Japan Geisha Mystery 16 Days

Day 1 Amsterdam - Departure

Depart from Schiphol Airport for the flight to Osaka.

Day 2 Arrival - Osaka

You will be picked up from the airport by the tour guide. In the afternoon we will go by public transport to the motorcycle rental and get acquainted with the motorcycles. Through a fun route through the city center, we will drive back to the hotel. Osaka is the second largest city in the country.

Day 3 Osaka - Kamiyama

We drive out of town and for a small part still follow the busy main road along the coast heading south. Just before Wakayama we take the ferry to the island of Shikoku. This island is often called the Tibet of Japan because of its rugged high mountains. Also, a traditional culture still prevails on this island. Especially in the interior, it seems like development here is just a little behind. As soon as we leave Tokushima we drive on narrow roads into the mountains. You hardly encounter any traffic and the route we mapped out takes you along deserted parts of the island. We visit an old wooden temple, a waterfall and a reservoir. We spend the night in a traditional spa resort. For the Japanese this is actually quite normal but for us it is something special. From the tap in your bathroom hot spring water flows into the bathtub and on the first floor of the hotel is a hot spring bath with all facilities.

Day 4 Kamiyama - Matsuyama

This will be a long varied day. We drive out of the valley and follow the main road for a bit until we come to a deserted lake area. The route along the lake gives beautiful views. When we turn off we follow a very narrow road that climbs steeply uphill. After a village of two houses, the road becomes even narrower and we ride for about 20 km through abandoned pine forest and cross another pass this time with even sharper curves. Back on the main road we drive to the north coast of the island and have lunch in Niihama an industrial port city. This shows well the contrast between the coast and the high mountains. We then continue on the main road to Imabari for a nice view of one of Japan's longest bridges. This bridge connects Shikuko to Honshu via several intervening islands and from the viewpoint it is easy to see. Via the coastal road we reach Matsuyama. Here we spend the night.

Day 5 Matsuyama - Hiroshima

In the morning we will visit Matsuyama Castle. This castle stands atop a mountain around which the town is built. The castle was built in 1602 and can be reached by cable car. Back is a nice walk down. After lunch we drive to the port and take the boat back to Honshu Island. On the outskirts of Hiroshima, we come ashore again. It is then just under an hour to the hotel. Here we stay for two nights.

Day 6 Hiroshima - Accommodation

Hiroshima, of course, is known for the tragedy on Aug. 6, 1945 that marked the end of World War II. Modern-day Hiroshima is a nice busy city of over 1 million people. The memory of the Atomic Bomb is still kept alive by many Japanese. The A-bomb dome is therefore one of the most interesting places to visit today. It even became a Unesco World Heritage site in 1996. The remains of the building still stand as they did just after the bomb. Meanwhile, a park has been developed around the dome with several monuments commemorating the event and making clear the country's anti-nukes stance. The museum near the monument is so impressive that it is sure to give you the same thought. Other attractions, of course, include museums and parks. Just walking around the city or taking a ride on the subway can be just as interesting.

Day 7 Hiroshima - Sakai Minata

After exiting the city, we drive a bit into the mountains north east of Hiroshima and then get on the Japanese toll highway for the first time. This happens several more times this trip in order to cover larger distances faster through less interesting territory. We drive to the north coast of the island. We drive some nice roads along the coast.

Day 8 Sakai Minata - Kyoto

This is a connecting day. So we cover the long distance through less interesting area via the toll road. This is a busy industrial area and therefore less interesting to take smaller roads. Near Osaka, we have to be careful because several busy highways meet there. At the end of the afternoon we arrive in Kyoto the former capital of the empire.

Day 9 Kyoto - Accommodation

Kyoto is the cultural capital of Japan known for its many temples and shrines. But at first glance, Kyoto is a big city with neon lights and heavy traffic. Therefore, you will need the full day to look a little further to appreciate the city. There are more than 2,000 temples and monasteries here (13 of which are Unesco listed) and dozens of gardens and museums. But if you take a break from this sight and go in search of classic Japan you will have very different experiences here.

Day 10 Kyoto - Ogimachi

After a short stretch of highway, we are at the foot of the Japanese Alps and will enter this mountain range for the first time today. We climb into coniferous forests and meander past clear blue lakes. In this area you will still find many traditional towns with characteristic architecture. It is a short drive today and we therefore have plenty of time in the afternoon to visit several villages. These authentic villages are located in beautiful valleys in the high mountains. There are so many of these historic pictures that it is impossible to visit them all. We spend the night in the town of Ogimachi.

Day 11 Ogimachi - Matsumoto

We start with a tunnel of about 12 km or drive around the high peaks via winding roads and high passes. Either way the area we drive through is the center of the Japanese Alps and particularly beautiful. We are also now coming to the highest part of the trip. Directly west of Takayama begins a high mountain range with year-round snow-capped peaks. We take the scenic Route 462 this dead ends at a ski resort but just before the end is a challenging very narrow road that leads us over the ridge to Route 158. A side road from this then takes us to a deep cave. Inside is a bridge system built so you can go far into the cave. Then we drive on to Shin Hotaka Onsen. This is a spa village with the longest cable car in Asia. If we still have time and desire we can use this to ascend one of the highest alpine peaks. Then we drive back a few kilometers and turn into route 5.

Like many roads in this area, this road is open only during the summer months. The other months row is covered in snow. This road is also called the skyline route. It is one of the most photographed roads in the country. And for good reason. Through Norikua the terminus of this road we drive further to Suwa. With enough time we will do this via narrow mountain roads otherwise we will take the main road at several points. Suwa is located on a mountain lake. And our hotel is in a nice location by the lake.

Day 12 Matsumoto - Magome

A quiet day of driving. From our lakeside hotel we drive south. Taking narrow roads through the mountains, we arrive in the small village of Magome before lunch.

Day 13 Magome - Shimada

This will be one of the most varied routes of the trip. We will start with a drive on a narrow road over a beautiful pass with beautiful views. The rest of the morning we will follow only narrow roads through coniferous forests. Around noon we will arrive in the tea center of Japan. And suddenly tea plantations can be seen everywhere you look. If we have time we can visit another tea museum for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. We meander further between the plantations and finally arrive in Shimada. We stay in nice cozy simple hotel in the center of the place.

Day 14 Shimada - Tokyo

We leave the tea plantations and head toward the highest mountain in the country. This is Mount Fuji at 3776 meters. Well-practiced runners climb the mountain in 4 hours from the last point accessible by road. Then it is another 3 hour walk back. We drive on the south side along the mountain and several times provided clear weather have views of the snowy summit. Then we start the last part of the trip the drive to Tokyo. The closer you get to the city the busier it gets, of course. We can choose to go via the highway which almost reaches the city center. But it might be more fun to follow the smaller roads into the city. In any case, it is a fantastic experience to ride into a city of 12 million people on a motorcycle. If we are a little late you will be covered under a blanket of neon lights skyscrapers and billboards. Our hotel is in the Ueno district this is a nice entertainment district.

Day 15 Tokyo - Accommodation

You have two whole days left to get to know Tokyo and you need to. Tokyo has so much to offer that you could stay there for weeks. The first day we will take the bikes back in the morning via a fun route. The rest of the time you can fill with a visit to the busy shopping streets electric city big parks endless rides in the 13 subway lines. Or drinking coffee on a terrace on the conveyor belts eating sushi in narrow streets or watching bizarrely dressed Japanese Gothic girls in Shibuya district. Tokyo is fun and continues to fascinate.

Day 16 Tokyo - Departure