About Us

Self-guided Japan bike tours, planned by cyclists who have mapped routes across over 20 countries and know what makes a good riding day.

Hero Image

Don't want to read all this?

We've planned 800+ cycling trips. Send your dates, fitness and group size — we'll map the route and book every night.

Our cycling experts
Skip the research
Free — no obligation

Lan here! I lead the cycling agents who put your Japan trip together.

Write to us and I'm usually the first to answer. I'll ask how many kilometres feel right for one day and how you feel about hills, then an agent finds the route that fits and books it around your dates. If a conversation suits you better, set up a free video call.

Everyone on our team rides. Some prefer a road bike, some a mountain bike, and one of us will make the case for e-bikes to anyone who listens. That mix helps when we match a tour to you.

Lan, our cycling team leader, with three colleagues and a map
Lan, our cycling team leader, with three colleagues and a map

A Site Only for Japan

On Cycling Holidays, the site that gathers all our rides, Japan would share a menu with Belgium and Portugal. Riding in Japan has its own rules and habits, from bagging a bike for the train to the etiquette of an onsen.

That is why Japan has a site to itself, and every page here is written for Japan alone.

Why the Shimanami Kaido Came First

Our first route crosses the Seto Inland Sea from Onomichi to Imabari, island by island. The route's own visitor site, Shimanami Japan, calls it the first bicycle road in Japan to cross a sea strait.

Riders are made welcome along the way, too. Over 150 shops and guesthouses on the route serve as cycle oases, with a pump, a bike stand, drinking water and a toilet for any rider who stops.

Three Things We Check on Every Tour

  1. Bathrooms, night by night. Any shared bathroom is flagged on the tour page, so you know before you book.

  2. Breakfast comes as standard. If a hotel only sells the room, we add breakfast ourselves and include it in the price.

  3. Age. Children can join the easier tours if they can manage each day's distance, and riders on demanding tours must be 14 or older. Tell us how old they are when you write to us.

Our Ride So Far

Before the multi-day rides there were day trips, when our team showed visitors around Slovenia, cycling and walking. Those guests wanted longer rides, so our first multi-day tours were built on home roads, and we rode the early ones alongside them.

  • 2011: World Discovery, our parent company, starts organising holidays

  • Around 2020: the first multi-day bike tours, all in Slovenia

  • The years after: Croatia, Austria and Italy, then one country at a time, to more than 20 in Europe

  • 2026: Japan Cycling Holidays opens, starting with the Shimanami Kaido

The Agents Who Build Your Ride

The agents below answer your messages, book the stays and bikes, and send you the guidebook before you go. All of them ride, each in their own way.

Man in a maroon long-sleeved shirt with arms crossed against a white background.

Lan

Lead Travel Advisor

Lan is the calm one when a plan wobbles: a missed connection, a closed road, a booking that has to move. He leads our cycling agents and tends to see a problem coming two steps early. Fatherhood is his newest project, which explains the extra coffee on his desk.

Man with arms crossed wearing a dark button-down shirt over a white t-shirt against a white background.

Anže

Travel Agent

Ask Anže about e-bikes and you'll hear his favourite argument: a motor doesn't spoil the ride, it gets more people onto one. Hilly Japan suits that view. Off duty he plays streetball, and friends hand him their stag parties to organise, which takes planning of its own. The ride he still wants to do starts in San Diego and follows the coast up to San Francisco. What he likes most about the job comes later: the story a rider tells at home, the one that begins “So, when we were cycling…”

Smiling man wearing a light green sweater against a white background.

Kristjan

Travel Agent

Kristjan has driven a rally car to Sierra Leone and once kept his ski boots on for 36 hours straight. Mornings are his: he's in early, hunting for roads with a bit of fun in them and beds worth the climb. Next on his list are the Himalayas.

Young woman with long dark hair wearing a beige zip-up sweater standing with arms crossed against a white background.

Viktorija

Travel Agent

The part of a trip most people dread, Viktorija enjoys: a long itinerary, a dozen pieces that must fit and a date it's due. She sorts it by colour and checks each line against the others until it all holds together. Away from work there's a dog to walk, a sketchbook and a pile of books. Two foods she won't give up: pasta and sushi.

Young woman with glasses wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and jeans against a white background.

Rebeka

Travel Agent

Rebeka is Primož Roglič's loudest fan and will replay his attacks for anyone nearby. She plans routes the same way: find the stretch worth filming, then build the day around it.

Smiling man with arms crossed wearing a black hoodie against a white background.

Domen

Travel Agent

Domen rides road and mountain bikes, hikes and surfs, and spends spare evenings on Strava drawing routes nobody has tried. When a day goes off script, he's the one who turns it into a good story. His dream weekend is Squamish with a detour to Whistler. Trail snack: pork cracklings, defended with conviction.

Who Owns Japan Cycling Holidays

Member of World Discovery Travel Network

World Discovery, a Ljubljana travel company organising holidays since 2011, owns Japan Cycling Holidays. Its dozens of brands each cover one place or one kind of trip, so a bike tour in Norway, a Dolomites hut trek and a sailing week sit side by side. The brands share one booking system and one way of treating travellers: adapt when your plans move, and deliver the quality we described.

What that means when you book:

Travellers' Verdict

More than 10,000 travellers a year book with our brands, and their reviews average 4.7/5.

Faster Answers

Every brand books through the same system, so your agent sees your whole trip and can reply quickly.

Protected Payments

EU package travel rules cover your trip, and the company carries financial protection for what you pay.

World Discovery's Leadership

These six decide where World Discovery goes next, and what each of its brands, this one included, needs to get there.

Smiling man wearing a black t-shirt against a plain white background.

Jani

Chief Executive Officer

Jani is World Discovery's chief executive. He's at his best turning a plan into something that works, and he weighs each decision by how it will look a few years from now.

Woman with dark hair smiling while wearing a white t-shirt and black blazer against a white background.

Tina

Chief Operating Officer

Tina keeps the group running from one day to the next. The travel advisors report to her, the brand teams coordinate through her, and she checks that the trip you booked is the trip you get. She also owns the processes behind every booking, so nothing gets lost between two desks.

Young man wearing a grey sweater standing against a white background.

Tilen

Chief Growth Officer

Tilen is in charge of growth. He came from search marketing, and the question he works on hasn't changed: when someone searches for a trip like yours, do they find us?

Young man wearing a beige cable-knit sweater standing with arms crossed in a park.

Matevž

Chief Product Development Officer

New routes start with Matevž and his product team. They research the roads and the stays, then write the day-by-day plan you'll ride.

Man with short brown hair and a beard wearing a black sweater against a plain white background.

Lenart

Chief Technology Officer

Lenart heads technology, from the booking system to the tools our agents work in all day. A smooth checkout is the part of his job you'll notice.

Woman with long brown hair wearing a black long-sleeved shirt standing with arms crossed against a white background.

Ivana

Travel Operations Manager

Once a trip is booked, Ivana makes sure it happens. She works with the hotels, bike shops and transport firms that deliver it, in every country on our list.

Check Out Our Other Cycling Destinations

Hassle-Free

We handle itineraries, accommodations, and anything else you prefer not to deal with, so you can enjoy a carefree holiday.

Tried & Tested Adventures

Our cycling routes are hand-picked & tested, to ensure breathtaking landscapes, smooth roads, and maximum safety - giving you the perfect ride every day.

Unbeatable Support

Our customer support is where we show our passion, ensuring your cycling holiday runs smoothly and your well-being is always our top priority.

Book with Confidence

We are a financially protected company, fully bonded and insured, keeping your money safe and allowing you to travel with confidence.