May 2023 Japan tour: last call!

[Alex Kent]

Hi Bike Friday fans:

During the first week of February, I'm going to make go/no-go decision about the May 2023 folding bike tour of Japan (read on for more details).

Now that Japan has fully reopened to independent travelers, I am restarting my folding bike tours in Japan. I have designed, organized, and led two very successful tours (2016 and 2019), and I am planning two tours in April and October of 2023. (Most of Japan is way too hot and humid in the summer for bike travel.)

The concept is simple: Pack up your folder (Bike Friday, Dahon, Brompton, Tern, Giant, etc.) and meet up with us at a hotel near Tokyo Station. I make all in-country travel arrangements and you pay directly for your airfare, Japan Rail Pass, food, lodging, travel insurance, and incidentals. You pay me a flat fee, which varies according to the number of participants. The number of riders is from 6 to 10. 

We travel together in Japan for two weeks, spending a few days in Tokyo before moving on to Kamakura, Kyoto, Shiga Prefecture, and other destinations. This is not a luxury tour: We'll be staying at pensions (minshuku), hostels, and traditional Japanese inns. We stay "close to the ground" and we'll connect with people as much as possible. That's the beauty of bike travel, isn't it?

Daily mileage will average somewhere in the vicinity of 15-20 miles with one or two longer days in the saddle. No strenuous cycling. On the past two tours, the youngest members of the group was in their mid-50s and the eldest was 86. (Younger people are, of course, always welcome!)

I am not a professional tour operator and this is not your standard-issue packaged tour. I'm an American who's lived in Japan and who has studied the language and culture for 45 years. I'm bilingual in Japanese and have worked as a professional translator/interpreter for many years. I especially love to experience Japan by bike with other people who are curious about and open to this fascinating culture.

The attachment is a tour prospectus with images from the previous tours. Please contact me for more information and a Zoom chat and consider signing up for the next tour, which I am planning to run in May 2023!

Alex Kent

Amherst, MA