As a beginner nothing will teach you about touring like loading the bike and doing an overnight somewhere. If you don't have a campground nearby you can cheat by driving x number of miles from one and starting your trek from there. You'll forget stuff, bring too much stuff, and stuff may even fall off or be a pain to repack, but you'll get a full schooling. The only other early experience that will teach you as much is doing the same overnight trip in the rain.

From there it is a matter of what you like. When I was living in Japan I was a huge fan of credit card touring; travelling light, hiring the onsens and starting at the small hotels. I would take the train to a starting city and cross the countryside before getting on another train to get back home.