culture of Japan mixed with great biking, especially across those magnificent bridges, was a life time memory. As my second trip with you, Noto Peninsula being the first, you again did a splendid job of organizing the trip with great places to stay and eat. It was a joy to have you explain and point out all the big and little aspects of Japanese life and all the places we visited “off the beaten path” were a great introduction to your wonderful country. Every day was filled with new sights and adventures. The bikes were among the best I have used so the hills seemed a bit smaller! I wish you continued success in showing of Japan to many new active tourists, you are a great ambassador for Japan. Best,” Russ, USA
“All of us still talk about our wonderful trip with you – especially Don who is very proud of the cycling he was able to do…at his age he says! I am still working on my photos so in the next few months I should have a book ready and I can send you a link. We are heading to Europe…” Wendy & Bob, Canada
Nara/Lake Biwa/Kyoto - relaxed
“Ohio Gozaimas – thank you once again for a fantastic trip in Japan ! It is one of our favourite holiday venues and we hope to do another trip before we get too old! The fotos will remind us of the good times we had. Thanks for all the arrangements – everything was perfect and also for Sunday’s ride in Tokyo. Take care and we hope to see you in Greece at some stage – just let us know when you and your family can make it! Kind Regards” Piet, UK
“What a wonderful flourish to end our holiday in Japan – a selection of photos for us to choose from. This is one of the big differences between your, more personalised, form of cycle trip and that of the larger holiday companies. The ones I have downloaded are mostly the people ones – us all pre-eating or cycling. I shall look at the temple/shrine/scenery ones later when Clive has sorted through the vast number of his photos. He will eventually corale them into some order and write a summary of our trip then one of the photo companies will turn them all into a book of our trip to delight us over the years to come. Many thanks.” Diana, UK
“I wanted to thank you both for providing Vincent and I with such an enriching cycling experience! We learned a lot about Japanese culture and cycling, and we can’t wait to come back! We are successfully back in Shanghai now. Personally, this experience has truly been one of the highlights of my gap year thus far, and I am extremely grateful for you both in making it go so smoothly. Thank you again! I’m almost certain that we will book with you guys in the future. Best,” Alex, China
“Our family would like to thank you for the wonderful holiday and the extra care you have taken for us. We enjoyed the many sights and events you arranged on the tour. Most of all we appreciate your kindness and effort in trying to make this week special for all of us. Arigato gozaimasu!! All the best to you and your family. We wish you all the success. We hope to see you again on another tour. Kind regards,” John, Jane, Julie, Jessica and Harrison, Canada
Mt.Fuji Foothills/Izu - challenging
“Hi Oka-san, a big thank you from me. This was my first overseas bike tour and you made it a very enjoyable experience! Your hospitality left nothing to be desired (chocolate was excellent!). I really enjoyed the routes you took us on, and both the food and accommodation selection you made for us. Note to self; let you order your meal first and we follow suit 😊 Lastly, please say thank you to your Uncle for us, he looked after us very well and made the whole journey seem so effortless. But next time, don’t let Claire stop for ice-cream, she is very good at teasing the rest of us about it! So, where shall we go in 2020 (roughly the same time)? Cheers” Gary, Singapore
“Akira Oka is an attentive and thoughtful tour leader. He is well organised and did everything possible to make my ride successful, while also providing opportunities to experience the culture and history of the area. The Mt Fuji and Izu peninsula ride was a wonderful way to experience both rural and coastal scenery. The roads had very little traffic for much of the ride which meant I could relax and enjoy the lakes, forests, villages, and rugged coastline that I passed through along the way. It was a rewarding journey that I would highly recommend.” Janelle, Australia
Noto/Kanazawa/Kyoto - moderate
“Outstanding holiday experience. Akira and his team managed a disparate group with varied cycling abilities with patience and charm and created a lovely experience for all. Very special rural routes were selected. The bicycles were high quality and accomodation and meals just excellent. We have already recommended Oka Tours to friends and family and look forward to undertaking another trip with them in the future!” Christine, Australia
“If you’re considering cycling in Japan, look no further! We just returned from 8 days riding with Oka Tours in the Noto peninsula with Kanazawa and Kyoto and it exceeded all expectations. Start to finish, Akira, the owner leader was amazing– from communicating pre-trip to navigating around unpredictable events such as train line and road closures post typhoon he was great. I also can’t overstate the benefit of traveling with a native Japanese guide (with great English). He brought cultural insights that we wouldn’t otherwise have gotten. Akira went above and beyond to accommodate our every need. I hope to do another Oka tour in the future.” Lori, USA
“It was a wonderful bike trip and you and Hide were so helpful. Thanks you for setting up the remainder of our trip! We love Japan. Kyoto is beautiful and today we went to Nara. We will tell our biking friends to come bike with you in japan! Thanks again for planning such a wonderful time for us” Nancy, USA
“All of us are now safely back on the Gold Coast in Australia, and reflecting on our Japan tour. Everyone says the bike tour, and Japan itself, exceeded their expectations. So, thank you Akira for all your help and effort. In a year or so we may decide to re-visit Japan and do another bike tour in a different area; somewhere just as scenic and as beautiful as the Noto Peninsular. You mentioned a customised tour could be designed. I will contact you should we decide to re-visit. Meantime, wishing you well for the future. Best Regards” Peter, Australia
I thought the trip was excellent. I got the sense from your website what kind of company you operated and that impression was fully borne out by the trip. No wonder you get repeat customers. I am keen to visit Japan again soon. …..Thanks to all of your team for a great trip and thanks for the photos,” Sam, UK
“We would like to again sincerely thank you for all your help and assistance answering all of our questions in the lead up to the tour. We also really appreciated your wonderful skills as a cycling tour guide – you are first class!! You have made our holiday experience in Japan a very rich and enjoyable one. We have many memories of wonderful ryokans, beautiful scenery and some painful hills : ) All the best to you and your family.” Carole and Fil, Australia
“I really enjoyed my trip to Japan. I met nice people and discovered the Japanese culture, countryside, cooking and onsen that were so relaxing. … I talked to my friends about this wonderful experience and you will probably see some of them. I will certainly come back one day, your tour is unique and a promise of success for you.” Serge, Canada
“We received the photos a couple of days ago and have been savouring them, viewing them a bit a time—to stretch out the memories. Thank you so much. So many parts of our cycling and sightseeing have been captured. Having taken two trips with Oka, back to back, we have double the memories to enjoy. How fortunate we are! We’ll be checking your web page for upcoming cycle ventures, in particular the new one planned for Kyushu, and others, too.” Kathleen and Wes, Canada
Nikko/Aizu - challenging
“We just finished our second Japanese adventure with Oka Tours, an exceptional cycling tour company. It is Japanese owned and operated which makes the local knowledge second to none. I have ridden in many parts of the world and can say with confidence that your experience will be truly authentic with outstanding attention to detail, professional service, comfortable accommodations in traditional ryokans, hot spring baths at the completion of most days, exquisite dining, and beautifully scenic cycling routes. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the Japanese culture.” Janice, USA
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for guiding us on our dream trip of a lifetime – challenging cycling routes with breathtaking scenery, traditional ryokan with superb onsen, and the most delicious food that we have never tasted before! Your generosity, flexibility and hospitality are appreciated so very much! Domo Arigato!” Sonya & Dereck, Canada
“First, and last, thank you for everything. You were amazing and so was my journey through Nikko and Aizu…. It was truly the adventure of a lifetime! You…helped me to navigate and understand so much more of the Japanese culture and terrain than I would have ever dreamed possible. What a rich and rewarding experience! I learned about onsen (thank goodness!) and bathing, I learned about wearing yukatas and about sleeping on futons. I learned which shoes to wear in which places and I learned about the delicious Japanese food. Above all, I learned about the fabulous and ubiquitous Japanese hospitality. The grace, kindness, and generosity I encountered everywhere we went was such a delight.” Kris, USA
Sado Island - moderate
“Our cycling adventure is over, and we all have had a wonderful time! I will always remember fondly this vacation. Thank you for your patience and for proudly showing us your beautiful country! I hope that we meet again someday. Cheers!” Sherman, Canada
“My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed the one-week Sado Island Bike Tour. It exceeded our most optimistic expectations. Akira and Takashi were extremely professional, solicitous and knowledgeable. The bicycle equipment was excellent and the daily routes were exactly as described. The ryokans we stayed in were truly delightful. We felt as though we had gone back in time to a quiet, peaceful and incredibly beautiful part of Japan. The food was delicious: We had world-class sushi at each location (most of our stays were in fishing villages). Akira and Takashi took us to places most tourists never get to see or experience. I have been on other bike trips (Thailand, New Zealand) and as good as they were, this trip was superior. An excellent value for the price of the trip, and a memorable and well-organized experience.” Daniel, USA
“Highly recommend Oka tours. We just finished Sado Island trip with them. Must say having used other international biking tour groups for Japan rides, this one was not disappointing. Thoroughly enjoyed the trip, well organised and great fun.” May, Hong Kong
“Thank you again for the most wonderful trip our family has ever taken. It was truly a privilege to have you as a guide.” Ghyslain, Claire, Simon and Paule, Canada
just my husband and myself as his other guests canceled at the last minute. Though, not ideal (both financially and logistically), for Akira to run the tour with only 2 cyclists, he did. He could have cancelled on us as I didn’t make my payment on time due to my credit card’s excessive fraud protection procedures. As our plane reservation were already made that would have been disastrous for us. Each email to me regarding the delayed payment was answered with “I’m so sorry you’re having a problem.”
The tour to Sado Island was exactly as described on the Oka Tours web site so I would assume his other tours are also as described.
Hotels: The Japanese Ryokans that we stayed at were fantastic. Though sleeping on the floor without much padding wasn’t the easiest on older bodies, the arrangements were exactly as described. We loved the authentic accommodations. We were informed before the trip that Yukatas (Japanese summer, cotton kimonos) provided by the hotel could be worn everywhere in the hotel and on the grounds. We were a little skeptical and indeed didn’t wear ours for the first dinner but quickly adapted to this wonderfully comfortable custom. The Yukata is so comfortable that we bought material in Tokyo and I’m planning on making some for ourselves and our house guests.
Food: Food was mainly typical Japanese (lots of raw fish and non-identifiable greens). Meals were artistically presented and portions small and numerous. The large variety of dishes that were served at every meal guaranteed that you always had enough to eat even if you’re not an adventuresome eater. I don’t think any dinner had less than 15 different dishes—rice and miso soup at every breakfast and dinner. Lunch is not included in the trip cost but Akira had options planned each day and helped us order and ate with us.
Logistics: Traveling in Japan can be intimidating as English signs are limited. Akira had someone meet us at the train station to get us on the Bullet train to begin our trip. Akira was with us every step (and pedal) of the way until he put us back on the bullet train to Tokyo. For variety, Akira arranged different travel to and from the island—we took the car ferry to the island but the water-foil back.
Riding: Akira met us in Nagaoka ready to ride. Bikes were good. I rode his standard bike and my husband chose the road bike which he said was better than his bike at home. Akira was careful with safety issues requiring helmets and instructing us on our bikes (back brake on opposite side of American bikes) and rules of the road and driving on the left side. Because there was only the 2 of us, Akira was our guide and sag wag driver. I was at first skeptical on how this would work but he’d drive ahead and wait for us at every turn and every so often on a straight road to make sure we were okay. The roads were reasonable and route well planned. Though not all roads had big shoulders and only a few had bicycle lanes, traffic was not a big problem and the Japanese drivers were respectful. Some of the curvy downhills were a little scary for me mostly because we were riding on the left and I had to remind myself that no one would be coming up hill in my lane. Riding on the island was wonderful. A good portion of the time we road along the shore. There are quite a few tunnels through the mountains and that took a little getting used to. Akira had front and back lights for the bikes which helped feeling safe in the tunnels.
Tours: This was the best surprise of the trip. Though we weren’t sure the activities would be interesting to us they were. The tub boats were unique, Taiko drumming lots of fun (and hard work), Gold mine tour fascinating, ship builder’s house tour excellent and through it all Akira translating and educating us about Japanese customs, laws, family structure etc.
I’ve been on 3 other bikes tours and though I liked them all, I think Akira provided the most service and value. We both felt the tour was an authentic Japanese experience. I would highly recommend Oka Tours if you’re planning a bicycle tour to Japan. With much aloha” Christine, USA
Custom Tours
“Can I thank you for providing us with such an outstanding experience for the two weeks we were with you. We really appreciated the fact that you customised your tours to meet our needs and time requirements. Both trips we had with you were spot on – the scenery, the food and the accommodation were just brilliant. The bikes were fantastic and the back up from “Uncle” was superb. All in all, an awesome experience and definitely the highlight of our trip to your beautiful country.” Ross, New Zealand
“Thank you so much for arranging a wonderful bike trip for us and for your hospitality. We really had a great time! It was our first bike trip and was tough for us, but we felt such an accomplishment! We will definitely recommend you to our friends who want to go biking in Japan. Cheers,” Kori, Philippines
“Went both private and public group. Much enjoyment, great team and flexible.” Kaisri, Thailand
“My family and I recently completed a 5-day trip custom trip around Sado Island with Oka tours and it was truly spectacular. We were a group of 6 people ranging from our late 20s to early 60s, and beginner to expert level cyclists. Akira arranged well planned routes with a mix of scenic views and frequent stops to accommodate all levels of riders. We stayed at beautiful Japanese inns and had excellent meals. Our guides, Akira and Atsushi went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and enjoying our trip. One day it rained, and we weren’t all in the mood to cycle. Instead Akira arranged a number of cultural experiences for us including Sake tastings and a pottery session, so that we were able to experience Sado island’s culture. We would highly recommend Oka Tours, and will be back for the Hokkaido trip soon! Thank you Akira-San for a once in a lifetime experience.” Alex, Canada