Tour de Kanto

This suburban Tokyo tour, which makes a big circle around the rim of the Kanto Plain, covers about 800 kilometers and makes for a great eight-day tour exploring the outer edges of Japan’s great city. Part 2 of the tour picks up in Itako or Sawara depending on where you chose to stop.

Day 5: Starting in Itako or Sawara we first cruise down along the Tonegawa River on a bike path to Choshi City. We continue pedaling south on a coastal road with a magnificent ocean view leading to Katakai Beach in Kujukuri Town. There are many minshuku (guesthouses) and ryokan (Japanese inns) here popular with beachgoers in the summer. Distance: 100 km

Day 6: We continue southbound through Kazusa-Ichinomiya, Ohara, Onjuku and Katsuura until we reach Shirahama at the southernmost tip of the Boso Peninsula. The route along the way is not always open to the ocean but, when it is, the view of the Pacific is truly grandeur. Distance: 115 km.

Day 7: From Shirahama, we turn north on the western coast of the Peninsula around Cape Sunosaki and Tateyama to Kanaya Port, where the Tokyo-wan Ferry will take us across the Tokyo Bay to Kurihama in Kanagawa Prefecture. Enjoy the ride around Miura Peninsula to Hayama and through Kamakura to Fujisawa City. Beware of traffic on the shoreline route in Kanagawa as this is a popular area. Distance: 95 km.

Day 8: From Fujisawa, follow the Sakaigawa River upstream on a bike path to Machida City. From there, use local roads to switch over to a bike path along the Tama River and again to path along the Iruma River. When you arrive in Kawagoe you will have completed the 800-kilometer Tour de Kanto. Otsukaresama! Kampai! (Well done! Cheers!)