Hokkaido TourJapan's Last Frontier

Bed Time

From charming boutiques to well-deserved comfort, our accommodations are carefully selected to reflect the unique character of each region. We favour places with a true sense of place over big chain hotels, ensuring your stay is as memorable as the ride itself. Depending on the stage, you’ll experience everything from luxurious retreats to functional stays – always selected with care to suit the journey. Below are a range of hotels we use on your tour

Japan’s Wild Northern Table

Hokkaido’s cuisine stands apart from the rest of Japan, shaped by its colder climate, vast farmland, and rich surrounding seas. This northern island is known for its robust, hearty flavours and a deep emphasis on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.

Expect buttery seafood, especially crab, scallops, and sea urchin (uni), fresh from the cold northern waters. Dairy plays a rare starring role here too, Hokkaido is Japan’s dairy heartland, so expect to see some cheese (a rarity in the rest of Japan), milk, and creamy desserts. Hearty dishes like soup curry, miso ramen, and grilled lamb (jingisukan) offer warming comfort, reflecting the island’s snowy winters.

Unlike the delicate and refined style often associated with Kyoto or Tokyo, which we will also sample while on tour, Hokkaido’s food is earthier, fresher, and more rustic, a perfect match for its wild landscapes and frontier spirit.

What’s Included?

• Accommodation in our carefully selected hotels
• Meals – hotel breakfasts, snacks en route and pre/post-ride nutrition, lunches including the famed Ride and Seek picnics, multi course group dinners with a focus on the local cuisine.*NB we include occasional independent lunches & dinners to break up the week
• Ride and Seek jersey
• Garmin 1030 use with all routes preloaded
• Ride and Seek water bottle
• Kit laundry service once a week
• Passionate, experienced and knowledgeable guides always on hand to help

Not Included

• Alcoholic beverages
• Bike hire
• Pre & post tour accommodation

A Land Apart, Nature, Geology, and the Ainu Legacy

Hokkaido is Japan’s wild northern frontier, a land of volcanoes, caldera lakes, ancient forests, and dramatic coastlines. Its landscapes feel almost untouched by time, and for good reason: Hokkaido developed separately from the rest of Japan for much of its history, both geologically and culturally.

The island was traditionally home to the Ainu, an Indigenous people with a rich animistic culture deeply connected to nature. The Ainu lived by fishing, hunting, and foraging, and revered bears, rivers, and mountains as sacred. Their language, spiritual beliefs, and customs, from ritual dances to intricate woven garments, reflect a worldview shaped by the natural world. Today, traces of Ainu heritage survive in place names, museums, craft traditions, and cultural revival movements across Hokkaido.

Geologically, Hokkaido sits at the meeting point of multiple tectonic plates, making it a land of volcanic peaks, onsen-rich geothermal zones, and vast caldera lakes like Toya and Shikotsu. The climate is colder and drier than much of mainland Japan, creating wide open landscapes, alpine flora, and snowy winters more reminiscent of Siberia than Kyoto.

Unlike Japan’s more densely populated south, Hokkaido has a feeling of space and openness, fewer temples and shrines, more wide skies, lavender fields, forests, and rolling farmland. This difference is not just visual; it defines the rhythm of life, cuisine, and the riding experience here.

To cycle through Hokkaido is to travel through a region with its own sense of time and tradition, shaped as much by natural forces as by its human history, a journey through Japan, but also through something distinctly its own.

Paying for your tour

To reserve your tour we require a deposit of Euro 500 per person (or the equivalent in £, US$ or AU$ if you wish to pay in local currency in the UK, US or Australia).

The balance of your payment is due 90 days prior to departure. If reserving your trip within 90 days of departure, full payment is required. The final invoice will include any applicable single supplements and bike hire costs.

Payment can be made by bank transfer or by debit/credit card (card fees apply).

Cancellation Policy

We recommend that you have trip insurance in place before the 90-day cut off to cover for any unforeseen eventualities. If you must cancel your reservation and would like a refund, the fees for doing so are as follows:

Days Prior to Departure Cancellation Fee
90+ Admin fee – 150 euros
61-90 25% of trip price
31-60 50% of trip price
0-30 100% of trip price

Deposit Transfer (credit note)
Alternatively, you can choose to move your deposit to any other tour on the schedule (subject to availability) with no penalty up until 90 days before departure. Deposit credit notes will be valid for 24 months from the issue date.

Click here for our full terms and conditions.

Cycling with us is a remarkable journey—but it’s not your average holiday. Below are a few things to know so you can arrive prepared, in the right mindset, and ready to enjoy the experience fully

Section where we talk about the traffic, type of riding, the out-there factor, and country-specific info – below are some other things we might want to add.

It’s a Ride, Not a Race
Our tours are designed for strong recreational riders with good fitness and a sense of adventure.

Hotels
Accommodation ranges from historic inns and mountain cabins to modern hotels—each chosen for its charm and proximity to the route.
You may not always find air conditioning, elevators, or fast Wi-Fi—especially in remote or traditional areas.
What you will find is character, hospitality, and a strong sense of place.
The Food Is Local—and That’s a Good Thing
Expect fresh regional produce, hearty meals, and lunchtime picnics.
If you have dietary restrictions, we’ll do our best—but options may be limited in some remote areas.
Don’t worry, we won’t let you go hungry.
Off the Grid (Sometimes)
In some regions, mobile service and data can be spotty. That’s okay—you’re here to disconnect from your inbox and reconnect with your surroundings.
Our team always knows where you are and how to support you.
You Make the Group
We ride in small groups, and it’s the people who make the trip.
Come open to camaraderie, cultural curiosity, and the occasional group dinner story that becomes legend.
Respect for guides, fellow riders, and the places we visit is non-negotiable.

JAPAN – place holder for this info

You’re cycling through Japan—an incredible blend of tradition, modernity, and natural beauty. It’s also a place where things run a little differently. That’s part of the adventure. Below are a few things to know before you roll out:

🎌 Cultural & Logistical Differences

You’ve signed up for something special—cycling across a country that treasures precision, respect, and quiet efficiency. Embracing that means adjusting to the rhythm of Japanese daily life. Thank you for stepping into that with openness.

🏨 Accommodation Etiquette

• Strict check-in time is 3:00pm. Early arrivals may need to wait or explore the area.

• Dinner is often served early (typically 6–7pm), and breakfasts later than you might expect (usually 8am or after).

• Roll-out times are adjusted accordingly and most cafes don’t open early, so embrace the slower morning pace.

🛁 Onsen Culture

• Public baths are a highlight—but they come with rituals.

  • Rinse thoroughly before entering.

  • No swimwear—these are nude communal baths (separated by gender).

  • Towels don’t go in the water—keep them on your head or outside.

• We’ll guide you, and details are in the Travel Essentials guide.

👘 Yukata and Futons

• Yukata (cotton robe) is often provided in hotels and onsens. It’s casual evening wear for around the hotel—not for dinner in town.

• Futons are traditional Japanese bedding, often made up during dinner—but not always.

• Pillows may be double-sided, with one soft and one firm side.

• Slippers and toilet shoes will be provided—please don’t mix them up.

👕 Laundry & Amenities

• Laundry facilities and dryers are not available everywhere—check the Experience app for flagged locations.

• Be prepared for hand-washing and air-drying if needed.

🧃 Vending Machines & Convenience Stores

• Japan is a cyclist’s paradise when it comes to resupply.

  • Vending machines are everywhere—hot and cold drinks, snacks, even soups.

  • Convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart) offer great food, clean toilets, and free tap water refills.

🚐 Van Support (and Its Limits)

• In many areas—especially forested or mountainous zones—our van may not be able to follow due to low branches and narrow roads.

• A tail-end guide will support you through those sections.

• In case of emergency, we’ll always get to you—just not always instantly.

🗣️ Language Basics

• Don’t expect English everywhere, but that’s part of the charm.

• Learn a few phrases:

  • Arigatou gozaimasu (Thank you)

  • Kudasai (Please)

  • Sumimasen (Excuse me / sorry)

• You’ll find a language cheat sheet in the Experience app.