5 Days Biwako & Wakasa Coast
A five-day father-son bikepacking trip built for bonding. From Kyoto, to Lake Biwako, the Japan Sea Coast and back. Just enough challenge to keep it fun for both. No support van, no crowds - just us, bikes, packed bags, and the road ahead.
Trip Basics
Overview

This trip was for a repeat father / son who had already been to our Northern Nagano playground. They had also been to Japan several times before. While they wanted to see someplace other than Kyoto and Tokyo, their time was limited so starting in Kyoto was a requirement.
The main considerations for this trip were:
- Goal is father-son time
- Good Ride More Important than famous sites
- Challenging for son
- Not too challeninging for dad
- Self-contained (no luggage transport or support van)
- Guided
This was an easier trip to plan because I knew the customers, their ability, and what might interest them.
Client Request:
To: [email protected] Subject: Back to Japan in Late MayHi Kevin, its [me]! I will be in Japan on business in May and [son] will be coming to meet up with me at the end. We will have about a week free. We will be meeting up in Kyoto, so can you arrange something that will start and end there?
We want to get out of the city, but not Nara. We don't have a lot of time, so ideally start right on the bike from Kyoto instead of spending time in the train on the first morning.
Route Notes
This trip was for a repeat father / son who had already been to our Northern Nagano playground. They had also been to Japan several times before, so they wanted to see someplace other than Kyoto and Tokyo. They did not mind if we pass through some areas are relativly well-visited tourist spots, but not for the entire trip.
Given their limited time, spending half a day to just get to the starting point ruled out Shikoku or Kyushu. They wanted to just start and finish the ride from where they were Kyoto.
Unlike some of our Custom Wanderlust trips, the accommodations for every night were booked in advance with no option to cancel, so distances were planned conservatively, but having ridden with them before, I had a good feeling for their ability and how much they like to ride.
Difficulty


















This trip was medium-high difficulty. It was made with long days of riding, but in a way that we always the option to take a cab or train if needed, One of the days we did take a taxi to shorten the day and allow more time to just relax.





Price Estimates
Because we would be spending the majority of the time on the road, rather than chilling in the rooms, we did not splurge for fancy hotels.
A few short train rides, and taxi were used as well, but with three people short distances in the taxi is affordable.
As with all of our custom trips, the prices vary widely depending on what you are looking for. No two trips are the same.
Contact us for a free consultation to discuss what you are looking for, and we will provide you with a flexible estimate based on what type of accommodations you have in mind, how much support you are looking for and amore.
Dates & Availability
This particular trip was in late Spring, the cherry blossoms were long gone, but the general area is ridable for most of the year. Some of the areas, especially along the Japan Sea coast, and in the mountains of Northern Kyoto do get snow in the winter, which would make the riding a little more challenging, but not impossible.
Similar trips in other areas are available year round.