GlobeRiders® - Japan Hanami Motorcycle Adventure Tour 2008 Info

Overview of the Japan Hanami Tour

NOTE: Due to the popularity of our newest offering, the Japan Hanami tour is sold-out, although in the event of a withdrawal, we are more than happy to accept reservation/qualification requests on a waitlist-only basis.

GlobeRiders is pleased to announce our inaugural Japan Hanami Tour in 2008, a scenic and cultural tour in the the Land of the Riding Sun during the month of April, when the nation turns out for festivals, picnics and parties under the short-lived bloom of cherry trees, an icon of the Japanese Islands.

Over the years, we have received numerous requests for a tour of shorter duration than our current adventures. We believe this tour fits the bill. We conducted a pre-run in 2006, and after two years of planning, feel that we are offering one of the best motorcycling experiences you can have in this island nation. Like all GlobeRiders tours, we will arrange for round-trip shipment of your very own, personalized motorcycle from our home port of Seattle, Washington, USA, to Tokyo, Japan, and back.

During our 17-day journey, we will see the old and new in Tokyo, then head up the middle of northern Honshu (the main island). From the northern seaport of Aomori, we will board a ferry, bound for the green and mountainous island of Hokkaido. We will circumnavigate Hokkaido, then take an overnight ferry for the return to Honshu. We'll the make a final short run down the eastern, Pacific Ocean coast of Honshu, wending our way back to Tokyo for the conclusion of the tour.

Japan Hanami Adventure "Add-On" for GlobeRiders World Tour 2008 Participants

For confirmed participants of our World Tour 2008, a special Japan Hanami Tour Add-On package is being offered, allowing you to participate in the Japan Hanami Tour as a "pre-tour" before the World Tour 2008 itself begins.

At the conclusion of the Japan Hanami Tour, as the participants of the Japan tour fly home, those riders also on our World Tour 2008 will ride from Tokyo to the seaport of Kobe in southern Honshu.

With the add-on package, the Japan Hanami tour will be 21 days in duration for riders also on the World Tour 2008 - this includes a 3-day ferry voyage from Japan to China.

In Kobe, motorcycles will be cleared through Japanese customs, and loaded into a container for shipment to the seaport of Tianjin, China, the seaport for the capitol city of Beijing, and the start of the World Tour 2008. The containerized motorcycles will be loaded on the same ferry that our riders will take to Tianjin.

Round-trip shipment of your motorcycle from our home port of Seattle, Washington, USA
Complete 17-day tour ground package
A mix of accommodations, Western, traditional Japanese ryokan and onsen resort hotels, and the unique Biker House hostels of Hokkaido
Full day private coach tour of Tokyo, to include Ueno ("Motorcycle City"), Akihabara ("Electric Town"), Asakusa Canon Temple, and Sumida River boat Cruise
Visit to the Toshogu Shinto Temple in Nikko
Matsushima Islands boat cruise
Visit to Chuson-ji Temple in Hiraizumi
Ride to Tazawa-ko, the deepest lake in Japan
Street tour of cherry blossoms and preserved samurai homes in Kakunodate
Relaxing evenings enjoying the natural hot springs and spas in Matsushima and Kakunodate
High-speed ferry from Honshu to Hokkaido, and over-night ferry from Hokkaido on the return to Tokyo
Two-night layover in Sapporo, home of Sapporo Beer, and host of the 1972 Winter Olympics
Photo-op at Soya-Misaki, the nothernmost point in Japan, with views of the contested Sakhalin Islands
The wetlands and Japanese Cranes of Kushiro
The idyllic pine-covered islands of Matsushima
GlobeRiders staff guide
Bilingual guide on motorcycle from start to finish
Most dinners, all breakfasts
Private group Welcome Dinner at tour's beginning, and Farewell Dinner at tour's conclusion
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

This will be our first tour in Japan. Although an informal pre-run for this tour was conducted in 2006 following the same general itinerary, our Japan tour partner has selected a slightly revised itinerary and completely different list of accommodations for 2008, so there will be an "expeditionary" element to all of this!

To participate in the tour, you must be both experienced and comfortable riding in crowded urban traffic, and riding relatively long distances on paved roads with a fully-loaded motorcycle. You will be carrying all of your gear with you at all times. You should own a touring or "dual-purpose" type motorcycle, with sturdy, lockable panniers or saddlebags, and an approved handlebar-mounted portable Garmin GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver.

Note: Japanese vehicles and the road and highway system are left-hand drive. To those in North America and Continental Europe, this is the "wrong side of the road" <g>.

The tour package fee DOES include: two-way/round-trip containerized shipment of your motorcycle from our home port of Seattle, Washington, USA to Tokyo, Japan, all shipping, customs clearance and processing fees for temporary importation of your motorcycle, all accommodations, most dinners, all breakfasts, fees for our local guide, ground transfers and bus transportation on sightseeing days, most en route museum or planned group activity fees, round-trip passage on the ferry between Honshu and Hokkaido, and limited coverage trip cancellation and interruption insurance.

In order to temporarily import a vehicle into Japan, a special custom's bond called a Carnet de Passage en Douane (CPD) is required for each motorcycle. In essence, this is a bond, the amount based on the market value of your motorcycle, which will be held in escrow until the motorcycle returns to its point of origin. GlobeRiders will process Carnets for participants on this tour.

For more information, please see the Carnet page of the issuing agency for North America, CAA (the Canadian Automobile Association). You can visit their Carnet page by clicking here.

A more informal source of information on the Carnet (CPD)can be found on the Wikipedia website by clicking here.

The tour package DOES NOT include: the bond for your Carnet (CPD), motorcycle or shipping insurance, your airfare to/from Tokyo, Japan, transportation of your motorcycle to/from our home port of Seattle, personal daily expenses such as fuel, consumables, lunch, beverages (alcoholic or otherwise), highway or bridge tolls, costs for any service, repair or recovery of your motorcycle, or tips for guides and service personnel where warranted.

Information for the Japan Hanami Tour Add-On tour for confirmed World Tour participants will be provided directly to those participants, but should you have any questions, you can email us by clicking here.

Double-Occupancy Cost for Rider and Motorcycle	USD$10,950
Double-Occupancy Cost for Pillion Passenger on Motorcycle ("Two-Up")	USD$7,450
Single-Room Supplement/Upgrade for Above	USD$1,800
Double-Occupancy Cost for World Tour Participant Add-On Tour (Continuation from Tokyo to Kobe, Ferry to Tianjin, China)	USD$1,950
Single-Room Supplement/Upgrade for Above	USD$350

For additional information about our tours and processes, please visit our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page by clicking here.

If you have questions, wish make a no obligation reservation, or wish to place a deposit to secure your reservation, you may send us email by clicking here.

The Fine Print: Early planning is essential. Riders, passengers, motorcycles and portable GPS receivers must be qualified by GlobeRiders. You will be asked to provide riding and character references. Only approved motorcycles with spoked wheels are allowed on our tours. Tour participants are required to obtain a signed certification of good health from their physician. Participants must show proof of medical and medical evacuation insurance. Safety first; a full coverage or flip-up style full-coverage helmet, full-fingered gloves, full-coverage riding suit with protective armor and riding boots must be worn at all times when your motorbike is in motion. Priority placement is always given to GlobeRiders clients who are return customers. Final pricing for any tour may be adjusted to reflect changes in foreign exchange rates and/or the final group size. A 10% deposit is required to confirm a reservation for any tour. Once paid, this deposit is non-refundable should you withdraw from the tour. Should GlobeRiders cancel the tour for any reason, any deposits or tour package fees will be refunded 100%.