Guided walks and treks in Japan :: West Japan Explorer

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Highlights:

Two-day hike over Miyanoura-dake (1,935m) on Yakushima and seeing the oldest cedar forests in Japan · Open-air seaside natural hot spring baths · Visit to a shochu distillery · Classic Isoteien garden at the old Shimazu family residence in Kagoshima · Climbing Mount Aso, volcano with the biggest caldera in the world · Visit to Usuki town and stone Buddhas on Kyushu coast · Hot sand baths · Travel on the shinkansen bullet train · Hiroshima Peace Park · Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima · Izumo Grand Shrine · Matsue – castle and home of Lafcadio Hearn · Climbing Mount Daisen · Train journey along the beautiful Sea of Japan coast · Traditional Japanese pottery-making session · Kinosaki hot spring town · Delicious food, particularly local seafood specialities (flying fish, crab) and mountain vegetables.

Day 1 Osaka
meet at Kansai International Airport (KIX)

Day 2 –4 Yakushima
Followed by a day of relaxation, we will spent two days hiking on this sub-tropical island

Day 5 Kagoshima
Travel to Kagoshima

Day 6 - 7 Mount Aso
Travel to Mount Aso region, and climb Mount Aso

Day 8 Usuki and Beppu
See 700 Buddhist carvings in Usuki and hot sand bath in Beppu

Day 9-10 Hiroshima
Travel to Hiroshima, Miyajima sightseeing
Hiroshima peace park

Day 11-12 Matsue
Visit Izumo grand shrine, sightseeing in Matsue and climb Mount Daisen

Day 13 Kinosaki
Travel to Kinosaki, afternoon pottery

Day 14 - 16 Kyoto
Travel to Kyoto and spend two days sightseeing, including a tour of the traditional geisha district in Gion.

When we receive your booking we send you a dossier, which contains a suggested gear and clothing list. If you do have queries at this initial stage please contact us and we will be pleased to offer advice.

KAGOSHIMA, HIROSHIMA, MATSUE, OSAKA : Comfortable, modern, downtown hotels. You will also stay in traditional ryokan and local minshuku . Most have bathrooms with modern toilets and basins and, in most cases, large Japanese style bathrooms with communal single sex baths.

Please note that single rooms are normally only available in hotels – where a single room supplement may apply. One night is spent in a basic mountain hut with sleeping bags (supplied).

All meals are provided.

Every effort will be made to keep to the above itinerary, but we cannot make absolute guarantees! Changes to the itinerary will normally be to introduce an improvement . Weather conditions, road and transport conditions, and the health of walkers can all contribute to changes. The guide will ensure that the trip runs according to plan, but an easy-going nature is an asset!

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