OUR TEAM
Once upon a time, Rob fell head over heels in love with bicycles. He found it to be the perfect way to explore the beauty of natural landscapes, all while cruising at the perfect pace with friends. After graduating from the Eastman School of Music, Rob took off to Japan. For two years, he worked, cycled, and created a community of coffee-lovers and bike enthusiasts.
For a decade since, Rob has been building routes on roads less-traveled with a goal of bringing international visitors to the overlooked parts of the Japanese countryside. In the off-season, he can be found zenning out on a sunrise-to-sunset bike ride, fueled by yakiimo (Japanese sweet potato) or moving dirt to make new MTB trails in Gunma Prefecture. From secret spots in Kiryu to unexpected cultural experiences in corners farther from home, Rob loves nothing more than to share delightful experiences with RINDO guests!
A decade ago, Michelle went on a cross-USA charity bike tour where she met Rob. Since that fateful summer, she has been coming to Japan and continuing to discover the endless wonders of the countryside, especially in the hidden corners that often go overlooked.
Michelle's heart is filled with passion for Japan's quaint mountain-side towns and all the outdoor activities it inspires, from cycling and hiking to skiing and swimming. She is often seen around Gunma, Tochigi, and Nagano, either cycling on a tiny windy road or helping guests as support staff on self-guided tours.
With snacks in her pockets and her bike at the ready, Michelle is always ready to go out for an adventure spin.
Paul has a life as diverse as the cultures he's encountered. Originating from Auckland, New Zealand, he has made Tokyo his home since 1991. Paul pursued a Bachelor's degree in Italian and Chinese Language and Literature, a testament to his unquenchable thirst for languages and cultures. He embarked on a remarkable 36-year journey into Chinese and Japanese martial arts, cultivating a deep respect for discipline and technique. Alongside his martial arts journey, he proudly holds a license as a Shiatsu practitioner, combining his physical prowess with healing skills.
Paul's life took an exciting twist when a high school friend introduced him to the world of road cycling. Witnessing his first race, the Giro d’Italia in the early 80s, ignited a lifelong passion for pedal-powered adventures. Five years ago, he rekindled this passion, using cycling as a gateway to explore Japan's magnificent landscapes. His passion extends beyond personal enjoyment, as he serves as a presenter for "Cycle Around Japan" since 2019, unveiling Japan's awe-inspiring scenery and sharing the nation's magic to a worldwide audience.
His ultimate mission is to inspire and empower as many people as possible to embrace cycling as both transport and education. Whether riding with a seasoned cyclist or newcomer, Paul is committed to being a supportive cycling companion!
Years ago, June headed from her hometown of Boston to New York to learn Japanese and creative writing. Sparked by a love for anime and manga, she immediately fell under the captivating spell of Japan's linguistic nuances and decided to set off across the world to submerge herself in the culture.
After a year of living in Kagoshima, Kyushu our intrepid explorer moved to Gunma Prefecture and has made it her home for the past four years. Through her work in translation and tourism marketing, she came to know Gunma like the back of her hand. As a child, June spent endless hours outdoors wandering through the woods with friends, and this love of nature and all things green still burns bright. When she had to give up her car, she discovered the joy of cycling and fell in love with long rides through nature and countryside villages.
When she's not exploring Gunma by bicycle, June can be found hiking up a mountain with friends, or pounding on a taiko drum. If you're lucky, you might even catch her performing with her team at festivals around Takasaki. June's excited for you to fall in love with all that Japan has to offer, just as she has!
Tory, a Portland, Oregon native, lives with a passion for discovery and a deep connection to nature. After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy, he was stationed in Montana, where he worked in Nuclear Missile Operations. During this time, he rekindled his love for the outdoors, earning certification as a PSIA ski instructor and becoming an outdoor guide in Big Sky, Montana. There, he led day-hiking tours, mountain biking excursions, and guided trips through Yellowstone National Park, sharing the beauty and wonder of the Northern Rocky Mountain Wilderness.
Beyond his love for the outdoors, Tory developed a strong commitment to the Japanese language at age 14 when he traveled to Gunma Prefecture through the Rotary Exchange Program. This experience sparked a lifelong appreciation for Japanese culture and led him to eight years of formal language study, including a semester abroad at Kansai International Language University in Osaka. Years later, in 2023, Tory embarked on a four-week bike-packing journey around Kyushu, Japan, blending his passion for cycling with his love for Japanese culture. During this time, his continued study of Japanese culture deepened his appreciation for life’s fleeting nature, allowing him to find gratitude in every experience, challenge, and connection that shaped his journey. Now, he’s eager to share his knowledge of Japan through what he believes is the most immersive and rewarding way to explore any country—by bike!
Though he grew up in Indonesia, Edison is a citizen of the world. He has been living and moving across the globe since 1998 — first to the US for college pursuing Engineering and Linguistics, then to China and Germany, before settling in Japan.
He moved to Hokkaido in winter 2016 to finally immerse himself into the world of snowboarding once and for all. Every winter since, he enjoys Japan’s wonderful famous powder snow.
After another relocation to Tokyo to study music, bicycle-commuting has been an inseparable life norm. But during the pandemic while avoiding Tokyo crowds, his interest in cycling grew exponentially. He discovered the beauty of cycling around the Japanese countryside and mountains, all while purifying himself at local onsens. Before he knew it, his apartment had turned itself into a bike workshop, and Edison turned himself into a bike mechanic, tinkering and building his own bikes.
When not on long cycling excursions, you can find him carving through Tokyo alleyways, discovering endless new delicacies in the world's largest metropolis, or playing badminton at the gym.
Fluent in Indonesian, English, Chinese, and Japanese, Edison is excited to share his odyssey and riding experiences around Japan, and meet all the wonderful riders around the world.
Meet Hugo, an adventurer who carved his path across more than 100 countries to reach the enchanting realm of Japan. Currently based in the ski town of Nozawa Onsen, Hugo originally comes from Northern Spain, where his childhood unfolded in a quaint town surrounded by some of the world's finest vineyards.
His affinity for the outdoors has been a lifelong affair, leading him to the exhilarating world of skiing and snowboarding. From a young age, he found himself teaching snow sports, complementing his passions with pursuits like trail running, surfing, and even teaching scuba diving during the summers. Over the past decade, cycling has claimed the throne as his primary pursuit. Whether it's bikepacking, mountain biking, road cycling, or gravel riding, he's up for any two-wheeled adventure, especially if it involves some challenging ascents.
For the past five years, he's also been racing gravel and guiding on bike. His enthusiasm extends beyond cycling – he's a natural conversationalist, eager to share life experiences and listen to the tales of others. He can't wait to hit the exceptional rindo of Japan with riders from all over the world!
As a genuine bicycle enthusiast Dale, who sees them not only as an amazing invention, but also agrees with David Byrne that they are a quick and efficient way to get around and get a proper sense of the place that you are in, looks forward to sharing his love for Japan with the Rindo riders. He has been a lifelong bicycle commuter in any weather, a bikepacking enthusiast and today cycling, along with skiing and surfing, are his main passions. Dale is the right guy to show you the beauty of cycling, allowing riders an interaction that has been lost with other forms of transportation. In combination with Japan's breathtaking natural scenery, delicious cuisine, and unique culture whose hidden gems can be discovered more readily at a slower pace on a bicycle, he will be able to show you exactly what his heart burns for.
Whether riding the backstreets of a city, in the countryside, mountains or coastal areas he is always on a bike meeting people and learning something new. Eager to let you partake in these remarkable experiences, Dale is happy to welcome you here in Japan.
Atsuko was born and raised here in Kiryū, Gunma, a true local with a love for its balance of city and nature that precisely makes this place so special. With a Master’s degree in Architecture from a University in Kanazawa, she then moved to the big metropolitan city of Tokyo to work for a design office. However, her heart and curiosity strove for the greater things of the world and she decided to switch out her blueprints for kitchen knives in Toronto. That’s where she discovered her passion for food and hospitality, which she perfected in some of Toronto’s top restaurants, before carrying it back home to Kiryū to open up her charming 1203cafe that impresses with a delicious assortment of diverse dishes that represent her love and dedication.
She is, without a doubt, proof of the infamous level of Japanese hospitality that makes everyone around her feel at home and comfortable - ready to make you feel like that here as well!
Shiori grew up in a big family at the base of Mt Haruna in Gunma Prefecture. She has limited English, but is a great communicator with international visitors from around the world. As a massage therapist, she enjoys helping riders relax and rejuvenate at the end of a long day on the bike.
When she's not helping people on the massage table, you'll find her playing volleyball, futsal, or basketball. Shiori also enjoys unwinding in the local hot springs and experimenting with her culinary skills, blending local and international flavors in the kitchen. She's a true Gunma local and enthusiast!
Harry was born and raised in London, but his love for the wild has taken him across five continents. From tracking biodiversity in Egypt’s Ras Mohamed Nature Reserve to kayaking in Falmouth, cuddling sharks in Chiba, and skiing the backcountry of Hakuba, he has always sought adventure in nature. However, nowhere has captured his heart quite like Japan, with its breathtakingly diverse landscapes and rich culture.
A budding mountain biker, Harry thrives on the trails. He is especially looking forward to racing Rob down his newly built routes in Kiryu. His ideal ride? A crisp autumn day, speeding through the mountains with a freshly steamed nikuman in his pocket, the perfect fuel for the journey. His favourite cycling tour is the Shimanami Kaidō, where soaring hawks and the swirling Naruto whirlpools create a truly unforgettable ride.
Harry first met Rob and Michelle as a tenant in Hakuba, but through deep conversations with Rob and yoga sessions with Michelle, their friendship quickly grew. Whether climbing Mt. Fuji with Michelle’s encouragement or chasing new experiences with Rob’s support, Harry values not just the thrill of adventure but the stories shared along the way. For him, cycling is about connection—both to nature and to the people who ride beside him.
OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU
At BTJ, WE ARE obsessed with experience.
Our team takes care of all the subtle details so that our guests can savor each moment. Bike Tour Japan’s expert guides are unbelievable hosts and knowledgeable ambassadors who will guide you on roads that have yet to be discovered by the outside world.
OUR CORE VALUES
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES THROUGH CULTURAL CONNECTION
We believe that traveling by bicycle is the best way to experience a place. Cycling brings you closer to the land and its people than just about any other mode of travel. But as much as we love cycling, it’s not always about the bike. Let us show you our favorite places to experience, learn, eat, explore, and relax, hidden in Japan’s mysterious countryside. We can’t wait to have you hop on the saddle with us to discover the joys of cycling in Japan.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS
It is our passion to encourage and empower YOU, our guests, to hop on the saddle to experience Japan on your own terms. We believe it’s not only an excellent way to connect with the culture, but it’s also good for our environment. At BTJ, we are consistently pushing to decrease the environmental impact that travel has on our world. This means refusing single-use plastics when possible, reducing food waste, promoting the use of reusable items such as water bottles, and recycling everything that’s left. We want memories of your holiday to last for years to come, but in terms of physical waste, we strive to LEAVE NO TRACE.
LOCAL COMMUNITY
We like to keep things local on our trips. While many travel companies take guests to hotel chains that exist all around the world, 96% of our ryokan and restaurant partners are small, locally-owned businesses. We believe that we can build luxury experiences that are also authentic and true to the places we visit. Supporting local entrepreneurs and small businesses strengthens the small towns we ride through, improves quality of life, and gets re-invested back into the communities we know and love.
FAIR WAGES
We like to question industry standards and test new initiatives to make incredible experiences for both our guests and guides. Learn about our Fair Wage Promise and how Bike Tour Japan takes a different approach to tipping. [Learn More]
