Our Japan trip was different from many of our previous international trips in that we didn’t do a lot of guided tours. We’ve had amazing private tour guides from Belize to Portugal, but for some reason Japan seemed like a place we wanted to mostly explore on our own. The one exception is that we booked the Hidden Kyoto E-Biking Tour and we are so glad that we did!
Much like its tours, the Noru bike shop is also a little off the beaten path, or at least in a part of the city that is not accessible by the subway. Our public transportation options were bus or tram… and we opted for cab (only our second in 2 weeks in Japan!). We were running a little late and not super familiar with either of those transportation options so we decided to take a cab. It really wasn’t any faster but it was less stressful. On the way back we took the bus, which had a stop only about 5 minutes from the bike shop. We had to wait a decent amount of time for the right bus but the system was easy to figure out.
We were a few minutes late and were relieved when we arrived and found out that we were the only ones on the tour. (I was afraid we’d either miss the tour or other guests would be waiting for us.) Our guide Sean was very gracious and quickly fitted us for helmets and bikes so we could get on our way. It was drizzling and he debated where we should go and in what order but ultimately landed on an itinerary that worked well despite the weather.
The tour promises to take you off the beaten path to quieter parts of the city with fewer crowds. And they deliver! We did opt in to the decidedly on-the-beaten-path stop at Kinkaku-ji, the Zen temple more commonly known as the Golden Pavilion. But the remaining stops were definitely less well-known and not frequently visited by tourists: Kitano Tenmangu (a Shinto shrine) and Genko-an Temple (a Zen Buddhist temple). We also stopped at the oldest continuously operating family-run confectionary shop in Japan (Ichiwa) to enjoy some surprisingly sweet and delicious Aburi-mochi (grilled rice cakes). And we rode to a scenic overlook in Funaokayama Park, where we enjoyed the view of the city on a rainy day.
Sean was a fantastic guide. He was knowledgeable, friendly and fun. We learned so much from him about different aspects of Shintoism and Buddhism. In retrospect we wish this tour had been one of the first things we had done in Japan because we would have gotten much more out of our visits to other shrines and temples with the knowledge we gained from Sean. We also really enjoyed the stop at Ichiwa with him, as he was not just a great guide but an interesting person to talk to socially as well.
Sean made sure we were safe the entire time. He lead our group through the streets of Kyoto, always staying aware of the traffic and where all four of us were and giving us instructions on where/how to navigate safely on the streets and at crossings. And he took extra caution in the rain when the roads got a little slick.
I had never ridden an e-bike and was a little nervous beforehand. But it was really easy! The bikes were all in great condition (they seemed basically new to me) and were easy to use. They have three different modes providing increasing levels of assistance. Sean would tell us when we were coming up to a big hill and should switch to the highest power mode, and we were able to easily make the climb. The one thing to watch out for is that the brakes are reversed in Japan – the right brake lever controls the front break and the left break lever controls the rear brake. Sean did warn us about this but old habits die hard. Well maybe not that hard… I almost get sent over the handlebars early on but it was a mistake I only made once! I’m not a huge bike riding fan in general but really loved riding the e-bikes. They provided the little boost I needed to make riding easier and more enjoyable.
Overall the Hidden Kyoto E-Biking Tour was one of our favorite things we did in Japan. It was a unique and fun way to see the city. Kyoto’s top attractions tend to be super popular so it was nice to go to some really interesting places that were not crowded. We learned a lot from our guide and had a great time in the process. I highly recommend taking this tour!
