Backroads Of Japan

This is our most popular trip in Japan. We ascend mountain trails and take valley hikes to get a measure of the landscape and its centuries-long history of hermitage and pilgrimage. The 'backroads' theme continues even in the cities as we explore the heart of teeming Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

Our itinerary includes an ascent of one of the mountains close to Mt Fuji and a sojourn in a rural town in the southern Alps. We also walk along Japan's oldest forest trail, winding through rice paddies and bamboo groves, past ancient tombs following an early pilgrim route through cherry and cedar forests.

The traditional, family-run inns we stay at are a definite highlight of this itinerary.

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Itinerary / Highlights

DAY 1 Arrive Tokyo
On arrival at Tokyo's Narita International Airport make your way through immigration and customs. Transfer arrangements to your central Tokyo hotel will be advised closer to the departure date. 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 true Japanese meal. Please note that your room may not be available until check in time at 2pm, however if you arrive early the hotel will keep your luggage secure if you want to do some exploration. If you are arriving at the hotel later at night, please check yourselves in and note instructions about
tomorrow's meeting.
Meals: NIL

DAY 2 Walking in Tokyo, and bus to Mt Fuji
In the event of late arrivals we will have a full briefing about our trip this morning. We check out of the Tokyo hotel but baggage can be held in storage while 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 will collect our bags and travel by bus 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.
Meals: B, D

DAY 3 Mount Fuji
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. As our visit does not coincide with the short climbing season on Fuji itself we will climb one of the surrounding lower peaks (about 1500m), hopefully to be rewarded by a classic view of Fuji rising from its flattened
base as we enjoy a picnic lunch. 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. (4 hours low land walking and 2 hours low mountain hiking)
Meals: B, L, D

DAY 4 To Kiso area
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. (If lingering at Mt Fuji means that we arrive in the afternoon this will be hiked on the following day.) At day's end a traditional-style inn bath will be followed by a feast of seasonal dishes. (4 hour mountain hike)
Meals: B, D

DAY 5 Kiso, then train to Kyoto
If the weather is fine we may do a load of washing before breakfast. There will also be an opportunity to forward baggage directly to Kyoto, freeing us to travel lightly tomorrow. 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.
Meals: B

DAY 6 Walking in Kyoto's East
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.
(town walking all day)
Meals: B

DAY 7 Panorama of Kyoto
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. Not everyone will have the same list of must-do
activities, but your tour leader will be pleased to point you directly to the sites that will give you the most pleasure. Or, if you wish, join your tour leader on a wandering route around the many corners - both historic and contemporary - of this intriguing city.
(3 hours mountain hike; plus town walking all day)
Meals: B

DAY 8 Kyoto free exploration
Essentially a free day, with creative guidance. At the mundane level, a chance to catch up with laundry, letter-writing, or speciality shopping, or just reflecting on the experience of recent days - perhaps by the bank of the Kamo River or in the shadow of a pagoda. 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.
Meals: B

DAY 9 Train to the Yamanobe Road and hike and train to Asuka
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 deurbanised 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.
(8 hours walking in lowlands and rolling low hills)
Meals: B, D

DAY 10 Continue trek - Asuka to Yoshino
We will walk through the historic Asuka region along trails connecting mysterious domed tomb mounds and several of Japan's oldest temples. At this time of the year the air is clear and the atmosphere is particularly pleasant. 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. (NB: Our luggage will be sent forward again tomorrow morning). 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.
(5 hours town and lowland walking)
Meals: B, D

DAY 11 Continue trek - Over three peaks to Dorogawa
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 1440m, 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, one of the two days that test the limits of this tour's 'Introductory Level' status. 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, at a cost of around •2,000. (8 hours mountain hiking)
Meals: B, L, D

DAY 12 Continue trek - riverside trail
The simple 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. Tonight's lodging, where we will be reunited with our baggage, is adjacent to a magical forest-shrouded Shinto shrine dedicated to Benzaiten, Goddess of Wisdom and the Creative Spirit.
(4 hours following gently descending trail)
Meals: B, L, D

DAY 13 Full day in Kawai
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. In fact the valley contains an appealing string of villages. 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.
(Options: 8 hour mountain hike, or enjoy a rest day in the valley)
Meals: B, D

DAY 14 Travel to Osaka, explore city
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.
Meals: B

DAY 15 Trip concludes in Osaka
The trip concludes after breakfast. For those travelling to airports or travelling on in Japan, the tour leader will give recommendations and advice. Please note that the point-to-point journey from your Osaka hotel to the check-in counter at the nearest international airport, Kansai (KIX), takes about an hour and a half. From Osaka to Narita International Airport, near Tokyo, takes the best part of six
hours and costs around •18,000. (Amounts provided are a guide only and are subject to change).
Meals: B

Other Details

Accommodation Details

Accommodation throughout as specified in the itinerary on a share basis