Pacific Cycling Route
The Pacific Cycle Route is a scenic long-distance cycling path that follows Japan’s eastern coastline. Spanning over 1,400 kilometers from Chiba to Wakayama, it offers riders the chance to enjoy diverse coastal landscapes, from sandy beaches to quiet fishing villages. Along the way, cyclists can experience local culture, fresh seafood, and tranquil seaside roads. With some of well-maintained paths and scenic detours, the Pacific Cycle Route is ideal for those looking to explore Japan at a relaxed pace, whether for a single section or the full journey.
Route
The official route is here (English).
Officially the route runs from East (Chiba) to West (Wakayama) but the route can be done either way and is signposted in both directions
Share your experiences and discuss the route on Cyclists Road Map: Pacific Cycling Route on Cyclists Road Map
Despite the name very little (only some of the portions in Shizuoka and Aichi and a tiny section in Wakayama) of the route is on dedicated cycle ways with the rest being on regular roads. The route does try to keep off major roads but there are some sections that are on busy 2-lane or 4-lane roads (and in some of those cases the official route is on a sidewalk but in many cases the route is on a busy two lane road that doesn’t have a sidewalk) and some of the roads that it uses can feel dangerous with the high truck traffic.
Chiba
The route follows the Chiba coast from from the Eastern Most point south around the Boso Peninsula and then crosses the Tokyo Bay Ferry and the route continues into Kanagawa.
The portion on the East coast is quite nice with some sections away from the road on dedicated bike paths next ot the ocean
However, Keep in mind that the road along the coast Between Onjuku and Kamngawa can be somewhat busy on weekends and the road North of Tateyama is almost always busy. There are some inland alternatives and offer nice scenery as well but will require significant preplanning to find a route
Kanagawa
Through Kanagawa, the Pactific Cycling route follows the coast around Miura Peninsula and then across Route 134 (4 lanes and very straight but traffic isn’t too bad) and Route 1 (traffic can be a bit heavy but only 1 lane each way and doesn’t travel fast so tolerable) along the coast. There is a few kilometers which are separated from traffic which is nice.
Izu
The Pacific cycling road gives the rider the choice of either going around the Izu peninsula or cross the mountains and skip the peninsula (for those who would like to cut off even more and reduce climbing, one can use the Route 11 tunnel through the mountains from Atami)
The Izumi peninsula’s coastal roads are a bit of a mixed bag, while there is some fantastic cycling in various places around the peninsuala, large parts of the coast road on
Shizuoka Heartland
Crossing Shizuoka prefecture represents over 200km of travelling over varying types of roads varying from shoulders of busy dual carriage ways to grade separated cycle paths along the ocean.
The official route follows a bicycle path along the coast but for a substantial part of Shizuoka prefecture keeping riders away from traffic. Some of the river crossings even have dedicated cycling bridges however some of the larger ones do not and require the rider to ride up river to a larger bridge
Ise-Toyohashi
The Pacific Cycling Route does not pass through Nagoya but skips it using the Isewan Ferry which runs between Toba and the Irago Peninsula which extens from Toyohashi. Portions of the route are on a beautiful seaside cycling path.
Just note that the path ends at a set of stairs so be sure to follow the signs.
Toba offers a nice ride along the historical Ise Kaido.
Kii Peninsula
See details about the Kii Peninsula.
The Kii Peninsula is 350 kilometers around the coast about half in Mie Prefecture and half in Wakayama prefecture. Many sections are on the busy coastal road but some sections are away from traffic
The Wakayama 800 cycling project has many extra side routes througout the Kii Peninsula and Wakayama
Wakayama End
The West end of the route is just to the West of Wakayama City near the ocean
Links
Official Government website (Japanese Only)
