Leading walking tour operator Walk Japan has announced its Autumn and Winter Tours for 2017/18, featuring a range of unique and diverse walking tours through some of Japan’s most stunning landscapes and mysterious locations.
With expertly led small group tours of no more than 12 people, you’re ensured a deeply immersive and culturally rich experience as you venture off the beaten track and discover the authentic Japan not often experienced by tourists.
There is a range of tours available, varying in location, theme and activity level, offering something for everyone, with accommodation each night provided by charming Japanese inns, or ryokans, specially hand-picked for an authentically cultural experience.
Here are just some of the Walk Japan autumn and winter tours:
Basho Tour: Narrow Road to the North
The nine-day cultural tour starts in Tokyo and follows in the footsteps of 17th-century poet Matsuo Basho’s travelogue Narrow Road to the North – considered a major text of classical Japanese literature – all the way to the cultured, old city of Kanazawa. On the way, you’ll walk through the beautiful northern part of Honshu island to the rugged Sea of Japan coast, and explore the remote Tohoku region before reaching Kanazawa. The walking is along quiet country lanes, forest trails and mountain footpaths, delighting in some of the greatest scenery to be found in Japan.
Izu Geo Trail
A seven-day tour starting in Tokyo and finishing in Shuzenji in Izu, this walk is a journey through a spectacular geological park. It’s an exploration of the fascinating Izu Peninsula with excellent trekking along coastal trails. Discover incredible geological formations, beaches, waterfalls, and places that have, over the course of time, informed Japanese literature and history. Along the way, you’ll stay in beautifully located inns, taste the region’s renowned seafood cuisine and relax in onsen hot spring baths.
Winter Nakasendo Way
The winter version of Walk Japan’s signature tour, Nakasendo Way, this seven-day tour starts in Nagoya and concludes in Matsumoto. En route, you’ll explore high snowy passes and plateaus with stunning views, farming communities, stepped fields and bamboo groves, picturesque towns, and ancient forests. At the end of each walking day, be indulged with delicious meals of locally sourced produce and a soak in the onsen thermal hot spring baths.
Hokkaido Snow Tour
Starting in Kushiro and ending in Utoro, this adventurous eight-day journey takes in the little-visited, snowy northern territory of the country in snowshoes. This walk showcases eastern Hokkaido’s pristine snow-covered winter wonderland landscape, wildlife up close in natural habitats, spectacular crater lakes and active volcanoes, as well as top-class local cuisine and soothing onsen thermal hot spring baths.
