With a maximum group size of 12, the trip is both more personal and memorable.
Choose from a selection of cultural and off-the-beaten track trips, or see Japan from a different perspective by walking and hiking along country lanes and the mountain trails of Japan's many national parks. Walking trips are graded easy to strenuous.
Try our new cycling trip, Japan on Two Wheels, and ride the quiet backroads to experience a side of Japan that rarely gets seen. We also offer winter trips which offer a lovely view of Japan under a blanket of snow!
Our tours draw upon our combined years' of experience travelling the length of the country. Each tour is lead by a qualified Japanese-speaking tour leader. We work with local Japanese guides to enhance the experience through their local knowledge of certain regions.
New tour! - Japan on Two Wheels
For practical information covering our trips in Japan click here. For some background information on the history and culture of Japan, see our Japan resources page.
Our favourite Japan experiences: 1. Sitting in an open hot spring bath next to a cold rushing river |
2008-9 Trips
We have a range of trips scheduled for 2009, including the classic Shoguns and Samurai from Tokyo to Kyoto. Our walking tours include Mountain Spirits which travels from Tokyo to Tohoku (northern Japan) to visit mountain-top temples and some of Japan's most spectacular national parks. We also offer the Land of Fire tour, which travels to the the southern island of Kyushu, the new Nakasendo Trail tour from Tokyo to Kyoto which involves lovely village-to-village walking, Imperial Pilgrimage, where you can experience an ancient pilgrimage route, and the vigorous Mountains of Central Japan which involves some classic walks in the Japan 'Alps'. Our walking trips are graded from easy to strenuous.
Our Snow Country trip is ideal for those who want to combine time spent in Tokyo or Kyoto with a journey into the winter landscape of central Japan. The tour offers bathing in natural hot springs, and visits to the historic towns and villages of this mountainous region. Experience the stillness and beauty of the snow-covered mountains on snow-shoes and then relax in a natural onsen (hot spring bath)!
View comments from previous tour participants.
Please view the below trip comparison chart (click on a trip title to see details) and contact us if you have any questions.
| Japan 2009 Scheduled Trips |
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| Dates | Name | Activity | Length (days) |
Highlights |
| 13 - 25 September 2009 | Mountain Spirits |  |
13 | Nikko’s Toshogu Shrine – Oze Marshlands – joining the pilgrims to climb the three sacred peaks of Dewa – staying in temple lodgings – Yamadera – gentle cycling and walking in the Tono Valley – hot spring baths |
| 10 - 23 October 2009 | Land of Fire | |
14 | Kyoto and Nara, Beppu hot spring, Kuju Highlands, Mount Aso volcano, Takachiho gorge, pottery and weaving in Aya, Kagoshima, Ibusuki hot sand baths |
| 11 - 24 October 2009 |
Japan on Two Wheels |
|
14 | Road cycling with support from Tokyo to Kyoto. Accommodation in family-run minshuku, traditional ryokan, temples, annd hotels. |
| 13 - 27 October 2009 | Shoguns and Samurai | 14 | Tokyo, Nakasendo post-towns, hot springs, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kyoto, Nara and Mount Koya | |
| 18 - 29 October 2009 | Nakasendo Trail | |
12 | 4 days of lovely village-to-village walking along the Nakasendo trail, sacred Mount Koya, imperial Nara and Kyoto, Tokyo, natural hot spring baths |
| 18 October - 01 November | Imperial Pilgrimage | |
15 | Walking and hiking in the Kii Peninsula of western Japan, along the Kumano pilgrimage route. |
| 27 October -10 November 2009 | Shoguns and Samurai | 14 | Tokyo, Nakasendo post-towns, hot springs, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kyoto, Nara and Mount Koya | |
| Japan 2010 Scheduled Trips |
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| 17 - 26 January 2010 | Snow Country |  |
10 | Winter trip to the mountains and towns of central Japan, visiting hot springs and historical towns. |
| 14 - 23 February 2010 | Snow Country | |
10 | Winter trip to the mountains and towns of central Japan, visiting hot springs and historical towns. |
| 4 - 17 April 2010 | Shoguns and Samurai | 14 | Tokyo, Nakasendo post-towns, hot springs, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kyoto, Nara and Mount Koya | |
| 11 - 22 April 2010 | Nakasendo Trail | |
12 | 4 days of lovely village-to-village walking along the Nakasendo trail, sacred Mount Koya, imperial Nara and Kyoto, Tokyo, natural hot spring baths |
| 12- 25 April 2010 | Shoguns and Samurai | 14 | Tokyo, Nakasendo post-towns, hot springs, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kyoto, Nara and Mount Koya | |
| 13 - 26 April 2010 | Land of Fire | |
14 | Kyoto and Nara, Beppu hot spring, Kuju Highlands, Mount Aso volcano, Takachiho gorge, pottery and weaving in Aya, Kagoshima, Ibusuki hot sand baths |
| 9 - 22 May 2010 | Shoguns and Samurai | 14 | Tokyo, Nakasendo post-towns, hot springs, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kyoto, Nara and Mount Koya | |
| 16 - 27 May 2010 | Nakasendo Trail | |
12 | 4 days of lovely village-to-village walking along the Nakasendo trail, sacred Mount Koya, imperial Nara and Kyoto, Tokyo, natural hot spring baths |
| 11 - 24 July 2010 | Shoguns and Samurai | 14 | Tokyo, Nakasendo post-towns, hot springs, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kyoto, Nara and Mount Koya | |
| 19 - 31 July 2010 | Mountain Spirits | |
13 | Nikko’s Toshogu Shrine – Oze Marshlands – joining the pilgrims to climb the three sacred peaks of Dewa – staying in temple lodgings – Yamadera – gentle cycling and walking in the Tono Valley – hot spring baths |
| 26 September - 8 October 2010 | Mountain Spirits | |
13 | Nikko’s Toshogu Shrine – Oze Marshlands – joining the pilgrims to climb the three sacred peaks of Dewa – staying in temple lodgings – Yamadera – gentle cycling and walking in the Tono Valley – hot spring baths |
| 3 - 16 October 2010 | Shoguns and Samurai | 14 | Tokyo, Nakasendo post-towns, hot springs, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kyoto, Nara and Mount Koya | |
| 9 - 22 October 2010 | Land of Fire | |
14 | Kyoto and Nara, Beppu hot spring, Kuju Highlands, Mount Aso volcano, Takachiho gorge, pottery and weaving in Aya, Kagoshima, Ibusuki hot sand baths |
| 25 October - 5 November 2010 | Nakasendo Trail | |
12 | 4 days of lovely village-to-village walking along the Nakasendo trail, sacred Mount Koya, imperial Nara and Kyoto, Tokyo, natural hot spring baths |
| 7 - 20 November 2010 | Shoguns and Samurai | 14 | Tokyo, Nakasendo post-towns, hot springs, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kyoto, Nara and Mount Koya | |
You can now see some of tours in Google Earth, a free program from Google that allows you to zoom in to any place in the world and see stunning satellite imagery. See our Google Earth page for more information.
Fully Tailored Itineraries:
We can also arrange tours to suit your dates or even put together a trip customised to your needs, with or without an element of walking or hiking. See our custom tours page for more details.
Birdwatching and botanical trips:
Our resident naturalist Mike leads birdwatching trips to Kagoshima in Kyushu and also Hokkaido to see the Japanese (Red-crowned) Crane, Hooded Crane, Steller's Sea Eagle amongst others. These trips are normally on-demand only, so please get in contact to discuss your preferred dates.
Newsletter
Four times a year we send out an email newsletter with information about new trips, stories from past trips, and general news about our destinations. If you would like to receive this newsletter please enter your email address on our newsletter page.
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