The Kiso River Downhill — building Japan's most comfortable 50 km.
Almost fifty kilometres from Yabuhara down to Nagiso, nearly all of it downhill — local guides ride beside you with live English support, a support car shadows the group, and your luggage is moved to your inn while you ride. Pick your distance below: the classic full 50 km, the easy 25 km half, or — coming soon — the whole 100 km Kiso-ichi.
What makes this different
The things our first riders called “game-changing”:
WhatsApp, answered by humans
Bookings, questions, day-of changes — our own staff reply directly on WhatsApp, in English.
English, even mid-ride
While you ride, an intercom group call connects you, your guide and an interpreter operator — so the conversation flows the whole way down.
Bags handled, as standard
Hand your luggage over at the start and it's waiting at your inn. Included in the package — not an option.
Three ways down the valley.
Every ride comes as one package: a riding guide, a support driver & English operator, e-bikes, and your luggage moved to your inn.
MiddleNow runningA · Kiso River Downhill
The classic. Seven post towns, an unagi lunch in Agematsu, a detour into the Atera Gorge, and a finish line as the light goes long. Full details below.
EasyNow runningB · Half Downhill
The same river, half the distance. Start in the old checkpoint town of Kiso-Fukushima and ride the gentlest half of the valley — first-timers and families welcome.
ChallengeComing soonC · Kiso-ichi 木曽イチ
Climb up the Ina Valley, crest back into the Kiso, and ride the whole downhill home. Awa-ichi, Biwa-ichi… the next name on Japan's loop-ride pilgrimage list is Kiso-ichi — and you can be among the first.
The Kiso River Downhill, in detail.
48.9 km, Yabuhara-juku to Nagiso Station, almost all of it downhill. You set off near the headwaters of the Kiso River and follow the water as it grows from a mountain stream into a full river, rolling past seven of the old Kiso road's post towns on one long, gentle descent. A local guide rides with every group, while a support driver — doubling as your English operator — shadows the day by car with your luggage on board.
The course
The full 48.9 km line, Yabuhara to Nagiso. Open the route in Google Maps →
Who rides with you
A team of local cyclists who ride these roads all year round — one guide riding with each group, plus a support driver who doubles as your English operator. As you ride, your guide adds a line or two of each town's story over the intercom.
How the day runs
- Yabuhara-juku · 9:30 930 mMeet at Coffee Bar Yabuhara, 10 minutes' walk from the station — the post town below the Torii Pass watershed, where the Kiso River begins
- MiyanokoshiHome town of the samurai lord Kiso Yoshinaka and the woman warrior Tomoe Gozen — a stop at the Tomoe-buchi pool
- Kiso-FukushimaThe great checkpoint town of the old road — coffee and a Kiso monaka sweet
- Agematsu · ~12:00Town of the Kiso hinoki cypress that rebuilds Ise Grand Shrine — unagi lunch
- SuharaA short breather in the quiet post town
- Nojiri → Atera GorgeThe detour everyone remembers: emerald water between white granite
- Nagiso · ~16:00 409 mRoll in on the quiet rail-side lane and finish at Izumiya Cafe — coffee until your train, or a bed at Kashiwaya
Opening campaign — every group rides at half price right now.
One price for the whole day. ¥80,000 is the regular base for a group of four; each rider more or fewer moves the total by 15% (¥12,000) — and the opening campaign then halves the total.
- A local guide riding with you
- A support driver & English operator shadowing the group by car
- High-power fat-tire e-bikes, helmets included
- Your luggage, moved from the start to your inn
- 2 riders
¥56,000¥28,000 - 3 riders
¥68,000¥34,000 - 4 riders
¥80,000¥40,000 - 5 riders
¥92,000¥46,000 - 6 riders
¥104,000¥52,000
Message us with your date and group size — we'll confirm the day. Pay on the day, card or cash. (Our Nagiso ⇄ Nojiri luggage shuttle is a separate service — on a guided day, bags are simply part of the package.) Tours rest every Monday.
Before you commit
Can I ride this one self-guided?
No — this course is guided only. In a few places, one wrong turn drops you onto roads with heavy traffic. To keep the day safe, your guide rides the whole route with you, with the support car close behind.
I'm not sure I can ride 50+ km.
Nearly 50 km sounds like an expert distance, we know. But it's gentle downhill almost the entire way, and on the few uphill stretches the high-powered e-bike does the climbing for you. If you can ride a normal bike 10 km on flat ground, you'll reach the finish smiling. And if you'd rather start smaller, that's exactly what Course B is for.
Can I bail out partway?
Yes. The route shadows the JR line the whole way, so if you're not feeling well you can step off and take a train from the nearest station. Just lock the bike at the station rack and we'll collect it afterwards.
What happens in bad weather?
Rain or snow means we cancel and refund by default. Our e-bikes handle rough conditions well, though — so if it's light enough not to affect safety or the experience, and everyone's happy to ride, we may still run it. If the weather turns mid-ride, we stop there, refund part of the fee, and take the train to the finish.
What about bears?
Like everywhere in these mountains, the Kiso has Asiatic black bears. We hand you a bear bell and bear spray to carry, your lead guide always rides up front, and we run through a what-to-do-if-you-meet-one briefing before we set off.
How do you handle summer heat and winter cold?
In summer we lend you a rashguard, keep you dousing with water, and break to dip in the valley's river pools. In winter we lend cold-weather gear and stop at footbaths and onsen along the way to warm back up.
Every photo here was shot on tour.
The Early Morning Tour — own the valley before breakfast.
At seven in the morning the post town belongs to the residents, the river mist, and you. A slow two-hour guided loop through Nagiso's lanes and riverside roads in the softest light of the day — back by nine, in time for breakfast and checkout. The easiest way to try a guided ride.
Guide
One local guide for your whole group, 7:00–9:00.
E-Bike
Per person, bike included — so two riders come to ¥8,000, four to ¥12,000.
Out here, your guide is the first responder — and Yakkun's trained for it.
Yakkun is certified in Wilderness First Aid by Wilderness Medical Associates International — the same training that expedition crews and mountain-rescue teams rely on. Deep in the valley an ambulance can be a long way off, so he's trained to be the help until it arrives.
- Adult CPR and AED use
- Clearing an obstructed airway
- Controlling severe bleeding (hemorrhage control)
