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Central Japan is a region of tall mountain ranges and fast-flowing rivers. It wasn&rsquo;t until recently that roads reached the remoter villages, and today many remain remarkably well-preserved, and evocative of centuries past. Our journey takes us through Japanese history from modern Tokyo, known as Edo during Japan&rsquo;s period of rule by the Shoguns, to end near Kyoto, Japan&rsquo;s capital for 400 years and the repository of much of the countries cultural heritage. From Tokyo we head first to Yudanaka Onsen hot spring where the famous &ldquo;snow monkeys&rdquo; come to enjoy the natural hot spring baths just like humans. In feudal times people travelling from Kyoto to Tokyo would use the Nakasendo way &ndash; the road through the central mountains &ndash; one of a network of ancient highways. We will visit one of the best preserved sections in the Kiso Valley, where the lovely villages of Tsumago and Magome have been immaculately restored.

Please note it may also be possible to end our Shoguns and Samurai tour early on Day 13 in Osaka.&nbsp;Please enquire&nbsp;for further details.

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Shoguns and Samurai

A small-group guided cultural tour exploring the highlights of central Japan

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The Nakasendo Trail linked Kyoto to Tokyo during Japan&#39;s feudal period. It was the &#39;road through the mountains&#39; (as opposed to the Tokaido route which travelled the Pacific coast) travelled by feudal lords and their retinues, samurai, merchants, and travelers. Along the route were 69 &#39;post towns&#39;, where weary travelers could rest before continuing on the next leg. Our journey will start in Tokyo, known as Edo during Japan&#39;s period of rule by the Shoguns. We will then spend four days walking along the Nakasendo. By day we will walk along the ancient route as it passes through beautifully-preserved villages along an easy path, and by evening we will stay in traditional country inns enjoying exquisite regional cuisine prepared from the freshest ingredients, soak in natural hot springs, and enjoy the warm hospitality of our hosts. Enjoy bathing in hot spring water after a day on the trails!

If you would like to experience these magical landscapes covered with snow, we offer a winter version of the Nakasendo Trail,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/trips/winter-nakasendo-trail">here</a>

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Nakasendo Trail

From Tokyo, visit the &#39;road through the mountains&#39; once traveled by feudal lords, staying in traditional country inns, enjoying exquisite regional cuisine and soak in natural hot springs before ending in Kyoto

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The Nakasendo or &#39;Road through the Central Mountains&#39; was part of feudal Japan&#39;s network of highways. Travellers moving between Kyoto and Tokyo took several days to travel the Nakasendo, staying overnight in Juku post towns. Today&#39;s visitors can walk sections of the original route by day and stay in local inns by night.

All our&nbsp;self-guided Nakasendo Trail tours&nbsp;offer the opportunity to spend a leisurely second night at the comfortable Ryokan in Kiso-Fukushima, part-way along the trail. Please ask for information about our tour extensions; enjoy spectacular views of&nbsp;Mount Fuji&nbsp;from the Hakone hot spring area and the rural village of Oshino Mura, or the peaceful,&nbsp;agricultural community of&nbsp;Asuka&nbsp;at a charming Japanese inn or with a local family for a unique homestay experience.

Learn more about how our resident staff support our guests in interacting with locals in the village of Tsumago along the Nakasendo trail, and how we we foster relationships with, and contribute to the community by visiting our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/about-us/our-nakasendo-branch">local Nakasendo branch</a>&nbsp;page.

Daily luggage transfer is available as an optional extra service on some sections of the trail - read about luggage options&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/help/luggage-transfer">here</a>

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Nakasendo self-guided walking 5 days

Village to village walking on the loveliest parts of the old Nakasendo Trail, before visiting Matsumoto with it&#39;s historic castle and onward to picturesque Karuizawa

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The Nakasendo or &#39;Road through the Central Mountains&#39; was part of feudal Japan&#39;s network of highways. Enjoy the best forest walks and Juku post towns, before heading into the Oku-Hida mountains to explore the biodiverse Kamikochi before arriving in iconic Takayama.

Please ask for information about our tour extensions; spend more time in the Hida region with our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/trips/takayama-kanazawa-and-shirakawa-go">Takayama extension</a>, visiting the UNESCO thatched-roof community of Shirakawa-go and the wonderful teahouses of Kanazawa; enjoy spectacular views of Mount Fuji from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/trips/mount-fuji-from-hakone-onsen-and-oshino-village">Hakone hot spring area</a>&nbsp;and the rural village of Oshino Mura, or the peaceful,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/trips/asuka-village">agricultural community of Asuka</a>&nbsp;at a charming Japanese inn or with a local family for a unique homestay experience.

Learn more about how our resident staff support our guests in interacting with locals in the village of Tsumago along the Nakasendo trail, and how we we foster relationships with, and contribute to the community by visiting our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/about-us/our-nakasendo-branch">local Nakasendo branch</a>&nbsp;page.

Daily luggage transfer is available as an optional extra service on some sections of the trail - read about luggage options&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/help/luggage-transfer">here</a>

<a href="https://s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/static-oku.diqit.io/uploads/oku/Nakasendo-and-kamikochi-self-guided-6days-2022.pdf">Download PDF itinerary</a>

Nakasendo and Kamikochi walking 6 days

Enjoy the best forest walks and Juku post towns of the Nakasendo Trail, before heading into the Oku-Hida mountains to explore Kamikochi before arriving in iconic Takayama.

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The Kii Peninsula points south away from Kyoto and Osaka and is one of the most remote and mystical areas of Japan, despite its proximity to these great cities. On the Kii Peninsula are the three Grand Shrines of Kumano, pilgrimage destinations for successive emperors and their families from Kyoto since the 11th century. There were several pilgrimage trails including the Nakahechi-do, Kohechi-do and Ohechi-do, collectively known as the Kumano Kodo (&#39;Old Road of Kumano&#39;). Our walk focuses on parts of the Nakahechi-do, weaving through forested mountains and small villages towards the Grand Shrine of Hongu.

Learn more about how our resident staff support our guests in interacting with locals in the villages at Chikatsuyu along the Kumano Kodo trail, and how we we foster relationships with, and contribute to the community by visiting our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/about-us/kumano-kodo-branch">local Kumano Kodo branch</a>&nbsp;page.

All of our&nbsp;self-guided Kumano Kodo tours&nbsp;can spend a second night in the picturesque hot-spring village of Yunomine Onsen part-way along the trail. We offer two short optional walks for this extra day in addition to unique cultural experiences, such as&nbsp;walking with a Yamabushi ascetic monk,&nbsp;create your own traditional Japanese paper&nbsp;or&nbsp;undertaking a spiritual meditation session. Daily luggage transfer is also available along the Kumano Kodo trail as an optional extra service - read about our luggage options&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/help/luggage-transfer">here</a>.

Please ask us for information about our tour extensions to the mountain-top temple town of&nbsp;Mount Koya&nbsp;with its monastery lodgings, or the peaceful,&nbsp;agricultural community of Asuka&nbsp;at a traditional Japanese inn or with a local family for a unique homestay experience.

This tour offers more advanced hiking.&nbsp;

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Kumano Kodo self-guided walking 6 days

Travel along the full Nakahechi route on the enchanting Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail, experience Grand Shrines at Hongu and Nachi and bathe in the thermal waters at a hot-spring Ryokan

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Shikoku is Japan&#39;s fourth-largest island, home to some of the country&#39;s most spectacular and undeveloped scenery. The island is also the setting for an ancient walking trail, the challenging Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage. The trail connects 88 Buddhist temples and the full walk covers more than a thousand kilometres. Pilgrims, known as O-henro, traditionally covered the journey on foot over many weeks, staying overnight at Shukubo temple lodgings. Most modern travellers now travel from temple to temple by tour bus, but we have found sections of the original route which can still be enjoyed on foot.

On your Day 5, you may wish to&nbsp;try your hand at Sanuki Udon noodle-making. Please ask for information about tour extensions to the mountain-top temple town of&nbsp;Mount Koya&nbsp;with its monastery lodgings, or the&nbsp;UNESCO World Heritage of&nbsp;Miyajima Island, and Tomonoura Bay&nbsp;on the Setouchi inland sea.

Read about luggage options&nbsp;<a href="https://www.okujapan.com/help/luggage-transfer">here</a>.

<a href="https://s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/static-oku.diqit.io/uploads/oku/Shikoku-self-guided-8days-2022.pdf">Download&nbsp;PDF Itinerary</a>

Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage self-guided 8 days

Walks parts of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage trail in Tokushima, Kagawa and Ehime, spending nights in Shukubo temple lodging with days of up to 8 hours of hiking

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Hiroshima and the Seto Inland Sea are some of the most scenic areas of Japan. This tour offers exploration of the wonderful variety of towns, villages and islands in both rural and central Hiroshima, experienced through activities suited to you, with kayaking, cycling, sightseeing walks and hiking available. Explore the seaside town of Tomonoura and UNESCO World Heritage island Miyajima (famous for its friendly deer and the iconic &#39;floating&#39; Torii gate off Itsukushima Shrine), walk through the emotional history of Hiroshima and timeless hilltop communities of Onomichi, finishing with our version of the varied and scenic island-hopping cycling course Shimanami Kaido. Pass over the Setouchi Inland Sea visiting remote islands, which together with deliciously fresh seafood cuisine, offer a uniquely modern cafe culture, before arriving in Ehime prefecture on Shikoku Island; the perfect entry point of our 4-day Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage tour.

Please ask for information about tour extensions to the port villages and thatched-roof communities of mountainous northern Kyoto or the&nbsp;historic ancient capital of Nara.

This tour offers gentle cycling and hiking suitable for children of 12 and up. All activities are optional, so please enquire for alternatives if travelling with younger passengers. For the cyling sections, E-bikes are also available for a supplement.

<a href="https://s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/static-oku.diqit.io/uploads/oku/Hiroshima-self-guided-6days-2022.pdf">Download PDF itinerary</a>

Hiroshima & Shimanami Kaido self-guided 6 Days

Enjoy the slow island life on the Setouchi Inland Sea with cycling, kayaking and walking

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The Kansai region, situated at the centre of Japan&#39;s main island of Honshu, is home to three historic capitals: Kyoto, Nara and the smaller, lesser-known Asuka. &nbsp;All three have rich and varied histories. Our tour includes scenic and culturally significant hiking trails, as well as overnight stays in truly charming Japanese guesthouse or friendly farmstay in the rural community of Asuka.

Learn about this historic area of Japan and discover its cultural heritage on these less familiar walks.

You can opt to upgrade to a wonderful Machiya Townhouse in Nara.

Machiya are beautiful wooden townhouses that have seen a resurgence in recent years thanks to younger craftsmen and designers realising the cultural significance of such majestic, typically historic buildings.

Experience the rural lifestyle of the Japanese countryside in Asuka.

In this peaceful agricultural community, you stay overnight in a charming Japanese guesthouse or can stay with a local family for an immersive farm-stay experience.

We happily welcome younger walkers on to our trips with an accompanying adult. We offer a 10% price reduction for children (6-11) and an 80% price reduction for infants (0-5). &nbsp;Please contact us for specific hiking, meal or bedding enquiries.

<a href="https://s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/static-oku.diqit.io/uploads/oku/Nara-self-guided-5days-2022.pdf">Download PDF itinerary</a>

Nara Ancient Capitals self-guided walking 5 days

Explore the historic and culturally significant hiking trails of lesser-known Kansai

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