Cycling the Wazuka tea fields and Kasagi valley: a local guide
The short answer: Yes, you can cycle through Japanese tea fields, and one of the best places in the country to do it is less than an hour from Kyoto. The Kasagi valley and the tea fields of Wazuka sit in the hills of southern Kyoto Prefecture: terraced tea fields climbing the slopes, a river valley threaded with quiet roads, and villages where the arrival of a group of cyclists is still an event. Trains from Kyoto and the trip is easy and smooth. This guide covers where it is, how to get there, what the riding is like and how to do it respectfully, because these are working farms, not a theme park.
Where this is, and why you've never heard of it
Wazuka is one of Japan's most important tea-growing towns. Its terraced fields supply a significant share of the leaf sold as Uji tea, a famous Kyoto name-brand tea. Kasagi, one valley over on the Kizu River, is a small town under a mountain famous for its enormous carved boulders and the temple among them.
Neither is on the standard tourist trail. There's no bullet train station, no queue and no gift shop district. That's the appeal. The scenery, especially the tea terraces in the morning light, is the kind of Japan most visitors only see on packaging.
Getting there from Kyoto or Osaka without a car
Take the JR Nara Line from Kyoto Station and change at Kizu for the JR Kansai Main Line to Kasagi Station. The whole journey takes about 60 minutes. From Osaka it's even easier, see here for maps and details.
What the riding is like
The valley floor is gentle: riverside roads along the Kizu river, farmland, small bridges, almost no traffic. The tea fields are in the hills, which means the best views come with climbs. This is where e-bikes stop being a luxury. The e-assist takes the sting out of the terraced slopes, so the ride stays a pleasure for mixed groups rather than a test for the fittest person in it.
Expect: quiet single-lane roads between tea terraces, farmers at work depending on the season, river views, forest sections and long stretches where the loudest thing is your own freewheel. Surfaces are paved throughout the routes we ride, although we do have some off-road options for those more daring.
Fitness-wise, if you can ride a bike comfortably with breaks, the e-bikes handle the rest.
When to come
Spring (April to May). The best window of the year. New tea leaves flush a brilliant green and the first harvest happens around early May; where you may even see the fields being picked (depending of course on that season’s crop and conditions).
Summer (June to August). Deep green terraces, hot days, the river at its most inviting. Ride early.
Autumn (October to November). Clear air and colour in the hill forests above the terraces. Kasagi's maples draw local visitors; it's the valley's busy season, by valley standards.
Winter (December to February). Cold, quiet and occasionally magical: frost, and some years snow, on the tea rows. Dress warm; the riding does the rest.
The rides we run. All tours are private, so the group is yours and the pace is yours.
Full-day tea fields and countryside tour. 7 hours and about 45 km through the Kasagi valley and the Wazuka tea fields: imagine rural roads, river views, tea terraces and village life. ¥100,000 per group of up to 6 riders, the ride includes bikes, helmets, guidance, a tea stop and lunch.
Half-day Kasagi valley tour. 4 hours and about 22 km through Kasagi's river valley and countryside. Costing ¥75,000 per group, the tour includes bikes, helmets, guidance and lunch.
Custom routes. Custom rides are our one of our favorite things to build: get in touch and tell us your group's pace and interests and we'll design a route around you.
Can you do it self-guided?
Honestly, it's hard. Bike rental options in the valley are tricky and the best roads don't announce themselves on map apps (the difference between a magical route and a slog along a trunk road is local knowledge). If you're an experienced tourer with your own bike, the valley will reward you and we encourage you to give it a shot. For most visitors to the area, this is a place where a guide changes the day rather than just narrating it.
Riding among working farms: the etiquette
The tea terraces are farmland, and the people in them are working. A few rules we ride by and ask every guest to keep:
Stay on the roads. Never walk or ride into the tea rows, even for a photo; the plants are the farm's livelihood.
Photograph landscapes freely; ask before photographing people at work.
Keep noise down through the villages. A bell and a nod go a long way.
Carry your rubbish out. There are far fewer bins than you're used to.
If a farm vehicle needs the lane, it has priority. Pull in, wait, wave.
Visitors who ride this way are the reason the farmers still wave back. Help us keep it that way.
Common questions
Do I need to be fit? No. E-bikes are available and the pace is relaxed. If you can ride a bike, you can ride the valley.
Can children come? We do have children’s sized e-bikes but we encourage you to get in touch to discuss the realities of the day
Is there anywhere to eat out there? Absolutely, there are some great little restaurants and cafes we will introduce you to on the tour,
Can I taste the tea? A simple tea tasting is included in our full day tour. To add a guided tour of one of the tea fields, get in touch here and we will discuss options with you directly.
What if it rains? For safety and comfort, we cannot ride in anything past the lightest drizzle and we will cancel in any cases we believe to be dangerous. Cancelled tours will of course be fully refunded.
Where do we meet? Check out this page for details.
We started riding out here because it was where we went on our days off. Cycle Kasagi is the newest company in the Cycle Japan family, and the tours are the ones we love most: tea fields, river valleys and quiet roads. Come and see why.