Special features
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Stay overnight at a shukubo temple lodge at Koya-san, one of Japan's most important Buddhist centres.
Visit Todaiji and Nara Park, including the enormous Daibutsu Great Buddha.
Explore Hiroshima Peace Park and enjoy Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.
Travel across to beautiful Miyajima, visit Itsukushima Shrine and explore Mt Misen.
Stop at magnificent Himeji Castle and Kokoen Garden on our way to Kyoto.
Enjoy four nights in Kyoto, including the Kamogawa Odori, Kinkakuji and Ryoanji.
Join Riki for optional walks from Kurama to Kibune and on the hills around Kyoto.
Walk two sections of the ancient Nakasendo — Magome to Tsumago and Yabuhara over the Torii Pass to Narai.
Stay in the Kiso Valley, surrounded by the mountains of central Japan.
Visit 16th-century Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan's finest original castles.
Spend two nights in spectacular Kamikochi, surrounded by the peaks of the Japanese Alps.
Stay in a traditional Japanese room in Kamikochi and enjoy an onsen experience.
Finish in old Tokyo at Asakusa and Sensoji Temple.
Visit the newly reopened Edo-Tokyo Museum
Finish the tour with the excitement of the final day of the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament.
Inclusions

Transport and entry to all places described in the itinerary
15 nights accommodation
15 breakfasts and 8 dinners
Airport-hotel transfer on arrival in Japan
Luggage forwarding where described
All included day walks and sightseeing
Ticket to the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament
The services of Riki Inamura, your tour escort​
Hotels & Minshuku

Osaka / Namba — Fraser Residence
Koya-san — Muryokoin — temple lodge, Japanese room, shared facilities
Hiroshima — Mercure Tokyu Stay
Kyoto — Koko Sanjo
Kiso — Mori no Ie — Japanese room, shared facilities
Matsumoto — Dormy Inn
Kamikochi — Nishi-Itoya — Japanese room, shared facilities
Tokyo / Asakusa — Asakusa Tobu
Day by day

Day 1 (9 May) — Arrive Osaka
Welcome to Japan! Arrive at Kansai or Itami Airport by your own arrangement and we will provide your transfer to our hotel in Namba. Settle in, have a wander around this colourful part of Osaka and get ready for our journey ahead.

Day 2 — Nara & Osaka   BD
We start with a comfortable ride on Kintetsu's stylish Hinotori train to nearby Nara. Here we visit Nara Park and the enormous Daibutsu at Todaiji, one of Japan's most impressive Buddhist temples. We return to Namba during the afternoon, with some free time before coming together for our welcome izakaya dinner tonight.

Day 3 — Osaka to Koya-san   BD
Today we leave the city behind and climb into the forested mountains of Wakayama to Koya-san, the spiritual home of Shingon Buddhism for more than 1,200 years. We visit the atmospheric Okunoin cemetery and the temples around Daijogaran before checking into Muryokoin. Tonight we sleep Japanese style in our temple lodge and enjoy a traditional dinner — a very different Japan from Osaka yesterday.

Day 4 — Koya-san to Hiroshima   BD
Rise early if you wish to join the monks for morning service, followed by breakfast at our temple lodge. We then descend from Koya-san and travel west by Shinkansen to Hiroshima. After checking in, we visit the Peace Park before dinner. Tonight we try one of Hiroshima's great local favourites — Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.

Day 5 — Hiroshima & Miyajima   B
Enjoy a relaxed morning in Hiroshima before we make the short journey across Hiroshima Bay to Miyajima. Visit famous Itsukushima Shrine, with its great torii standing in the sea, and spend some time exploring the island. Those feeling energetic can head higher towards Mt Misen for wonderful views across the Inland Sea.

Day 6 — Hiroshima to Kyoto via Himeji   B
We leave Hiroshima this morning and stop on the way at Himeji, home to perhaps Japan's most beautiful original castle. Explore the great white castle and neighbouring Kokoen Garden before we continue by train to Kyoto. We will be based here for the next four nights, so unpack and make yourself at home.

Day 7 — Kyoto   B
This morning we have something rather special — the Kamogawa Odori, Kyoto's lovely spring dance performance. In the afternoon we head north to visit two very different Zen sights: the brilliant Golden Pavilion of Kinkakuji and the famous stone garden at Ryoanji.

Day 8 — Kyoto / Kurama & Kibune   BD
Today is yours to enjoy Kyoto as you wish, or join Riki for an optional walk from Kurama to Kibune in the green northern hills where he grew up. It is a lovely change of pace from central Kyoto, with forest, mountain temples and small villages. Tonight we come together again for a proper Kyoto-style kaiseki dinner.

​Day 9 — Kyoto   B
​Another day with some freedom. Explore Kyoto on your own, revisit somewhere you particularly liked, or join Riki for another walk on part of the Kyoto Trail. After several busy days, this is also a good chance simply to slow down and enjoy Kyoto at your own pace.

Day 10 — Kyoto to the Kiso Valley / Magome to Tsumago   BD
An early start today as we travel by Shinkansen to Nagoya and then into the mountains to Nakatsugawa. From here we begin our first Nakasendo walk, from Magome to Tsumago.
Once travelled by feudal lords, samurai, merchants and ordinary travellers, the old highway takes us through hinoki forest, little settlements and countryside before reaching beautiful Tsumago. Afterwards we transfer to our accommodation in the Kiso Valley for a Japanese-style dinner and a well-earned rest.

Day 11 — Kiso to Matsumoto / Yabuhara to Narai   B
Our second Nakasendo walk starts at Yabuhara, crossing the historic Torii Pass before descending to Narai. This is another wonderfully preserved post town, with a long street of traditional wooden buildings that still gives a sense of travelling through old Japan.
Later in the afternoon we take the train to Matsumoto and settle in for the night.

Day 12 — Matsumoto to Kamikochi   BD
This morning we visit magnificent Matsumoto Castle, with its dramatic black exterior and mountain backdrop. After lunch we leave the city and travel deeper into the Japanese Alps.
By mid-afternoon we arrive at Kamikochi. This is one of Japan's most beautiful mountain valleys, surrounded by high peaks and threaded by the clear waters of the Azusa River. Tonight we stay Japanese style at Nishi-Itoya Mountain Lodge, with dinner and a chance to enjoy the bath.

Day 13 — Kamikochi   BD
No trains today. No big city. Just the mountains. We have a full day in Kamikochi, and how much you walk is largely up to you. Follow the river, cross the little bridges, wander through forest and wetlands, or simply sit somewhere beautiful and look up at the Alps. May brings fresh green leaves to the valley while snow can still remain high on the peaks — a lovely time to be here. We return to our mountain lodge tonight for another Japanese dinner.

Day 14 — Kamikochi to Tokyo   B
After breakfast we say goodbye to the Alps and travel via Matsumoto to Tokyo. From Shinjuku we cross the city to Asakusa, our home for the final two nights. This evening, join Riki for a stroll around Sensoji Temple. Asakusa is especially atmospheric after the daytime crowds have disappeared and the temple buildings are illuminated.

Day 15 — Old Tokyo & Grand Sumo   BD
Our final full day is a very Tokyo day. We explore some of the city's older eastern districts, including a visit to the Edo-Tokyo Museum, before making our way to Ryogoku Kokugikan. And what a way to finish: today is the final day of the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament. Settle into the arena as the atmosphere builds through the afternoon and Japan's top wrestlers compete for the championship. Tonight we enjoy our final dinner together and raise a glass to the road we travelled.

Day 16 — Depart Tokyo (24 May)   B
After breakfast, enjoy a final morning in Asakusa before checking out by 11am. Talk to Riki if you would like to extend your stay in Tokyo or elsewhere in Japan, or make your way to Haneda or Narita Airport for your flight home.
Day-walks:
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Kurama to Kibune, Kyoto — optional walk through the forested northern hills of Kyoto.
Kyoto Trail — optional walk with Riki during our free day in Kyoto.
Magome to Tsumago, Nakasendo — one of the loveliest sections of the old highway, through forest, small settlements and preserved post towns.
Yabuhara to Narai, Nakasendo — walk over the historic Torii Pass before descending into the beautiful post town of Narai.
Kamikochi — a full day to enjoy the valley, with easy and longer walking possibilities beside the Azusa River and beneath the Japanese Alps.