鹿児島FunRide

About

鹿児島FunRide, on Kyushu, hands over bicycles from its base at 14−11 Izumicho in Kagoshima, on the first floor of a city-centre building. First-time visitors should expect a compact handover point rather than a large showroom, with the bikes used for self-guided rides around Kagoshima.

Guests have given 鹿児島FunRide 4.6 out of 5 across 31 reviews, a steady record for bike hire in the city. Its website, http://funride.net/, carries further reference. Reaching it from Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Beppu, Yufuin, Miyazaki or Sasebo means travelling to Kagoshima first, since the shop sits in the city itself.

Izumicho places the shop in central Kagoshima, on the southern end of Kyushu. That position makes the shop a natural starting point for a ride through the city, with the bike returned to the same building at the end of the day.

Japan has four distinct seasons, with hot humid summers and cold winters that bring snow in the north, so spring and autumn suit most riding. Typhoons approach Japan mainly between August and September, most often striking the southern islands, which is worth noting when planning a trip to Kyushu. Sushi, ramen and tempura are eaten throughout Japan, with regional differences in broth and seasoning, giving riders plenty to sample after a day in the saddle. Cherry blossom season is marked across Japan with hanami picnics under flowering sakura trees, a fine backdrop for a spring route out of Kagoshima.