Cycling around Hokkaido in June

Hello!

I am planning to spend 3 weeks cycling in Hokkaido beginning on 15 June. My intention is to stay put in one place for a week in the middle of the trip (so a 4 week trip in total) ... preferably a small rural town. Any suggestions?
Will the wet season be a hindrance then in Hokkaido?

I have checked this website but I am having difficulty finding anywhere to hire bicycles for at least 12 days of touring. So, can anyone recommend where I may be able to purchase second-hand touring bicycles please?

As mentioned, my plan would be to break up the 3 weeks with a 1 week stay in a rural area where I can volunteer as an English teacher at the local elementary school. I am a qualified English teacher with experience in Australia. So, can anyone recommend a website or starting point for this plan.

I'm looking forward to any help or assistance anyone may be able to offer.

Many thanks!

While I can't recommend any specific place, there's bike shops a-plenty in Japan. That said, have you considered taking your own ride? It would eliminate a major point of uncertainty, and isn't all that expensive to do (airline policies vary, but from my experience they tend to be remarkably accommodating of sports equipment.) That's what I did on my 45-day length-of-Japan cycling trip.

Oh, and I don't think the rainy season is of much concern in Hokkaido.

Thank you gfoulk!
I appreciate your reply.

Yes, I think I will follow your advice and take my own gear.
The transport cost had been my major concern, but at least with my own bike there will be no issue of size, comfort etc.

Did you camp along the way?
Do you have any other advice or is there a blog of your trip I can read?

I did do a trip blog. You can check it out here: http://cyclejapan.tumblr.com/

I camped maybe 1/3 of the time. Generally if you find an out of the way spot it's not a problem at all. Ironically the only time I got in (very minor) trouble camping was when I camped in an actual campground (it was off season and wasn't open at the time.)

If you have further questions I'd be happy to answer them, might be better to contact me through the tumblr contact since that actually notifies me rather than these forums which is a bit of a pain to stay on top of.

Thank you so much for that link to your Blog, gfoulk....much appreciated. (You certainly covered a lot of ground!!!)
It is excellent and I'm looking forward to going through it in detail. I know it will be a big help in answering many of my questions.

If I have any further doubts, I will check with you.

Many thanks again!

I think it's mostly me complaining about the weather and roads, but hopefully it's of some use :)

Hey Gypsy - I also plan to bike around Hokkaido from 6/5-6/14. Sounds like we will be missing each other by a little bit otherwise I would ask to team up. We can still team up on planning though! My email is jessie.l.knapstein@gmail.com if you want to share insights that we have found.

JK