Japanese Alps walking tour

Planet

Traveling around Japan is easy due to the fantastic network of public transport and during this tour you will use various modes of local transport, including bus, local train and bullet train. You will be also making good use of our favorite form of travel - on foot!

Japan is big on recycling so it's not difficult to be green in Japan. Look out for separate bins in the accommodation and outside convenience stores and your local tour leader will make lots of suggestions to help you support this practice.

Chopsticks are thrown away after each meal in Japan so we provide a pair of reusable chopsticks at the start of this trip to our customers, to help avoid the use of wooden disposable chopsticks.

We keep our group size to a maximum of 12, which means traveling in a small group allows us to support small local restaurants where the menu offers locally grown, seasonal specialities. Not only does this help in keeping food miles down but it offers your the opportunity to experience some of the best and freshest Japanese cuisine!

People

This wonderful, scenic adventure takes you to the more remote areas of Honshu island, in the mountains regions of the Japanese Alps. Here you will follow quiet mountain trails away from the crowds, past almost forgotten woodland shrines, and through cedar forests lying in the shadow of volcanic mountains. On this tour you really will be discovering areas of Japan where time has stood still, in spite of what you might see and hear in the modern metropolis cities.

Some people you come into contact with will not have interacted with many foreign tourists, so you will be supporting local communities all the way. We work with the policy of ‘Take nothing but memories, Leave nothing but footprints’.

Your guide is an English speaking Japanese guide, working locally. They will facilitate you learning about, and understanding the traditions and history of the small villages and towns you visit, where we do what we can to support local commerce (restaurants, hotels, shops, food producers such as Daio wasabi farm). You take part in a workshop on how to make soba (buckwheat noodles) with the help of a local expert and also visit local 'miso' and 'nihonshu' breweries.

We offer just two group departures per year and travel in a small group of maximum 12 pax.

Your accommodation on the adventure is varied - representing Japan perfectly' ranging from a wonderfully restored kominka and traditional ryokan, to modern facilities in some towns. A highlight of the adventure is a stay at a Shukubo; a temple offering lodging which gives us insight into the simple & traditional lifestyle led by Buddhist monks. We will have simple rooms with tatami floors, sliding doors and shared toilets. Dinner is served early, and guests are invited the next morning, to participate in prayers at 06.00 before breakfast at 07.00.