Japan stretches from north to south some 2000km, which means it is technically possible to ride at just about any time of the year.
- Early April is 'hanami' cherry blossom season in Japan and a popular time for touring.
- From late April to mid-June, conditions are ideal (mild temperatures and lots of sunny days).
- Late-June to late-July is Japan's official rainy season. Although often not so noticeable, the probability of rain is higher at this time than at other times of the year.
- From Mid-July to mid-September it's hot hot hot.
- Early October to mid-November is another great time to ride. Autumn brings with it a gorgeous array of colors and it is generally a mild and dry time of year.
- From mid-November expect it to be a fairly cold ride. However, this is when you tend to get the best views, especially around Mt. Fuji.

No, we are open for 6 months of the year; from April 1st to June 30th, and from September 1st to November 30th. We close for the winter and for 2 months in the middle of summer.

The minimum rental period is 6 days.

Rules regarding licence documentation vary depending on the country where your licence was issued. For more information on licence documentation, please carefully check our licence requirements page.

All these items can be added as optional extras. If you would like side cases, top case and/or tank bag, or any other additional equipment, i.e. helmets, jacket, gloves, rain gear, etc, please make sure to add these items when making your way through the booking console.

Yes, you are welcome to store any extra luggage with us while you are out on the road.

When picking up your motorcycle from the Japan Bike Rentals office in Yamanashi...
You will need to take the train from Shinjuku Station to Nirasaki Station in Yamanashi Prefecture. The express train takes about 90 minutes and costs about 4200yen/person. The fastest trains leaving from Shinjuku Station are as follows: 7am, 7:30am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm. These trains require no changes and go straight to Nirasaki Station from Shinjuku, with only a couple of stops along the way. Other trains from Shinjuku to Nirasaki Station require one change at Kofu Station, and will likely take 2 hours instead of 90 minutes. These train times are as follows: 8am, 9am, 10am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 2pm.

We offer a complimentary pickup service from Nirasaki Station, and we will also take you back to Nirasaki Station after your ride.

The rates for Tokyo include delivery of the motorcycle to your Tokyo hotel, and then collection of the motorcycle from your Tokyo hotel after your tour is complete.

All bikes available for rent are listed in the prices section of the Japan Bike Rentals website.

As a general rule, the answer is no. There may however be times when this is possible. If this is something that interests you, please contact us by email.

We use Zumo 660 GPS units, and we use Sena SMH5 bluetooth headset intercoms

Yes, you may ride with a passenger and the good news is the passenger gets a free ride. We generally do not allow riders to take a passenger who is younger than 14 years of age.

No. All motorcycle insurance is mandatory. All prices listed on our website include comprehensive motorcycle insurance. For more details about coverage, please see the insurance section of the JBR Rules.

We also recommend taking out some independent travel insurance, so that you are covered in the case of illness or some other non-motorcycle related incident. Or if you are forced to cancel your trip for any reason, you would then be covered.

No. We do not provide a refund in such a case. In fact you will be liable for the full deductible charge. Please see the Insurance section of the JBR Rules for more information. Once again, we strongly recommend taking out some good travel insurance so that you will be covered in such a case.

Always lock your motorcycle when parked and choose your parking area carefully. Theft in Japan is very rare, however professionals as well as joy riders do tend to target nice looking motorcycles like the one you will be riding.

We recommend that you are not late for your pickup, because the clock will be ticking so to speak. Keep in mind that there is a compulsory orientation session, which takes about one hour, so make sure you arrive one hour prior to your official pickup time.

If you are running late on your return, please call us to inform one of our staff. Charges will be incurred for late returns. Please see the Motorcycle Drop-off section of the JBR Rules for more details. In the case that a motorcycle is not returned on time, and no contact has been made by the rider, JBR will contact the police and register the motorcycle as lost or stolen. Depending on the circumstances, this may become a criminal case.

Refunds will not be provided on the day of pickup or at any time during your rental period. Please check the JBR Rules section of our website for more details. We highly recommend that you look into travel insurance, so that you are covered in the event of any unforeseen circumstance that forces you to cancel your trip.

This will depend on motorcycle availability. If the motorcycle you are riding is not booked by another customer immediately after your drop-off date, we may be able to offer you some extra days. Payment for the trip extension is to be made by credit card via our online merchant vendor Stripe, and payment must be made prior to the start of the rental extension. If the motorcycle you are riding is already prebooked to another rider after your rental period, you may wish to come back into the JBR office and pay for a different motorcycle. You should be on the road again by the following day.

In the event of foul weather, JBR offers a 24hr grace period. Foul weather does not mean a normal rainy day, but rather a typhoon or freak snowstorm. In such a case, JBR will allow the rider to start 24 hours later. If your motorcycle is booked to another customer immediately after your drop-off date, then you will have the option of receiving a 1-day refund. Alternatively, if the motorcycle is not booked immediately after your drop-off date, you may leave and come back one day later and no changes to payment need be made.

Yes, but this will depend on availability. If the equipment you need is in stock and not pre-booked by another customer, you may rent the item. Payment will be made at time of pickup and payment will be charged to your credit card or you may pay in cash. Only Japanese yen is accepted.

For your added security and payment protection, we use internationally recognized, third-party secure online payment providers. For Credit Card payments, we use Stripe. For Bitcoin payment processing we use Confirmo. These payment processors are trusted by thousands of businesses worldwide.

All information that is transferred between you and Japan Bike Rentals is encrypted using SSL encryption. All credit card details are encrypted using a 40bit - 128bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Software. When you establish a secure connection, the downloaded website sends a digital certificate to your web browser. When the certificate arrives, it contains a public key, which functions as a one-way encryption device. The browser then uses this key to scramble your personal data (credit card information) before sending it over the Internet.

Yes. There is an 10% consumption tax in Japan. However, all prices listed on the Japan Bike Rentals website are inclusive of consumption tax, so there will be no additional taxes to pay. Hotels, restaurants, and gas stations all charge 10% consumption tax. This charge may be shown as an extra charge on the receipt or just included in the price.

Some do, some don't. We recommend confirming with your cell phone carrier. If your carrier does not provide service in Japan, we recommend getting a Japan SIM card or a wifi hotspot at the airport upon arrival in Japan.

Expect to struggle a little with communication. The people in the countryside generally do not speak English as well as people in the city. A phrase book will come in handy, as will your best gesturing skills. The locals are extremely hospitable and will go out of their way to make you feel at home, so no need to worry too much. It is all part of the adventure.

Japan is one of the safest countries on the planet. Theft is extremely rare and there is virtually no need to worry at all about your personal safety. However, naturally there is no guarantee, so use common sense.

ATMs are plentiful throughout Japan and can be found at most convenience stores, as well as at post offices and banks. These machines will accept most major credit cards, so make sure you know your credit card PIN number. Credit cards can be used at most major hotels and gas stations as well as many restaurants. However, to be on the safe side, we recommend going to a bank while in Tokyo and taking out enough cash to last you a few days.

No. There is no tipping in Japan. Even at fine restaurants and five-star hotels there is no need to tip. In fact, offering a tip can often create an uncomfortable situation, so best just to forget about tipping completely while you are in Japan.

No, this is generally not a good idea. First of all, the Fuji climbing season is short (July 1st to Sept 14th), and climbing Mt. Fuji outside of the climbing season is prohibited. If you visit Japan in the summer, and you wish to climb Mt. Fuji, we would recommend keeping your Fuji climb and your Japan motorcycle tour separate. We do not recommend riding to Mt. Fuji, doing the climb and then continuing your motorcycle tour. Climbing to the summit of Mt. Fuji takes at least a 6-8hr, and then you will need some time at the top before the 2-3hr climb back down again. In our opinion, to then get on a motorcycle and continue your bike tour is far from a good idea, and is not safe. The only exception to this rule is if you choose to stay in the Fuji 5-lakes region for 2-3 nights. Then it would be possible to combine your motorcycle tour with a Fuji climb.