{"id":168501,"date":"2025-01-24T14:36:58","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T05:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?p=168501&lang=en"},"modified":"2025-01-28T09:20:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T00:20:45","slug":"cycling-fukuoka-sasebo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/cycling-fukuoka-sasebo\/","title":{"rendered":"Cycling Fukuoka to Sasebo – (Northern Kyushu Winter Loop Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is part of our collection of cycling routes and reports for Fukuoka and Kyushu. Explore more rides on our index page<\/a>\u2014and get out and discover Kyushu<\/em><\/p>\n

Text and photos by: <\/b>Tim Muzik \/ <\/span>Follow on Strava<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Today, we\u2019re setting off on a week-long winter cycling trip through some of Kyushu\u2019s most beautiful seaside towns and snow-capped volcanoes. We plan to head south down the Nagasaki Peninsula, cross to Kumamoto via the Amakusa Coast, and then into the mountains to traverse the Aso crater and the Kuju pass. This route is perfect for anyone planning a trip that showcases the beauty of Japan\u2019s southern island while immersing in local history and tackling some of the high-altitude climbs that make this region unique.<\/p>\n

Since it\u2019s a winter trip, we\u2019re equipped with plenty of functional layers, embracing the reality that we\u2019ll be hot while climbing and slightly cold the rest of the time.<\/p>\n

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Trip Route Overview<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Destinations: Sasebo, Nagasaki, Amakusa, Kumamoto, Aso, Taketa, The Kuju Mountains, Hita
\nLength: 675 km
\nClimbing: 7600m
\nGPX Files; Part 1 to Amakusa<\/a>, Part 2 to Fukuoka<\/a><\/p>\n

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The trip begins with a nice 100km push to Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture. This seaside mountain town is best known for its military bases, hamburgers, and the Kujukushima Peninsula, but it\u2019s also home to some amazing cycling routes, thanks to its location in the coastal mountains filled with roads to explore.<\/p>\n

Route Overview<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Route Highlights: Karatsu, The Niji Pine Forest, Imari, Mt. Kunimi, Mt. Eboshi, The Yumihari Lookout
\nLength: 101 km
\nClimbing: 1056 m
\nGPX File<\/a><\/p>\n

Cycling to Sasebo from Fukuoka can be done in a lot of different ways. We went for a route along the coast that finished with a nice climb up Mt. Kunimi. For those looking to cut down on some of the climbing, an equally enjoyable option would be to follow the Matsuura Railway line as it squeezes between the mountains through the town of Arita.<\/p>\n

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Coast to Karatsu<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Heading toward Karatsu on National Route 202 is a great start to the trip. This beautiful coastal road offers views of the shrines, islands, and mountain walls that line the way. The West Kyushu Expressway, which runs parallel, helps reduce vehicle traffic, making this a fairly safe option. It\u2019s also fun to wave at people on the train as it pops out of tunnels on the Chikuhi Line beside you.<\/p>\n

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Once on the Hamasaki Coast of Karatsu Bay, the route passes through one of the best examples of Japan\u2019s pine forest-lined seascapes: Nijinomatsubara Park<\/a>. Here, over 1 million pine trees planted some 400 years ago create a tunnel around Route 347 as you roll toward Karatsu.<\/p>\n

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Heading south out of Karatsu along the Matsuura River, it\u2019s best to cut through the mountains to the Imari Coast to avoid traffic. Saga Prefectural Route 52<\/a> offers a relatively flat, winding road with open stretches and scenic views as it follows the Yukianio River. From there, Prefectural Route 204 leads you to the town of Imari, renowned for its Imari ware porcelain, and annual pottery festivals. As you cycle into town, the connection to its ceramic heritage becomes clear, with bridges adorned by small porcelain vases, and the influx of traffic caused by weekend visitors.<\/p>\n

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Mt. Kunimi Climb<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For cyclists, the highlight of Imari is the stunning climb up Mt. Kunimi, where the road clings to the east-facing ridge overlooking the valley. This 10 km ascent, with 530 meters of elevation gain, offers numerous lookouts and panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and villages. About halfway up, the Sumiyama Rice Terraces<\/a> provide the perfect excuse to hop off the bike and take in the scenery. In the winter months, this spot also serves as a great place to shed layers, helping to stay comfortable and avoid sweating before the frigid descent.<\/p>\n

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Descending into Town<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This climb, like so many other Japanese ascents, concludes with a tunnel through the mountain. On the other side, a smooth descent down Route 498 effortlessly brings you flying into Sasebo. For us, this meant heading straight to one of the many locally famous hamburger shops<\/a> that Sasebo is known for. Of course, there are plenty of other fantastic dining options scattered throughout the town and its charming, well-aged central shotengai.<\/p>\n

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Mt. Eboshi & The Yumihari Lookout<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sasebo is packed with fantastic cycling climbs and scenic routes around the Kujukushima Peninsula. Whenever we visit a new town, I like to tick off the local popular climbs. In Sasebo, these include the 530-meter ascent up Mt. Eboshi and the shorter but equally stunning climb to the Yumihari Lookout.<\/p>\n

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The next morning, we set out to tackle both. We were lucky to enjoy a sunny, beautiful ascent up Mt. Eboshi, but the weather quickly turned, and snow began falling at the peak. After a freezing descent through snowflakes, we decided to cut our route short and head straight to a massive pancake breakfast at a highly reviewed diner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Though the snow put an end to our cycling for the day, a short rest and warm-up back at the hotel had us refreshed enough to tackle the 330-meter climb to the Yumihari Lookout, this time on foot.<\/p>\n

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This article is part of our collection of cycling routes and reports for Fukuoka and Kyushu. Explore more rides on our index page<\/a>\u2014and get out and discover Kyushu<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, we\u2019re setting off on a week-long winter cycling trip through some of Kyushu\u2019s most beautiful seaside towns and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29305,"featured_media":168538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?p=168501&lang=en","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1769,5173],"tags":[5196],"class_list":["post-168501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activity","category-travel","tag-cycling","location-fukuoka-prefecture","location-sasebo","en-US"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/sasebo-new-1.jpeg?fit=1400%2C1050&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168501"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":168542,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168501\/revisions\/168542"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}