Epic Alps Adventure

Depart North America and travel to Japan. This travel day is considered the first day of this trip.

If traveling from the United States or Canada, book your flight to depart North America on the first day of the trip. Most flights leave the US/Canada and arrive the next day. 

Upon arrival to the Haneda Airport, get your luggage, go through customs then exit the airport. The Ride the Earth team will be waiting for you as you exit the airport. Our group will exit the airport, load into the vans, and travel into the mountains of the Gunma region, the first stop on our advenure.

We’ll enjoy dinner out on the town and go over the plan for the week. Get ready as this is going to be an amazing experience!

Note: The group shuttle will be picking up people at the Haneda Airport. If you arrive to the Narita Airport, we will arrange a shuttle for an additional charge.

Estimated travel time: 2-3 hours

We'll kick this trip off with a relaxing morning to allow people a chance to adjust to the time change. 

After a relaxing morning and breakfast, we’ll assemble our bikes and head out to ride a series of shuttle laps in the surrounding mountains. These carve-worthy trails will be a great way to warm up the legs, shake off the jet lag, and get into the fun flowy singletrack of Japan.

After our day of riding, we’ll head into town for dinner to experience one of the local ramen houses. 

Today we will wake up early and head into the mountains to spend the day at a private bike park. We'll take laps to our hearts' content and shred into the late afternoon, stopping only to grab food midday.

After our day of riding, we'll load the vans and travel into the heart of the Central Alps. Take in the views of the countryside as we travel into the mountains and shore up lakeside and in a local boutique hotel. Once everyone is settled, we'll head into town for a traditional sushi dinner. 

Awake to breakfast at the hotel and then load up the van. Today is an amazing day of riding the biggest bike park in Japan, Fujimi Panorama. This park has a wonderful selection of chairlift access trails and, on a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji off in the distance.

This park has a little something for everyone. There are really fun flow trails as well as steep technical trails. We'll lap the day away until we're all sufficiently tired and then return to our lakeside hotel for the evening. Rest up as there is more to come tomorrow!

Today, we'll start the day off with a small drive to a private trail system where we'll spend the day with some locals shredding in their backyard. These trails are loamy and fast and, if you keep your eyes peeled, you may even see monkeys running about in the forest. We will take a break midday for a traditional family-style lunch provided for our group in a local’s home and then we'll continue to ride for the remainder of the day.

At the end of the day, we'll return to our hotel to relax, enjoy some dinner, and get ready for another big day of riding tomorrow.

Wake to a healthy breakfast, then hop in the van to head north to the town of Hakuba. On our way, we'll shuttle a couple of enduro-style mountain laps and then stop for a late lunch in a local village.

After lunch, we'll visit the Buddhist temple of Reishoji, one of the most ancient zen buddhist Sotoshu temples in Nagano. Here, you’ll find magnificent carvings and the rare and grand fossil trees known as Ohatsuki Ginko trees. The leaves of these trees bear seeds on it and are used as a talisman for fertility.

We'll continue on to Hakuba, where we'll settle into our lodging and head to a local onsen (hot springs) to soak for the evening. 

Today we’ll wake up in the heart of the Japanese Alps and take in the view of the mountains that surround us as we enjoy a healthy breakfast. Then, we’ll load up and head to the Iwatake Bike Park, just outside of Hakuba. This park isn’t very big compared to North American parks, but it has super fun flow trails and some tech trails that will leave you grinning from ear to ear. We’ll spend the majority of the day here, only to stop for lunch, and then we’ll take more laps to complete our afternoon.

This evening, the group will head into town for an incredible meal at a local Soba Noodle house. Relax into a spectacular evening in a traditional restaurant and replenish your body with the healthy cuisine of Japan.

Today we’ll wake up for breakfast and then pack up to head to our last destination, Shibu Onsen. On our way, we’ll ride the mountain trails of the Nagano region. These rides will be shuttle drops that lead to a variety of incredible trails. We’ll ride past Shinto shrines in the forest and stop at gorgeous overlooks.

We’ll stop for lunch in a local village and then travel north to a local Ryokan village, known for the monkeys that soak in the hot springs, traditional bath houses, and specatular food.

Here will will check in to a Ryokan, a traditional hot spring hotel. We will enjoy a nice soak and a delicious Kaiseki Ryori meal, a multi-course dinner featuring a variety of local delicacies. 

Today is full of culture, good food & relaxation. This history of this village is said to go back over 1,300 years. It has long been a rest stop for pilgrims making their way to Zenkoji, a temple in Nagano City. The cobblestone streets lined with traditional wooden Japanese inns, dotted with shrines, create the atmosphere of another era in time.

There are nine bath houses in town, each known to cure different ailments. They say if you try all 9 baths, you'll have good fortune. Challenge accepted! We'll spend the day wandering the streets, soaking in healing waters, sipping sake, and snacking on sushi. Good fortune awaits...

Today we'll wake up early for breakfast and then travel towards Tokyo. Once everyone is ready to go, the group will hop the train to the Haneda Airport (for those returning today) or to the heart of Tokyo, for those staying on. If you wish to have an extra night (or two) in the city, join us on our Tokyo Night Out Add On and we'll get you to the airport the following day, after a night of good food in the city.

For those departing today, we thank you for joining us to shred in Japan!

Those staying on with us in Tokyo will head to the hotel for showers and some R&R, then we'll take you out in the city for some excellent food and beverages. This additional evening is a great way to see the city, experience more Japanese culture, and finish your trip at a more relaxing pace.