Who We Are

Yokoso! Welcome to We Ride Japan!

We Ride Japan was founded by Will and Tamie Turner in 2023. Based on Shikoku Island, Will and Tami work in regional tourism development, using cycle tourism as a tool to revitalize the region they live.

After meeting in Japan in 2005 they spent 2 years travelling the world on bicycles before settling in New Zealand. In 2020 they returned to Japan to embark on a new adventure. Through their work and life experiences in both the cycle and tourism industries, and their current work in regional tourism development, Will and Tami offer professional well-planned and unique itineraries. Our goal is to give our guests once in a lifetime experiences in the country we love. Small groups, local guides and the spirit of adventure is what we’re all about.

Thanks for your interest! We look forward to hosting you!

Our team

William Turner

Will first came to Japan from the UK in 2004. During his first year living in the land of the rising sun he bought a bike and some pannier bags and set off on an adventure around the country that would inspire him for the future. After meeting his now wife Tamie, together they cycled around the world on their bicycles.

Will worked in the bicycle industry for over 10 years before turning to adventure tourism. He now spends his time guiding tours in Japan and New Zealand and working on regional tourism projects in the area he lives. He has a love for adventure and exploration and enjoys sharing this passion with his guests.

Tamie Okawa

Born and raised in Matsuyama, Shikoku, Tamie travelled and lived overseas for many years before returning to her homeland. Since returning to Japan, Tamie has been working on a regional revitalisation project, utilizing cycle tourism as a tool to revitalise the local economy.

Tamie made her first trip by bicycle back in 2006, when she cycled around northern Scotland. Here she fell in love with bicycle travel and hasn’t stopped cycling since. She loves nothing more than showing guests around her home country and her attention to detail and careful planning means nothing is missed!

Hiroaki Terazono (aka TED)

Ted found cycling during his career working as a manager for ANA airlines. Hard work and long hours took it’s toll on his health and cycling was the key to getting and staying healthy. Since then he hasn’t looked back and has become a passionate cyclist who enjoys riding and taking part in cycle events around the country.

Origianlly from Kagoshima, in the south of Kyushu, Ted now resides in Ehime. He brings a wealth of skills to the team with years of experience in the tourism industry in Japan. A fantastic host with a great eye for detail!

Ted recently switched to an E-road bike and as such we can no longer keep up with him on the hills!

Nami Yano

I’ve spent my whole life in Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku and love where I live! I am a self-proclaimed “local specialist ” and work as a museum guide and a boatman, mainly in the Nanyo (South Ehime Prefecture) area.

I started cycling in the summer of 2021 when I participated in a group ride with Will & Tamie. I was impressed by the feeling of being more integrated in nature and I quickly became addicted!

Is my world small? NO! The world I live in is deep! I look forward to meeting you!

Ryuji Ise

Nice to meet you, I’m Ryuji. I started cycling as a teenager after watching a video of the Tour de France at a friend’s house. I was fascinated by how cool the riders looked. I like cycling as a hobby and enjoy competing in road races too. The more I cycle the more I became interested in foreign cultures and people, especially Europe the home of cycling.

I like meeting and communicating with people from various countries and enjoy speaking in English, but I’m still learning, so it would be helpful if you could speak slowly for me 😝

I’m looking forward to meeting, talking and traveling with you!

Why travel with us?

Local connections

Working closely with local businesses, tourism boards and councils through our work in regional tourism development, we offer our guests authentic and sustainable experiences utilizing our extensive network.

All of tours include unique local experiences allowing our guests opportunites to form deeper connections with region they travel in and locals they meet.

Our Core Values

We are passionate about cycling and ethical travel and feel strongly that a cycling holiday can be a very sustainable travel product.

Experience and passion

We bring a ton of experience to our tours through years of work in the cycle and tourism industries. To add to this experience our passion for cycling and the regions we tour in comes accross in our unique itineraries.

    
 
 
        
   pam johnston 
 2024-09-11
 
 
  Wow! This cycling trip of Shikoku and Setouchi Shimanami Kaido was an absolutely amazing experience. Team ‘We ride Japan’ (Will and Tammie), made the experience worry free.
We travelled through gob smacking scenery, through forests, along coastlines, across huge bridges and through many tunnels.
The accommodation was also fabulous. It was exciting to arrive at each location and see what treat was in store for us each night.
Will and Tammie are really knowledgeable about the area we travelled. They are immersed in their community and want to promote Japan to interested tourists while showcasing the local towns.
I can’t speak highly enough of Will and Tammie. They are a great team and made our trip the amazing adventure it was.
  
 
       
   Matthew Wibbenmeyer 
 2024-07-09
 
 
  Will and Tamie put together an amazing self-guided tour for us for our honeymoon. Their communication was great throughout the process, and they helped customize the tour to meet our interests. When it came to the tour itself, they were excellent hosts. They met up with us for an excellent meal the evening we spent in Uchiko, and they even came to the rescue when my wife had an allergic reaction to a bee sting and we ended up needing to call for an ambulance (after a quick trip to the hospital, we were back on track the next day). We couldn't really couldn't recommend booking with We Ride Japan highly enough.
  
 
       
   Richard Forsyth 
 2024-06-01
 
 
  Wow!What a trip.My wife and I recently did the Seto Island tour with Will and Tamie.I first met Will in NZ when he was expertly guiding a tour on the South Island.He had married a Japanese lady and they were getting ready to start guiding tours in a less touristed area of Japan.Will was such a phenomenal tour leader that I immediately knew I would have to go.I was not disappointed!The Seto Sea area is amazing and the tour is top notch from start to finish.Really impressed with Japanese culture and sense of humor!
  
 
       
   Peter Mitchell 
 2024-05-13
 
 
  Thanks Will & Tamie, I had an awesome time. The daily rides and routes were fantastic. The food was delicious and I learned loads about Japan's past and present. 🏯🗾🎏
  
 
       
   Tim Kelly 
 2024-05-13
 
 
  We really enjoyed the cycle trip between Hiroshima & Nagasaki. The trip was really well-run and Will, Tami and Yu were the perfect hosts, taking us to a variety of out-of-the-way accommodation and food venues that most tourists would never find and providing answers to our endless questions about Japan. The trip could only have been made better by getting some views from the tops but we can't blame WeRide for the weather! Overall, the best possible way of getting a unique insight into this amazing country! Thanks for the experience! Tim Kelly & Maggie Suman
  
 
       
   Peter Sexton 
 2023-11-17
 
 
  I have just returned from the Seto Inland Sea and Shikoku tour, with Tami and Will, the owner/operators of We Ride Japan. The trip exceeded all expectations! It’s obvious Tami and Will are locals, from the very first ride when we immediately diverted off the main trail to see a shrine Will knew of, to experiencing specific regional dishes that Tami grew up with. Their patience and generosity in translating menus, asking obscure questions to villagers that I was are curious about, it all just added to the tour’s authenticity and enjoyment.
The cycling was also excellent. I’m not quite sure where else I’ve experienced such quiet roads, brilliant views, an immersion into the local culture and courteous drivers, for so many days in a row.
My understanding is that Tami and Will mostly work in helping regional tourism whilst they embark on building a small guided cycling business. Through that work it’s clear a passion to help engage with and share local insights off main tourism routes has developed. It felt like that knowledge and care flowed into their tour itinerary, with every aspect thought out and based on giving me the best experience possible.
  
 
       
   Jen Kreusser 
 2023-11-17
 
 
  We Ride offer unique small group tours that showcase the most authentic parts of Japan! The Seto-Sea-Shikoku tour has mind-blowing views, quiet roads and intimate cultural experiences en-route. The accommodation was outstanding, culinary experiences were varied, plentiful and exceptionally delicious and the bikes available for hire were high quality, with care given to individualised comfort. Will and Tammie are both passionate, knowledgeable and highly professional. I loved every moment and can’t wait to go back! Would highly recommend!
  
 
       
   Sarah Inglewood 
 2023-10-04
 
 
  I can't recommend this tour highly enough.  The cycling routes were very scenic with nice smooth roads. We had amazing vehicle support along the way,  somehow they knew exactly what we needed at each stop!
Will and Tamie were amazing guides and hosts and gave us a unique insight into Japan that we would never have been able to experience otherwise.  They also took really good photos throughout the trip which they shared with us at the end, so nice to have some photos of us in action!
The accommodation was very thoughtfully chosen,  ranging from ornately Japanese rooms to hotels with rooftop onsens looking out to the ocean.  We also had the opportunity to try lots of yummy Japanese food, but there were always options for the less adventurous eaters too.
In all,  it was absolutely the trip of a lifetime! Thank you so much for taking such good care of us!
  
 
       
   Mark Brinsden 
 2023-10-04
 
 
  I joined Will and Tami on an explorer tour for the inaugural Hiroshima to Nagasaki itinerary. This was one of the best experiences of my life and I can’t recommend both this itinerary and this amazing Tour Operator highly enough. The tour has it all: smooth safe roads, great climbs, wonderful food and hospitality and excellent company. I can’t wait to join them on one of their other itineraries.