45 Days Across Japan

Japan is more than just temples, sushi, cell-phones, and anime.

This course is designed to help participants gain a deeper understanding of Japan as a place. Together we will travel over 2,000km, exploring the connections between Japan's people, culture, geography, history, and natural environment.

Description top

You begin your course with a three day orientation including short day-rides in Tokyo, followed by several days exploring more rural areas of the Kanto plain. Here you will have an opportunity to get accustomed to longer rides and life on the road, as well as learn about bicycle maintenance, Japanese map reading, and other basic skills that will help you get the most out of your adventure.

Next, we will head for higher ground, following the scenic and historic Romantic Kaido through mountainous Gunma, Nigata, and Nagano. Some days we will cover as little as 20km, others we may ride all day. One thing, however, is certain - every challenging uphill climb will be rewarded with a downhill cruise into a waiting onsen hot spring and a delicious Japanese meal.

There will be breaks from riding throughout the journey. During these times, you will have the opportunity explore on your own. Perhaps, a walk on the legendary Salt Road in Nagano, a hike in the Japan Alps, white-water-rafting on the rivers of Gunma, or sawanobori, a popular and unique Japanese mountain sport.

Depending on time and the groups condition, we will either ride through Nagano, or catch a local train directly to Lake Biwa where we will once again saddle up for a ride over the lower-elevation mountains surrounding Kyoto, the historic capitol of Japan. After two days exploring Kyoto we board another train to visit Osaka, followed by Kobe where a ferry awaits to take us to Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four main islands.

In Shikoku, the group will be split into two smaller groups and you will use what you have learned to plan your own journey, going your separate ways until you meet up again on the other side of the island in Matsuyama. Here, you will share with each other what you have seen and learned - as well as enjoy a refreshing bath at the Dogo onsen, made famous by Japanese literary great Natume Soseki's novel Bochyan.

The final leg of this cross-country adventure will take us through Kyushu, the southernmost island. Arriving in Beppu, via ferry from Matsuyama, we will take advantage of one of the many hot-spring baths (Beppu has more than any other region in Japan) before setting off to Mt. Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan, and exploring Nagasaki, site of the second atomic bomb dropping, and the surrounding smaller islands.

The trip will come to a close in Fukuoka, Kyushu's largest city, where we will gather to enjoy good food and drink at one of its many famous yattai street vendors.

Requirements top

This course requires only two things from its participants - an average level of physical fitness, and above average curiosity.

Curiosity

The number one requirement to get the most out of this course is curiosity and willingness to explore. At One Life Japan we see ourselves as "facilitators", rather than teachers. We are anxious to share our knowledge with you, but Japan is not a traditional classroom, and there are no lectures. We provide a framework and engaging topics for exploratory learning, but it is up to you, as a participant, to define what you want to take away, and then to take the initiative to find ways to reach those learning goals. We want to be there to support you and help you all the way.

Physical Fitness

The course is designed to be moderately physically challenging and take advantage of Japan's abundant natural settings. Participants must be able to cycle from 20 to 100 (on rare occasions) kilometers per day. The course takes advantage of the flatter Kantou plain to get participants accustomed to the daily riding, and later moves on to more mountainous terrain where participants will have the opportunity to work their body as well as their mind, riding over mountain passes as high as 2000 meters.

What to Expect (A Sample Day) top

Describing a typical day is difficult due to the diversity of activities involved in the trip, as well as variation in daily distances, never the less, a "typical day" might look something like this.

6:00 Sunrise wake up
6:15 Morning yoga / stretching
7:00 Breakfast
7:45 Pack up camp
8:15 Morning Meeting (discuss the day's route, points of interest, and people's physical and mental state)
8:30 Ride. (passing through mountains, small villages, or cities)
11:00 Stop to explore an interesting museum or chat with farmers - then continue on
12:00 Lunch followed by a nap (picnic or at a small noodle shop)
12:45 Mid-day progress meeting to discuss the schedule in terms of planned route and make any needed adjustments allowing for further exploration or tired bodies.
1:00 Ride on!
4:30 Arrive at the day's final destination & make camp
5:00 - 7:00 Free time to explore, chat, study or nap (Japanese classes are also held during this time)
7:00 Dinner (at camp or a local restaurant)
8:00 Daily circle (discuss findings / impressions of the day and it's happenings)
9:00 Free time - visit a local pub with friends, study, read, or update your blog
11:00 Fall asleep to monky calls in the distance

Schedule top

The finer details of this trip are still being worked out. All we can tell you now is that the trip will begin in the Spring of 2007 (after school is out for the summer) and end before, or just as, the rainy season begins in Japan.

Please contact us if you would like to be updated when tour dates have been finalized.

Apply top

We are still gaging interest in this course and will be accepting applications soon. Please contact us if you would like to be notified when the application period has begun.

Minami Alps hike

Elements of the Course top

With forty-five days, we are able to incorporate several elements from our shorter courses to make this a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Physical Challenge top

We have never been fans of seeing the world through a bus window. As such, this course is designed to be moderately physically challenging and take advantage of Japan's abundant natural settings. You should be able to cycle 20, and on rare occasion, up to 100 kilometers per day. Don't worry though, the course takes advantage of the flatter Kanto plain (greater Tokyo) to help you get accustomed to daily riding, before moving on to more mountainous terrain where you will have the opportunity to work your body as well as their mind, eventually riding over mountain passes as high as 2000 meters.

Outdoor Adventure Activities top

Despite its large population and small land area, Japan offers some amazing outdoor adventure activities and we would feel terrible if you were deprived of an opportunity to partake. The activities available will depend on group interest and skill level, as well as course schedule, but they may include hiking in the Japan Alps, white water rafting on the mountains of Gunma, sea kayaking, sawanobori, a popular Japanese past-time, horse-back riding, fishing, and more.

Basic Japanese Language top

We feel that communication, even at a basic level, is important to help one understand Japan as a place. We also think its cool to be able to ask directions or order a beer in Japanese. While this is not an intensive Japanese course, we do offer regular Japanese language courses aimed at helping youengage in light conversation and handle situations that may arise while on the road.

In addition to regular Japanese lessons, we promote constant learning by making sure that our guides have experience teaching Japanese as a second language, accepting one Japanese participant for every two non-Japanese participants, and promote interaction with locals through fun and learningful exploratory activities, community service, and home-stays.

Exploratory Learning top

We have found that the best way to really get to know a place is to have a goal or a question we want to answer - something that prevents us from simply falling into line at the museum with everyone else staring at the exhibit, but not really knowing what it is or why its important.

As you ride through Japan, you will be participating in games and activities designed to help you notice what most people don't. These may be a simple list of questions specific to the area, a short presentation to be given to the group about some aspect of Japan you find particularly interesting, or a scavenger hunt requiring participants to communicate with local residents. Don't worry though, there will be enough native Japanese speakers on the course to help out when communication becomes an issue.

Community Service top

One of the best ways to know a place and interact with its people is to get involved. The easiest way to get involved and do some good at the same time is to do volunteer work. This may be working on an organic farm, helping to clean a park, or "teaching" English for a day at a local grade school.

Interaction with Locals top

We want to give you every possible opportunity to meet, speak, and interact with the people who live in the areas we visit. We promote this interaction through exploratory learning activities, home-stays, and community service. In addition to people living in the towns and villages we travel through, there will be one Japanese participant for every two non-Japanese. This means that not only will you have an opportunity for lengthy discussions with them around the campfire, but having a native speaker comes in handy when trying to talk with the old tofu-maker you just met.

Diverse Accomodations top

For the majority of the course we will be staying in tents at campgrounds, shrines, or parks. This is to keep the cost of the trip down for you, as well as keep us in touch with the natural settings, climate, and weather that play such an important role in defining a place.

When we are not setting up tents at a shrine on a hill, you will have opportunities to experience Japan at the homes of locals, at traditional Japanese ryokan or minshuku, orperhaps a capsule hotels.

Culinary Exploration top

"Japanese food" is growing in popularity around the world, but there is so much more to Japan's culinary tradition than sushi and sake. As you travel through diverse regions of Japan, you will not only have the opportunity to try many lesser-known traditional foods, but also learn about the relationship between those foods and the history and culture of particular region you are visiting. Imagine eating fresh hand-made soba noodles in the plains of Nagano, udon in the Sanuki region of Shikoku, or bonito fresh from the seaside market in Nagasaki. For those with the truly adventurous spirit, we will also have opportunities to try eel, poison blow-fish, and even raw horse.

Traditional Festivals top

Traveling through the Japan countryside, we will inevitably stumble upon some of the many local festivals - unique to each region. Rather than just watching the pretty lights, however, this course will help you to explore the meaning and history of the festivals as well as their relationship to the region and its people. There is a good chance that you will end up more knowledgeable than many of the locals in attendance.

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