Advice on cycling route Tokyo → Osaka (around 500km)?

Hey everyone!

We’re three friends who are heading to Osaka for a study abroad semester, and to kick things off we’re planning to cycle from Tokyo to Osaka – roughly 500 km. We’ve put together a “rough” route, but we’d love to hear your input.

Our idea is to follow the coast as much as possible to avoid too many elevation gains. The plan is to ride along the coast from Tokyo down to the Irago–Toba ferry, take the ferry across, and then ride the last inland stretch to Osaka.

A couple of questions:
• Is the coastal route actually a good idea, or is it a nightmare with heavy traffic and exhaust fumes? (We read some posts suggesting that might be the case.)
• Are there any major things we should watch out for on this route?
• Would you recommend a different way, or is this one fine for a first-time Japan cycling trip?

We’re planning to buy bikes in Tokyo anyway since we’ll need them for our semester, so this trip feels like the perfect start.

Thanks a lot for the advice! 🙂