Tabbit Tours (Japan) sells "Sports Support Bus x Bicycle" tours around the ancient city of Ishioka, where you can cycle only to your desired destinations

Tabbit Tours (Japan) sells “Sports Support Bus x Bicycle” tours around the ancient city of Ishioka, where you can cycle only to your desired destinations

Posted by author February 15, 2025 Sports

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TOKYO, Feb. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Tabbit Tours (Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, President Yuji Kashimura) has recently started selling a day trip tour to Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, by bus and bicycle, “Enjoy the Mito Kaido and Edo Culture with the Sports Support Bus and Active Bicycle Tour of Ishioka.” Utilizing the “Sports Support Bus” (https://ssb-tours.com/), which allows bicycles to be loaded onto the bus, the tour offers a new way to enjoy the ancient city of Ishioka while only visiting the places of your choice. Tourism Media Services spoke to the organisers to find out more about the tour.

■Tell me about the tour.
The tour is being carried out as part of the “Regional Tourism New Discovery Project” promoted by the Japan Tourism Agency in 2024, and the “Edo Kaido Project” initiative by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Kanto Regional Transport Bureau to brand the charms of the wider Kanto region (one metropolis and 10 prefectures) under the unified theme of “Edo Kaido” and revitalize the region through promoting highway tourism.

The Sports Support Bus is a vehicle that can carry sports gear in addition to passengers, making for an active trip. It can carry up to 10 bicycles, allowing you to cycle only in places that are easy and fun to ride, and allows you to easily travel long distances and ups and downs by bus, making for a new kind of trip.

■What kind of experience can you get on the tour.
On the tour, after a bicycle fitting and riding practice, participants will explore historic sites and gourmet spots in Ishioka, an ancient eastern capital with a history spanning over 1,300 years. The tour includes visits to Fuchu-juku, a post town that flourished during the Edo period and still retains traditional signboard architecture, as well as Kokubunji Temple, a nationally designated Special Historic Site. Additionally, participants will visit Hitachi-no-Kuni Soshagu Shrine, famous for hosting the “Ishioka no Omatsuri,” one of the three major festivals in the Kanto region.

The tour also offers a unique hands-on experience of Edo-period culture through a “flint-making experience.”

The cycling route covers approximately 25 km, including the Koiseyama Cycling Road, which is popular among couples and families due to the saying, “If you ride together, you won’t pass each other, and love will blossom.” Other highlights include Asahi Pass, where Mount Fuji can be seen on clear days.

■Overview and Application Details
The tour is scheduled for May 10 and May 18, 2025. The participation fee is ¥27,500 per adult and ¥26,000 per child (elementary school students). Infants can join for free; however, they must sit on a guardian’s lap on the bus, and meals are not included. The tour includes one lunch. Adults can rent a bicycle for an additional fee.