Did you know that you could bike around beautiful mountain forests and pristine river valleys without leaving Tokyo? In less than one hour on a local train from bustling Shinjuku station in central Tokyo, you are ready to hop on the saddle and start biking in the laid-back suburb of Tokyo. Pedaling along the Tama River upstream, we cycle into the westernmost part of Tokyo that does not feel like part of Tokyo at all. We spend one night at a shukubo (lodge for pilgrims) in Mount Mitake, a great way to experience the traditional Japanese lifestyle. On the second day, we bike on Okutama Mukashi Michi, a beautiful trail that takes us through forests and pastoral villages. It offers breath-taking views of the surrounding mountains and river valleys. After lunch by Lake Okutama and a quick dip in an onsen (hot spring bath), the trip ends at the Okutama train station. You can catch a train back to central Tokyo. This trip will make you a perfect break from the city.
Note: Accommodations used for this trip have shared bathrooms only.
- Meet/Depart: Hino train station (45 minutes from Shinjuku) /Okutama train station (in western Tokyo)
- Trip Length: 2 days 1 night
- Level: RELAXED
- Price per Person: 55,000JPY (click HERE for indicative amounts in other currencies)
- Ave. Temperature (High/Low) : Mar 13/3C (55/37F) May 22/12C (72/54F) Jul 28/20C (82/68F) Sep 26/18C (79/64F) Nov 16/6C (61/43F)
- Minimum number of guests required for a guaranteed departure: 4
On request. Using the Tour Request Form, please contact us with your preferred dates and number of guests.(minimum of 4 guests needed)
- Ride leisurely along the Tama River and see many faces of Tokyo which you have never seen before – the peaceful residential neighborhood in the suburbs, small vegetable plots, beautiful mountain villages and more.
- Overnight stay at a shukubo (mountain lodge for pilgrims) on Mount Mitake, which has been worshipped as a sacred mountain since ancient times. Great way to experience the natural beauty and mountain-worshipping culture of Japanese.
- Ride on the Okutama Mukashi Michi (Okutama Old-time Trail). This beautiful road goes through pristine river valleys and forests, passing by sparsely populated villages.
- Easily accessible from central Tokyo. A great break from the hustle and bustle of the city.
- One-night’s lodging on a double- or triple-occupancy basis
- Meals (1 breakfast, 2 lunches and 1 dinner)
- English-speaking guide (no support van)
- Rental hybrid bike equipped with a handle-bar or rear bag
- Baggage transfer from Hino to Okutama
- Once you have read and agreed with the Terms & Conditions, click the ‘TOUR REQUEST FORM’ button below and submit an online tour request form with your preferred trip dates and the number of guests.
- We will reply to you within two business days by email with tour availability.
- You can confirm your booking within the next two business days by email to us.
- After your booking confirmation, we will arrange for payment of your deposit, which is 10% of the trip price.
- We accept payments by credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, or AMEX) or wire transfer.
- After receipt of your deposit, we will send you a registration form. We ask you to fill out, sign, and return to us.
- Full payment is due 21 days prior to the first day of the trip.
Trip Itinerary
We meet at the Hino train station at around 9:30am. Hino is easily accessible from central Tokyo – only 45 minutes away on a local train from Shinjuku. After briefing and shipping out your baggage, we start biking from Hino station and soon be on the Tama River cycling road. En route, we stop by a beautiful Japanese garden of Seiganin Temple and Negarami-mae rice paddy field. We stop for lunch in Ome and enjoy locally produced soba noodles. In the afternoon, we ride into the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. Scenery changes from that of idyllic suburbia to a picturesque mountain region. We finish biking for today at the foot of Mount Mitake, leave our bikes behind, and ride the cable car up the mountain. Tonight we stay at a shukubo (traditional Japanese-style lodge for pilgrims) near the mountain top. Enjoy delicious and healthy dinner, as well as quiet and peaceful times in pilgrims’ lodging with hundreds of years of history. (Lunch and dinner included)
After breakfast, we take a short walk to the Musashi-Mitake Shrine on the mountain’s summit (929 meters), which is believed to serve as a center of mountain worship for almost 2000 years. The shrine’s stunning main hall and other structures, along with many stone monuments and a 1000-year old sacred tree in the surroundings, create a memorable and serene atmosphere. By mid-morning, we take the cable car down and be back on the bike. We bike on Okutama Mukashi Michi, a beautiful road that was once used for trading between Ome and Kai province (current Yamanashi). It leads us onto mountain trails (mostly paved, not hilly) that pass by pastoral villages and suspension bridges along the way. The ride offers magnificent natural scenery of surrounding mountains and river valleys. Riding on Okutama Mukashi Michi gives us a great insight into the old days’ Japanese rural life. We take a lunch break by Lake Okutama and then enjoy a smooth descent to the Okutama train station. After collecting your baggage and a quick dip in an onsen (natural hot spring bath) nearby, the tour ends. You can catch a train back to central Tokyo. (Breakfast and lunch included)