The days went by in a flurry of impressions, gleaned over the handlebars. There was the babble of snow monkeys in the trees near Kofu (a town that grows those extravagantly expensive fruits that are given as gifts). There were elegantly spired, tightly-packed Buddhist cemeteries in the midst of almost iridescent green rice paddies. There were mountain peaks densely packed with cypress and marked by absolute stillness, save for the piercing cries of Japanese Golden Eagles. There were restorative bowls of soba noodles at family-run roadside restaurants, elaborate kaiseki meals eaten wearing summer yukata robes, and Japanese snacks at the RAID rest stops. There were “shortcuts” down eerily abandoned country roads. There were memorable stays in new-to-me cities like Takayama (dubbed “mini-Kyoto,” without the crowds), where, in the sleek Hotel Wood, you find yourself immersed in the onsen with the same people you’ve been riding with, except you’re all now naked.
But there’s little room for shame on this trip: On another night, in the town of Kaga, we find ourselves in a small karaoke bar called Swing Club, singing Bon Jovi full-throat. Sauber discovered the place years ago and has been returning ever since. When we walk in, swelling the bar’s population, the septuagenarian proprietress—a former classical dancer in the Bon Odori tradition, wearing a leopard-print blouse—beams at him warmly. He doesn’t recall her name. “I have these experiences all over the world,” he tells me. “It’s not about names. It’s about interactions.”
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So beguiling is this whole trip that several guests, joined by their partners, would be sticking around to do RAID’s other Japan itinerary, a less strenuous trip through the Southern Islands. Sauber says that in general, while some cycling experience is suggested, it’s also a chance for participants—typically already thrust out of their comfort zone by being in Japan—to expand their sense of self. Among the clients on that trip, he notes, is a 70-year-old woman, bringing her e-bike. “She’s super adventurous, she’s traveled all over,” he says. “RAID is about pushing people’s limits, stretching that elastic—creating an experience that actually challenges people.”
RAID Cycling leads trips in countries across the globe, including Japan. Rates for the 8-day Tokyo to Kyoto trip start at $6800, which includes lodging, transport and support during the trip, and all meals.
