VOL.212 FEBRUARY 2026
CYCLING JAPAN Discover Local Charms through Cycling Events

Event participants cycling the Mt. Fuji loop route
Photo: Roots Sports Japan

Tour de Nippon organizes cycling tours across Japan, offering cyclists firsthand experiences of the unique charms of each region. We spoke with a representative of the organization working to promote local appeal through cycling events.

Launched in 2012, Tour de Nippon is a comprehensive cycling leisure project, centered on a series of cycling events, that collaborates with local governments to showcase regional charms. Held across the country, these events are designed to attract visitors to local areas. NAKASHIMA Yoshimoto, representative director of Roots Sports Japan, the association organizing the project, explains what led to its launch.

“The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake¹ significantly impacted all of Japan, and the challenge we faced was how to bring tourists back, particularly to the Tohoku² and northern Kanto³ regions. This project was sparked by the idea of using the power of sports to draw people from all over the country.”

The project initially focused on single day cycling events that attracted thousands of participants at a time. With the COVID-19 pandemic, however, a more diverse range of events came to be organized. In the Tour de Nippon initiative, in addition to hosting large-scale events, efforts have been made to organize periodic events and introduce easy weekend cycling routes. The TraVelo⁴ smartphone app enables cyclists to enjoy these smaller events and easy cycling routes, with audio guides available at designated spots, offering an experience akin to a guided cycling tour.

NAKASHIMA says Roots Sports Japan currently hosts events throughout the year in about 30 prefectures across Japan.

“The routes that loop around Mt. Fuji, Awaji Island,⁵ Lake Biwa,⁶ and other spots are quite popular.” (See “Biwaichi: A National Cycle Route Circling Lake Biwa, Japan’s Largest Lake,” HIGHLIGHTING Japan, February 2026 issue). He continues, “The approximately 380-kilometer course around the main Island of Okinawa is also popular, attracting cyclists from overseas. In the future, we plan to step up our outreach overseas so that more international visitors can experience the charms of cycling in local areas across Japan.”

NAKASHIMA describes the appeal of cycling as the opportunity to “experience the local area through all five senses.”

“Travelling by car or train from one point to another makes it easy to miss subtle changes in the scenery, shifts in the wind and humidity, the scent of the plants and the sea, the sound of the waves, local cuisine, and encounters with people from the local area. By contrast, bicycles bring riders closer to their surroundings and to people, allowing them to move in a way that blends naturally into the local community.”

He also notes that cycling itself can be an activity, which is one of its greatest attractions.

“Physical activity creates a positive mindset, and the sense of accomplishment that comes from finishing a ride under one’s own power makes the experience truly memorable. I believe the true value of cycling lies in encountering landscapes and people that can only be experienced in that particular place.” 

• 1. On March 11, 2011, a massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of the Sanriku region, registering a maximum seismic intensity of 7.
• 2. The northeastern region of Honshu, Japan’s main island, comprising six prefectures: Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi, and Fukushima.
• 3. The northern part of the Kanto region in mid-eastern Honshu comprising three prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, and Ibaraki.
• 4. A smartphone app for cyclists operated by Roots Sports Japan. Part of the Tour de Nippon project, the app utilizes location information to provide guidance on cycling routes and points of interest across Japan.
• 5. An island in southern Hyogo Prefecture
• 6. Japan’s largest freshwater lake, located in Shiga Prefecture. With a history of about 4 million years, it is the oldest lake in Japan.

By TANAKA Nozomi
Photo: Roots Sports Japan