Day 1 Arrive Tokyo
First impressions of the industrial outer suburbs of Tokyo - a seemingly endless display of concrete and
elevated highways - give little clue about the natural pleasures of coming days. There will be a group meeting
at 5pm followed by a visit to a good restaurant in the area for our first Japanese meal.
Day 2 Walking in Tokyo, and bus to Mt Fuji
We enjoy a day acclimatising to the city by touring on foot and using public transport. The train is quite an
experience, particularly during peak hours where the standard practice is to squeeze as many people
possible into each carriage! Tokyo is a hive of activity, with a mind-boggling range of shops, restaurants and
businesses that make it one of the world’s most energetic cities. We will also visit districts “beneath the
buzz”, exploring the streetscape where ultra-stylish stores are slotted between houses, small restaurants
and mid-city shrines.
In the afternoon we travel to Lake Kawaguchi at the base of Mount Fuji, checking in to our country inn. Mount
Fuji can be a notoriously shy mountain, and there is no guarantee that it will show itself through the ever-
changing cloud cover that often shrouds it, the result of atmospheric fronts from two oceans rolling up its
gentle sides. (B,D)
Day 3 Mount Fuji
(4 hours low land walking and 2 hours low mountain hiking)
There are many things to do if we need to wait for the famous view to appear. A meandering trail will take us
through small farms and forest slopes; our first sense of Japanese terrain. In the afternoon there are many
local attractions to select from, including a luxurious spa and several independent art museums dedicated to
the works of visionary modern artists. Or you may wish to simply wander the country lanes near our inn. (B,L,
D)
Day 4 To Kiso area
(4 hour mountain hike) A series of train journeys through the morning will get us to one of the historic,
mountain-bound towns of Kiso, an historic trade route through a thick-forested valley. Our base is a town
preserved more or less as it stood in the 18th century. Once we have left our bags at the inn we will climb a
trail up to an historic mountain pass. The hike is known locally as “the Princess Trail,” because during the
medieval past the most humble traveller might chance to meet a member of nobility. At day’s end a
traditional-style inn bath will be followed by a feast of seasonal dishes. (B,D)
Day 5 Kiso, then train to Kyoto
The morning will then be spent exploring the picturesque town, an architectural fantasy in timber. The single
main street is lined with shops selling traditional foods and local crafted goods, chiefly wood and lacquer. In
the afternoon we will travel by train, descending through the Southern Alps to Nagoya, where we will change
to the Bullet Train bound for Kyoto. Our first evening in the historic downtown streets of the former capital will
include the famous Geisha district of Gion. (B)
Day 6 Walking in Kyoto’s East
(town walking all day) There is a great deal to see by day in Kyoto, and the content of our days here may be
re-shuffled to optimise weather conditions and local events from the busy communal calendar of festivities.
The highlights of today’s sightseeing will be at least two of the Buddhist temples tucked into the range of hills
containing the city on its east side. Surrounding them are many intriguing features to discover, and your
leader will help to choose them based on group preference. The day will also include routes linking to the city
centre, so that by evening you will have enjoyed a general orientation of the city’s layout. (B)
Day 7 Panorama of Kyoto
(3 hours mountain hike; plus town walking all day) The low-lying plains and river scenery of the Kyoto Basin
have been the stage for some of the most edifying and poignant episodes in Japanese lore. A climb to the
lookout atop the mountain known colloquially as Daimonji will give us a bird’s-eye view of history. The rest of
the day will be occupied with sightseeing based on personal preference. (B)
Day 8 Kyoto free exploration
Essentially a free day, with creative guidance. By this stage you may be feeling the urge to inhale the
meditative atmosphere of Kyoto's Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in the privacy of your own thoughts.
(B)
Day 9 Yamanobe Road and Asuka
(8 hours walking in lowlands and rolling low hills) Following an early breakfast we will forward our baggage
to Yoshino (Day 10), taking our lightened backpacks by train to the Nara Basin. Gradually leaving suburbia
behind, our attention now turns to historic walking adventure of coming days. In the 6th Century the first
mainland Asian-style capitals of Japan emerged here, and between them ran the country’s oldest transit
route, the Yamanobe Road. In the subsequent centuries the power centre moved elsewhere and the area
simply de-urbanised into a bucolic zone of small-hold agriculture. Most of today will be spent tracing the
silent, talismanic glories of the long lost past, weaving through farms, rice paddies and bamboo groves at
the foot of sacred Mount Miwa. In the late afternoon we will hop by public transport to the next valley to the
south. We end the day in Asuka, one of the most romantic sites in Japanese history. (B,D)
Day 10 Continue trek - Asuka to Yoshino
(5 hours town and lowland walking) We will walk through the historic Asuka region along trails connecting
mysterious domed tomb mounds and several of Japan’s oldest temples. Modest, but fascinating, local
museums are an option for learning more about history. One of these interprets the 7th century Manyoshu
book of songs and poems that describes historic Asuka; another contains archaeological samples and
includes a model of historic Asuka; and yet another is dedicated to a set of exquisite sarcophagal frescoes
that hint at sophisticated links with the Korean court. In the afternoon we will transfer by train and cable car to
mountainous Yoshino, where our luggage will be waiting for us at our inn. For over a millennium Yoshina
was a major way station along the pilgrim’s trail into Omine (Great Peak). Since 2004 it has enjoyed
UNESCO World Heritage status. A dinner feast will fortify us for tomorrow’s serious mountain hiking. (B,D)
Day 11 Continue trek - Over three peaks to Dorogawa
(8 hours mountain hiking) An early start, day-packs only, with an initial roadside climb to a lookout high above
the town. The trail then weaves through mountains thick with thousands of cherry trees. These forests mix
with fir, pine and cedar as we climb higher. We will stop to rest at wayside shrines and panoramic mountain
passes. The route is steep, and in some places foliage is growing back after landslides that were caused by
recent typhoons. In all we will head over three passes, the highest of which is 1,440m, followed by a descent
into to the Dorogawa Valley, a secluded area famous for its sweet spring water and traditional herb and
fungus medicines. This is the most strenuous hiking day of the trip, for those who opt for a scenic alternative
to the rigors of the trail an easy-to-follow public transport option to tonight’s destination is available. (B,L,D)
Day 12 Continue trek - riverside trail
(4 hours following gently descending trail) The plan is to follow a riverside path that continues into the heart
of the Kii Peninsula, although for dedicated alpinists there are also forest trails that climb up and over the
mountains leading to today’s destination, an inn not far from the junction town of Kawai. The highlight of the
river route is a gorge where mountain pilgrims of the past would stop to purify themselves between visits to
sacred peaks. (B,L,D)
DAY 13 Full day in Kawai
(Options: 8 hour mountain hike, or enjoy a rest day in the valley)
Today’s climb, for those who choose to join, is a rigorous route to one or more of the highest peaks in the
area (the highest is just under 2000m), returning to our inn by evening. For those wishing simply to spend
the day relaxing, there is the luxury of observing the deliciously slow cycle of the day in a country town. Our
base town also boasts one of central Japan’s most popular thermal baths, a reward for climber and non-
climber alike. One way or another there will be time to relax, sniff around the small farms and take in the
natural surrounds. Bicycles may also be rented. (B,D)
Day 14 Osaka
After a final look at the local shrine in the morning we will descend by bus to the lowlands and onward by
train to the city of Osaka, arriving around lunchtime. The latter part of the day will be spent on an orientation
tour of the exciting city, with its endless shopping streets and teeming humanity. Osaka has the most
exuberant nightlife in Japan, and following a final restaurant dinner together those with energy left over may
enjoy trawling the bars, or just crowd-watching in the dizzying night district. (B)
Day 15 Depart Osaka
The trip concludes after breakfast. For those travelling to airports or travelling on in Japan, the tour leader will
give recommendations and advice.
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Departure dates
Selected dates, see here for
more information.
Trip code
WEBOJ
Group size
min 4, max 13
Inclusions
All group transport between
towns and cities.
Accommodation throughout
as specified in the itinerary
on a share basis.
Bilingual group leader.
Meals and baggage
forwarding as specified in
the itinerary.
All guide fees
14 breakfasts, 2 lunches and
8 dinners
Japan rail pass
medical kit
comfortable well located
hotels in Tokyo
local ryokan accommodation
on a share basis
Exclusions
Airport transfers
Site entry fees
Items of a personal nature
Departure taxes
Medical Treatment and travel
insurance
Beverages.
Additional transport required
due to any emergency
situation.
City bus and subway fares
(nominal amounts).
Travel Insurance
Transport
Bus, bullet train, tram,
express train, ferry, cable car,
walking
more information and
booking
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