We estimate that a medium-sized suitcase should be sufficient to hold everything on the packing list and still leave you with some space for souvenirs! The dimensions of a medium-sized suitcase are usually between 60x40x25 cm and 70x50x30 cm.
Large or oversized suitcases are not recommended on our tours. There are many reasons for this - first, we often change accommodation every night and It can be tricky to pack and unpack large suitcases everyday. Large luggage can also have trouble fitting into tour vehicles and you may struggle to get them on board Japan’s compact public transport. Additionally, some accommodations that we use do not have elevators.
If you are looking for ways to reduce your luggage load, we would suggest sticking to the packing list we provide and leaving anything not listed at home. Many of the accommodations we stay at have laundry facilities, so you can wash and re-use the same clothes on tour. If a large amount of luggage is unavoidable for whatever reason, let us know at the time of booking. We can advise you on luggage-holding services or how to use Japan’s luggage-forwarding system.
We also offer e-bikes and upgraded road bikes for an additional ¥30,000. Please indicate if you would like a rental bike upgrade when you enquire.
We will provide either a handlebar bag or a saddle bag depending on what type of bike you request.
You can choose between a standard or wider saddle. You are also welcome to bring your own — your bum will be happier with what it knows.
We can fit the rental bike with either flat or cage & strap pedals. If you would like to use your own cleated shoes then you are welcome to bring your own matching pedals.
Your rental bike also has:
We have helmets and gloves available to rent, however we highly recommend bringing your own.
You are welcome to bring your own bike if you prefer. However, bike rental is included in the tour price free of charge, so the tour price remains the same even if you bring your own bike. We find most guests prefer to use one of our bikes and avoid the hassle of traveling with a bike.
If you do decide to bring your own bike we will help you transfer your bike by courier before and after the tour and help with storage of your bike box during the tour.
As with our rental bikes, we will also provide basic assistance in case of mechanical problems with the bike, including free use of our spare parts. However, please note that we only carry replacement parts that fit our own bikes. For example, if your bike has SRAM components or tires larger than 35mm wide, we won’t be able to provide you with spare parts.
One of the easiest ways to reach tour start points is via Japan's fantastic railway system. JR (Japan Railways) doesn't impose any limitation regarding the size of your bike box or impose any additional charges for bringing it on board, but your bike will have to be stored in a bike bag or bike case that allows you to lift and carry it. The bicycle must be stored in regular luggage storage spaces on the train and cannot obstruct other passengers or the train doors. Please refer to JR Hokkaido's website to review their rules.
However, it’s important to note that luggage storage space on trains is never guaranteed and cannot be reserved. Therefore, if you’d prefer to avoid this situation and travel light, you can also consider forwarding your bike boxes using Yamato Transport from New Chitose Airport (CTS), Haneda Airport (HND), Narita Airport (NRT) or Kansai Airport (KIX) to the first night's hotel. The cost will range from 3,700 yen to 7,000 yen depending on the distance it has to travel (it will likely be less if your are using a coupled bike), and you should allow at least three days for your bike to arrive in the destination.
Courier size and weight limits for bike boxes
When completing the waybill, clearly declare the contents as "sporting goods – bicycle" and include your name and check-in date in the recipient address or remarks. Some hotels require advance notice for large items or may limit storage duration. Please inform us beforehand if you plan to courier your bike to a hotel that we've booked for you.
Please note that regional airports like Asahikawa and Abashiri Memanbetsu are located quite far from the first night's hotel. If you're flying to regional airports, we strongly suggest that you use Yamato or Sagawa to forward your bikes to the first night's hotel. Transfers between airports and hotels with bike boxes or bags can become quite difficult due to limited luggage space on shuttle buses and in taxis.
We will meet you at 5:00 pm at the hotel in Shirogane Onsen.
The closest airport is Asahikawa Airport (AKJ), with direct flights to and from Tokyo Haneda (HND).
If you’d like to travel from the airport to Shirogane Onsen directly, a taxi is the quickest way, which costs approximately JPY 11,000.
Alternatively, you can take the hotel's complimentary shuttle service. It departs Asahikawa Airport at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm, and from Tabist Asahikawa Station Hotel at 11:00 am. While the shuttle is free, advance reservation is required. Please let us know if you would like us to book a seat for you.
If these shuttle times don't suit your travel plans, you can take a public bus from JR Asahikawa Station directly to Shirogane Onsen. The journey takes 1 hour and 26 minutes, with buses departing at 9:40 am, 11:00 am and 2:55 pm. The fare is JPY 1,630 per person.
If you would prefer to travel over land, there are regular trains between Asahikawa and Sapporo. The journey takes around 1.5 hours and costs just over JPY 5,400 including the seat reservation - there is no un-reserved seating on this service.
You can search schedules and fares in English on Japan Transit Planner website.
Travel details correct as of May 2026
Our hotel is right next to Asahikawa Station, so you can easily walk over. From there, you can take a train to Sapporo or a bus to Asahikawa Airport to head to your next destination.
Travel details correct as of April 2026
Yes, there is. We will provide a vehicle to support cyclists and carry water, snacks and any other items needed for cycling. If you need to stop cycling at any point during the day, you are welcome to take a rest in the support vehicle. Please be aware that the number of seats may be limited depending on the size of the group and the vehicle we use.Please be aware that in mixed groups, the van cannot be used to transport non-cycling guests.
We load all of our overnight gear into the support vehicle that travels with us - so you don't need to ride loaded with all tour luggage. However, we provide small handle bar or seat bags (depending on bike type) for you to store your daily necessities such as spare snacks, jacket and camera.
While we try to organise everything, mother nature is out of our control. If the weather is too bad to safely cycle, such as a typhoon or sudden storm, we will travel the route in our support vehicle. Along the way we will still stop at local restaurants and visit indoor facilities, so you can still experience the charm of the area while travelling safely and comfortably.
While vegetarianism and veganism are catching on in larger urban areas, across much of Japan it is still unheard of. Outside of main cities, there are very few pure vegetarian or vegan restaurants available and many Japanese do not have a clear understanding of what exactly qualifies a food as being truly vegan or vegetarian.
If you are travelling to Hokkaido as a vegan or vegetarian, you will have to accept that you may not be able to experience the full scope of Japanese food as your other travellers might. With advance notice and clear direction, some restaurants and accommodations are happy to cater to your requirements so please let us know your needs at the time of booking, but some facilities may choose to simply remove dishes from your meal instead of making a substitute. The main challenge is “dashi”, a meat or fish-based broth that is very commonly added to Japanese dishes. This can be hard to remove from Japanese cooking (it’s a bit like asking a European chef not to add salt and pepper!) as it is integral to a number of dishes.
See our Vegan & Vegetarian in Hokkaido blog to learn more.
While we always stop for lunch, we don't include lunch in the tour price as we find the amount guests prefer to eat during a ride varies from person to person and we want to give people the freedom to choose how much lunch they have. It also makes ordering and payment easier when cyclists arrive at the break at different times.
Lunch stops will either be at a local restaurant or café, or a picnic in a park enroute. You can expect to spend between 1,000 yen and 2,000 yen for lunch. When we plan a picnic lunch, we stop at local stores so you can purchase food and put it in the support vehicle so you don't have to carry it while cycling.
We will send you a link to our online sign up form, where we ask for the travel information of all the members travelling with you.
Once we receive this, we will send you an invoice for your tour deposit, which is JPY 50,000 per person. We will confirm your booking upon receipt of your deposit payment.
The deposit is treated as a part of the tour price. Payment of the balance will be reminded by email, which is generally 5 weeks prior to the tour departure date.
We accept payment via Wise or Flywire. We will send you payment links, which you can use to send payment directly to ourselves (you don't need to create a Wise or Flywire account to send the funds). When paying via Wise, payment is available in Japanese Yen only, and you must pay any currency exchange or transfer fees by yourself.
For credit card payment or domestic bank transfer converted to your own currency, we use Flywire, which will incur an additional transaction fee of 1.5%.
By paying for a deposit or full amount, you confirm that you have read, understand and agree to these Terms and Conditions.
Our general cancellation policy is shown as below.
For further details, we recommend you read our refund and cancellation policy in more detail on our Terms and Conditions page. Feel free to contact us at if you have any additional questions.
Japan remains a popular travel destination and it is not unusual for accommodation in peak seasons to be booked out up to a year in advance. So, the sooner the better! Generally speaking, we ask for you to book 10 - 12 months in advance if you are looking at a custom departure. For scheduled departures, we make our dates available from up to a year in advance. If we feel that your date is too close for us to realistically put a trip together to the standard we pride ourselves on, we will let you know at the time of enquiry and will do our best to suggest alternative travel dates.
Our tours are priced on a twin share basis. Those travelling by themselves will need to pay an additional supplement for use of a single room. If you enter the number of guests in your group and rooms you need, the dates and prices form will calculate the price for your group.
Our tours are priced on a twin share basis and those travelling by themselves will need to pay an additional supplement for use of a single room. If you are happy to share a room with another guest - of the same gender - then let us know at the time of booking. If we match you with another solo traveller then we can discount the single supplement for both of you.
In the case of tours where the meeting point or end point is different to the first or last night’s accommodation (for example, meeting in Asahikawa but staying in Asahidake Onsen, staying in Tsurui but disbanding in Kushiro), it is best that you make any pre or post-tour night arrangements by yourself. Once booked, please inform us of where you will be staying so that we can pass the information on to your guides.
However, if the tour’s meeting point or disbanding point is the same as the first or last night’s accommodation, we can simply extend your stay so please let us know in this instance!
If you are struggling to make a pre or post-tour hotel booking, please let us know and we will see what we can do to help.
This is a mixed group tour and we accept bookings from one person up. However, our scheduled group tours require a minimum number of bookings for us to guarantee the departure of the tour, and to offer the tour at the price quoted. The minimum number of booked guests to guarantee the tour is three people.
If you book with less than three people, we will hold your place on the tour and wait for another group to join the tour. If the number of guests has not reached the minimum number by 60 days prior to departure, we will give you the option to cancel or to upgrade to a private departure.
If you choose to cancel, we will refund the amount in Japanese Yen that you have paid us. You’re welcome to check with us at any time about the status of bookings.
Please be advised that we will not be liable to compensate for any inconvenience or incidental expenses that might have incurred to you, including airline tickets.
We value small group travel and typically cap our group size at 12 people for our cycling tours. This ensures you have the optimal experience, with everyone's needs being similar enough that we can accommodate the group well, while still giving you the joy of meeting and travelling with like-minded people.
A small group benefits everyone in practical ways too—it works better for our vehicles, the capacity of local restaurants and accommodation providers we like to use.
At a push, we can accommodate up to 14 people, which is the maximum our fleet of bicycles, vehicles, and guides can support. If your group is 1 person larger than the listed spaces for any of our tours, please still make an enquiry and we will confirm if we can accept the extra person for that specific departure.
Private departures of one of our exisiting tours is something that we can arrange. As long as our guides, our favourite accommodations, and activities are available for your preferred dates, we can make it happen!
Private departure requests must be made well in advance—by November 1st for summer tours (May to Oct) and by April 1st for winter tours (Jan to Mar) of the following year. This early booking is necessary as our guides are assigned to our scheduled tours during these planning months of November and April.
We require a minimum of 3 people for a private departure. The following surcharges apply:
Absolutely! This is a must for all travellers joining our tours. Please make sure you have valid travel insurance, covering the kind of activities you are undertaking during our tour, cancellations, loss of personal belongings, and any unforeseen circumstances while travelling. We will require the details of your travel insurance provider such as the name, policy number and phone number prior to the commencement of the tour.
If you're a Japanese citizen and on Japan's national health insurance scheme, we can mitigate our insurance requirement, although we still strongly recommend that you have flight cancellations and related expenses covered by some kind of insurance. Often your credit card provider can offer this coverage.
Tipping is not a part of Japanese culture and is not expected. Most jobs pay a high enough wage that workers can make a living without tips and service charges are often included as standard at restaurants, bars and so on (but this being Japan, you of course don’t pay a service charge and get nothing in return– you might get a little extra side dish called “otōshi” or some free bar snacks!)
However, if you do wish to tip, feel free to do so. Nobody is going to mind the extra cash (even if you may have to reassure them several times that it’s okay to keep the money)!