Japan self-guided cycling vacation, Noto Peninsula

Environment

On this tour, you travel at your own pace through beautiful and unspoiled scenery. We organize the trips to use local public transport as much as possible where this is an option, lessening the environmental impact of extra vehicles on small country roads. On this self-guided cycling tour, using public transport from Kyoto minimises your environmental impact, adding to the fact that this tour does not require long-distance travel around the country. After reaching the Noto Peninsula, you then travel mainly by bicycle which is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Staying at small, family-run inns supports local communities and businesses. Our accommodation suppliers value locally-produced food, which has a lower carbon footprint and further encourages the economic activity in the community. We follow the principles of ‘Leave no Trace’ on our tours. We do not leave behind any waste. With this cycling tour, we aim to ensure the long-term sustainability of natural resources, culture and society, treating them with respect and fairness.

Community

With rapidly-growing numbers of overseas visitors to Japan, we believe it is vital to encourage exploration of rural communities, lessening the crowding at major urban tourist sites and spreading the economic benefits of tourism more widely. We promote travels to often visit the lesser-known (but equally enchanting) areas of the countries we visit, and this helps to spread the economic benefit of tourism more evenly. With a focus on the Noto Peninsula, a hidden destination in Japan, this tour features stays in small, family-run inns, supporting local communities and fostering genuine interaction between local populations and visitors. Encouraging economic activity in the community means that their society and culture can endure, too. This is particularly important for rural areas like Noto, which faced decades of decline and depopulation as younger people moved away to the cities like Osaka. There are now welcome signs that this tide has started to turn. Bringing visitors to rural and remote communities, such as the Noto Peninsula, helps sustain their economic viability.