We’ve all been there. We planned the perfect route, with epic views, endless shorelines and perfect climbs. There was not a single car to be seen. It’s always a goal to achieve, but often, the reality is far different.
I’ve seen many bikepacking blogs and videos in which people use Google Maps to navigate from A to B or, worse, take the shortest route between cities. While this may get you to the destination, many of these trips have a lot of traffic, poor road conditions, or even dangerous ones.
It’s wild to think that if they had spent a few extra hours researching, they would have been able to spend almost the entire time on Japan’s beautiful, car-free roads.
It is very difficult to plan routes in other countries where a language barrier exists, and there are also often differences between cultures when it comes to road construction, road marking, and cycling infrastructure.
This is how the idea for this guide was born. After spending over eight years cycling around Japan, I am often asked to create Bespoke, Guided, or Self-Guided Tours, as well as to craft itineraries for single-day / weekend trips for locals to multi-week / multi-month tours for those who want to backpack through Japan.
Every time I design a route in Japan, it is unique. However, with practice and enough time, anyone can create a great one. This guide is for all riders, whether they are on a tight budget, DIY bike-packers or route optimizers, who want to make a top-notch cycling route in Japan.
We are also available to assist you if you prefer to leave us to plan your bicycle trip to Japan. Contact us via our contact form to talk about bikes!
Let’s get started!
Six major things to focus on when designing cycling routes in Japan
This article will cover six main points to consider when planning your route. It will cover not only the endless possibilities of the number of temples in Japan (or the lack thereof), the hilly terrain vs flat terrain, and the size of the cities and towns but also the best ways to make sure your route is the safest, the most scenic, and the quietest.
We’ll take a look at 6 of them.
- Strava Heatmaps Japan Pros/Cons
- National Roads & Prefectural Roads
- Rindo Forest Roads
- Cycling Routes vs. Cycling Paths (Lakes & Rivers)
- Understanding Japanese traffic cycles
- Google Maps & Street View
1. Strava Heatmaps Japan Pros/Cons
Although many cycling services in Japan offer heatmaps, Strava is by far the leader in cycling heatmap data. It is even more annoying that Strava has decided to make its heatmaps pay-only by 2020. The service is still worth $5/month if used correctly.
Heatmaps are created by overlaying an aggregated map of GPS data from all riders. This will make areas where people are riding more often brighter and show their ” popularity.”
In the screenshot, you can see that the area of green mountains with the winding road is much more vibrant than the rest. This is because it’s a popular climb in the locality.
These data are extremely helpful, particularly in rural areas, where you might wonder, “Does this road exist?
The white road at the centre of the screen is not blue, indicating that it hasn’t been recorded yet on Strava. This does not mean that the road isn’t real, but it means it is less likely to have been paved or even be passable (especially if it is in rural Japan).
What is the Difference between Popular and Ideal?
It does not follow that a popular road is the best road to ride on. This is particularly true in densely populated urban areas of Japan, where commuters often record their daily commutes using Strava. The heatmap data becomes “muddied” by the large number of rides made on roads that are not ideal for cycling.
Imagine that every weekday, a rider rode ten kilometres to work and back on bad roads. It was the quickest way. On the weekend, they rode a 50km loop in a beautiful location nearby. This rider did 100km in a short stretch and 50km in a large loop. This will make their commute route bright and the heatmap barely visible on nice roads.
The key to understanding heatmap data
The heatmap will give you the following data points.
- If there is a road.
- If the road has already been travelled.
- The popularity of the road in relation to other roads in its vicinity.
2. National Roads & Prefectural Roads Guo Dao to Xi’an Dao
The country of Japan is divided into 47 prefectures. Each prefecture is further divided into towns, cities and villages. National Roads Guo Dao (apart from highways, where bikes are prohibited) and Prefectural Roads Xian Dao are the two main types of roads in Japan.
National Roads
A National Road has the same number or name across the entire country. National Road No. 1 is the Tokaido Dong Hai Dao, which connects Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka. This route is a nightmare for cyclists due to the heavy traffic. This is a great example of just how bad National Roads can be.
National Roads, in general, are heavily used.
If you want to avoid traffic noise and lots of stoplights, you should prevent National Roads.
Please note that I did not mention if you wanted to avoid dangerous roads. There are many National Roads with wide, bike-friendly paths. They are great for riding, but with the constant hum of trucks and tractor-trailers at 80kph, they are not a road you want to ride on for a long period.
Prefectural Roads
Prefectural roads can be a mixed bag. Some are some of the quietest, most tranquil rural roads in Japan, while others are just as busy and have less infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians as National Roads.
You will need to be much more careful when assessing the viability of a Prefectural Road for your route planning. However, there are some quick tricks that you can use.
The signs of a good prefectural road
- The road winds and crosses a hill/mountain with a “bypass tunnel” nearby.
- There are few stoplights along the road.
- The road is in a rural area that has few houses/businesses/etc alongside it.
- The road runs through a densely forested area.
- Nearby, there is a national road that will take up most of the traffic.
- The road “leads nowhere”.
Signs that a Prefectural Road is not in good condition
- On the map, there are many stoplights on the road.
- Satellite images show that the road is crowded and there are many cars.
- The road is the most direct route from one town/city to another.
- The “only” road from one town/city to another is the road.
- There are many train stations on the road.
An example of national vs prefectural vs other roads
This is a great example of a border road between Gunma and Nagano Prefecture. The road with the number 18 is numbered 18 in three places. The uppermost is called “Old 18”, and it is extremely twisty. The “New 18”, in the middle, has wide switchbacks. The lower part is “Highway 18”, with no turns in sight. The three routes climb over 1000m between Gunma and Nagano but in very different ways.
You can’t ride a bike on the highways in Japan. But if you notice a pattern where several roads lead to the same destination, you can assume that most drivers would choose the route with the fewest twists as it will allow them to go faster.
The highway speed limit on this stretch is 100kph. In the middle, “New 18,” the speed limit is set at 50kph. And the top, “Old 18,” the speed limit is 30-40kph. It is easy to see that those willing to pay a toll on the highway would choose it, while those just looking to get from A to B will choose the New 18 because it is around two times faster.
Therefore, the Old 18 is a better cycling route, and it is. Did you also notice that road number 92 is located near the highway and the New 18?
This is also a Prefectural Road, but it is smaller than the Old 18, so Google Maps gives it a different colour. In the next section, we will discuss colours on Google Maps.
National Roads should be avoided. Prefectural Roads are a mixed bag.
3. Rindo Forest Roads Lin Dao
If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend that you do. Rindo Lin Dao literally means forest roads, but it is also used to describe any road that goes deep into the forest.
There are many different types of roads, from smooth-paved to gravel or dirt. In the article above, I concentrate on the Rindo roads around us in the Kita Kanto Region, which are generally nicely paved. Many regions, such as Hokkaido, have a majority of gravel or rough pavement/cement Rindo.
Rindo Forest Roads is often one of the most picturesque and quietest roads in Japan. The lack of traffic and noise has made many guests feel like they’re mountain biking.
How do you identify a Rindo Forest Road?
It’s hard to get it right every time, but some tricks will help you. If you want to know if the road has been paved, the best way is to check if there is a Google Street View. You can be fairly sure that the road is not only paved but also passable.
You can quickly check this, and then we will cover the entire use of Google Maps later. A simple rule is: if it’s not blue, you probably can’t do it.
4 Cycling Paths vs. Cycling Routes (Lakes & Rivers)
Cycling River Paths is the less mountainous cousin to the Rindo forest road. Check out my article and map of the amazing cycling river trails in Kanto (Greater Tokyo Region)!
Did you know that the longest car-free cycling path in Japan stretches 200km between the ocean and an Onsen town in our backyard?!
The cycling paths in Japan are an excellent way to explore the country.
Differences between a Cycling Path/ Cycling Road and a Cycling Route
Shimanami Kaido is one of the most famous cycling routes in Japan. These routes can be quite beautiful, with many amenities and facilities. They also have a large blue arrow to keep you on track. BUT! In Japan, there is a huge difference between a cycle route and a bike path. Most of the routes have very few cycling paths.
Biwa Ichi Pi Pa Yi Zhou is the second most popular cycling route in Japan. It has a few good features, such as arrows that indicate which way to go. About half of the route is on a cycle path (although it’s mostly right next to a busy street). It also spends almost 1/4 of the route along what are undoubtedly very busy roads and, in many places, dangerous.
My full article, Cycling Lake Biwa, contains a detailed breakdown of the problem and my suggestions on how to improve it. What I’m trying to say is that the routes that the government has started to lay down aren’t really designed to be ideal cycling environments but more so to minimize the distances between A and B or to X location.
5. Understanding Japanese traffic cycles
From the seasons to the traffic, Japan follows a cycle. Knowing this will help you decide when to arrive a day earlier or not at all during the height of a holiday.
Following a few simple guidelines can greatly reduce the amount of traffic you encounter and lower your costs when booking accommodations.
- Japanese holidays are ALWAYS busy and expensive. Avoid them if you can.
- Golden Week, Obon and Japanese New Year are all big events.
- In Japan, 3-day weekends are very common and cause heavy traffic from Friday night to Monday night.
- Rush hour is a reality in all cities, even small towns. Rush hour is typically between 7-8:30 am and 4-6 pm.
You will experience less traffic if you remember these dates.
If you’re in a touristy or congested area, it is often best to leave and get out by 7 am. This will ensure that there will be virtually no traffic.
6. Google Maps & Street View
The final part is the most important and time-consuming.
You’ve checked Strava Heatmaps and tried to locate Rindo Forest Roads & River Paths. Now, you want to know if the prefectural route is likely to be busy or if the tiny road in the middle is rideable by bicycle.
Google Maps & Street View are the best tools for this.
You can drag the little yellow guy onto the map. If it turns blue, that means that there is street-view data for THE WHOLE ROAD. This allows you to (theoretically) see the entire road and what it’s like to ride on it. Sweet!
But realistically, that would be a waste of time. So how can I achieve the same level of confidence that it’s a good route to ride without having to look at every inch of the road? This is where the real art comes into play.
You can begin by dropping the yellow little guy at random locations on the road. Then, take a look around. You can get a rough idea of the road by doing this.
You might then wonder about the traffic on the roads. Satellite data will give you an accurate picture. Remember, this is a photo taken on one day. It could be much worse or better.
A road that has many vehicles on the satellite image is usually very busy, while a road with few or no cars will likely be quiet.
How many is too much and not enough? This is another art. A few shots of a road that is narrow and small is quite a bit, but when it has two lanes and is wide and long, a few isn’t much.
Here’s an example.
This road has a lot of cars going both ways, and there are no traffic lights in the area. This road is a pretty busy one.
Wrapping it All Up
Wait, you might think. Do you really check each road for these conditions before planning a cycling tour in Japan? The short answer to that question is…sorta. But I am a little weird, and I love knowing that I have found the best roads to ride when I travel.
Why not ride on the best roads in Japan? You only live once.
As you practice this, it will become easier and faster. You will also be able to assess the quality of the route more quickly.
Please share any tips you may have for building a route in Japan or where you are.
Enjoy your rides, everyone!