We slow the pace on Kōyasan with a full day to breathe in the mountaintop monasteries, or, for those who fancy more saddle time, an optional loop into the Kumano Kodo region – UNESCO‑listed shrine trails and deep river valleys – before another serene evening in the mountains.

Leaving the hush of Kōyasan behind, we drop out of the cedars and track north toward Kobe, pausing at Rokkō Garden Terrace for coffee with views over Osaka Bay. From there the road unwinds to the Naruto Strait, where tide and current whip up the famous whirlpools, before we slip onto Shikoku and end our day in Takamatsu with a late‑afternoon wander through the sculpted pines and mirror ponds of Ritsurin Garden. 

Next, we arc back toward Honshu across the Inland Sea, breaking for lunch in the white‑walled lanes and canals of Kurashiki’s Bikan Quarter and taking a short coastal pause in Onomichi. The run into Hiroshima is smooth and scenic – enough time to settle in and sample the city’s easy hospitality ahead of tomorrow’s deeper dive. 

We make Hiroshima a two‑night stop to do it justice: a ferry across to Miyajima for the famed Itsukushima Shrine and its “floating” torii, then time at the Peace Memorial Museum and Park, before dinner in the downtown district.

Back on the bikes, we sweep along the Seto Inland Sea with a graceful detour over the arched timbers of Kintaikyō Bridge, knit together by relaxed coastal sections and café stops, finishing the day in Kitakyushu. 

The following leg carries us east for a taste of Kyūshū’s geothermal heart – the steaming “Hells” of Beppu – and a lunch‑hour rummage through the Iwashita Collection, a wonderfully eclectic trove of machines and memorabilia, before rolling into Fukuoka for the evening. 

We then downshift for a rest day in Fukuoka: optional ride‑outs if you still have energy to spare, or easy sightseeing, shopping and dinner in Hakata’s downtown core – a perfect mid‑tour reset before we point the bikes back toward the Sea of Japan coast.

From Fukuoka we arc north through Kyūshū’s low hills to the calm waters of Kawachi Reservoir, then slip back onto Honshū for one of the trip’s great photo moments: the long sweep of Tsunoshima Bridge over turquoise shallows. The afternoon is an easy coastal run with coffee stops and Sea‑of‑Japan views before a relaxed evening in Masuda.

Hiroshima & Miyajima: the Peace Memorial Museum & Park and the “floating” torii at Itsukushima Shrine.

Ise‑Shima coast & Ama culture: Tea‑green Wazuka, Tōdai‑ji and the Iga‑ryū Ninja Museum lead to the coves of Ise‑Shima and a stop at Osatsu, home of the traditional Ama divers.

Kyushu slice: Beppu’s geothermal “Hells”, the eclectic Iwashita Collection, and a night in lively Fukuoka.