Kusatsu Mountain Challenge

• Duration: 3 Days / 2 Nights
• Dates: July 19 - 12
              Custom Dates Available
• Distance: About 120km
• Difficulty: Challenging
• Price: per person / all inclusive
  single: 70,000 JPY
  group of two: 60,000 JPY
  group of three: 50,000 JPY
  

Join us as we stake out a new route from Kusatsu onsen village over the only mountain pass (navigable only by foot and bike) into the remote Akiyamago Valley, Nagano. Accomodation for this 3 days / 2 night trip includes a family inn in Kusatsu, and a bear hunter's lodge or preserved thatch roofed house in Akiyamago. Hot-springs are abundant, including one that requires digging into the riverbed.

This is a challenging ride for anyone with an average level of fitness that is willing to push themselves. On-road altitude gain of up to 800m over 50km, and off-road downhill ride which may require some walking over terrain impassible even by bike will give you a greater sense of accomplishment than if you just stay home and spend your three-day weekend surfing the web. Nightly hot-spring baths and hearty meals (bear-meat stew anyone?) will make you all-but-forget your saddle-sore butt.

• Overview & Tentative Itinerary
• Pricing & What's Included
• Register

Overview top

This is a chellenging bike trip that includes hills and off-road/dirt-road riding. There are even places were we will have to shoulder the bikes and proceed on foot. Average daily riding averages only around 50km, with a total of more than 1,700 meters altitdue gain throughout the three days. Rest assured, it also includes 1,800 meters of total vertical drop as well, and there is always a hot bath and cold beer waiting where it is most important.

This trip is planned for July 7 - 10, with an option to customize the dates to fit your travel plans.

Day 1 Takasaki - Kusatsu Hot Spring (40 km)

The tentative meet-up point is Takasaki, just on the outskirts of the urban sprall eminating from Tokyo. We have a big day ahead of us, so after a brief orientation over a cup of coffee, we will waste no time gearing up and getting on the road. The ride starts off with a gental climb for most of the day as we watch the city-scape melt into rural farm villages. The final push at the end of the will take us up 500 meters in just under ten kilometers. We will be tired, but everything will be forgotten as the mountains on either side open up into the tiny Hot Spring village of Kusatsu. Situated at 1,200 meters, even the infamous July heat of Tokyo will be a distant memory.

Day 2 Kusatsu Hot Spring - Akiyamago (50 km)

Today is the real test. Over 50 km we will drop 400 meters, climb another 900 meters, and drop 900 more. Some of this will be off-road, some of it will be to treturous to ride. Don't worry though, the bikes are light, and the challenge is half the fun. You bring a swimsuit, and we'll bring the refreshments to be chilled in te fridged river where a natural hot spring can be dug by hand. After a break, we will saddle up again for our final coast down to an elaborate bear-meat dinner prepared by local hunters. Once all the sake runs out, we will move to a traditional thatched roof house, preserved in its original state complete with an irori fireplace, where we will spend the night in comfy futons dreaming of the next day's downhill cruise back into civilization.

Note: Depending on weather, trail, and people conditions, the guide may make the decision to take an alternate root into the Akiyama Valley.

Day 3 Akiyama - Tsunan (20+ km)

You awake to the smell of fresh brewed coffee over the traditional irori firepit - an invitation to take an early morning walk through this isolated mountain village, said to be home to decendants of fallen samurai worriors and independant matagi hunters of old. Today, however, wake-up call is optional. Sleep in. You deserve it.

The day's ride is short, and downhill through some of the most amazing scenery Japan has to offer, with plenty of stops at museums attempting to answer the question "Just how did people survive in such a harsh environment?", traditional wood-workers, famous waterfalls, and even an optional tour of a Japanese supermarket and 100-yen shop - one of the great wonders of modern Japanese society.

We will be sad to see you go, but the bus will be waiting to take you back to Tokyo over an easier, more travelled path.

Those who are too sad (or tired) to leave, are invited to spend the rest of the evening exploring Sakae Mura, the near-by rural farm village One Life is based in. You will stay at our home for one of Tomoe's home-cooked, local and fresh, as-organic-as-possible dinners and breakfasts, and we will make sure you catch your bus the next morning.

Day 2 (Alternate Route Akiyama - Tsunan (70 km)

This trip takes place just at the end of the rainy season and there is a possibility that the dirt trail from Kusatsu to Akiyamago will be washed out or impassible. What to do? Never fear, we have an alternate route. While entirely on pavement, this alternative is equally as challenging. The loss of off-road is made up for in distance and altitude gain. We will litereally find ourselves standing on top of the "roof of Japan" at Mt. Shirone (2,000+ meters). Getting there will likely take most of the morning, but the last 50 km is a breeze. We will end up in the same place, with the same hot-springs, and the same bear-meat stew.

Requirements top

This is one of our more challenging bike tours of rural areas in Japan. We require only two things from its participants - moderate / high physical fitness level of physical fitness and willingness to push a limit every now and then, and above average curiosity. The fact that you have read this far means that you are probably the exact type of person that will ge tthe most out of our trips.

Moderate / High Physical Fitness

This course includes hills - no, mountains. That said, we have had regular people who lead regular non-athletic lives successfully ride over 2,000 meter mountain passes. We have had nine-year olds ride up and up and up (and down) smaller, but equally challenging hills. You need to be relativly fit, but you need not be a superhuman. The most important thing is drive. If you want to do it, the difficulty level of this trip is such that you probably can. You may be tired, you may be sore, but you will feel good about yourself, and you will enjoy the bath more than anyone else.

Curiosity

The number one requirement to get the most out of this course is curiosity and willingness to explore and push yourself. At One Life Japan we see ourselves as "facilitators", rather than guides. We are anxious to share our knowledge with you, and give you an opportunity to do something extraordinary, but this is not a passive bus tour. We do our best to provide the framework and engaging topics for exploratory learning and challenges for people of all ages. Unlike Disneyland package tours, however, our tours are for those who know how to find joy and learning in less contrived activities. We love the cliche' "You will get as much out as you put in".