Japan Walking Tours 2020 & 2021
Journey To The East's 2020 Walking Tours of Japan are ideal for those who enjoy the luxury of light, pack free, walks (up to about 8-10 kilometres per walk). In groups of up to 8, the walks with a private guide through the back streets and through some of Japan's spectacular pristine nature walking trails. The small groups enable you to interact directly with your knowledgeable guides to get the most from your walks. In addition to the short walks will introduce you to the culture and many of the iconic sight of Japan on your tour.
2020 Japan Walking Tours:
- 2020 Walking Tour in the Japan Alps takes in the fabulous Mt Norikura and Hirayu, amazing colours on Mt Hotaka and the breath-taking plateau of Kamikochi, surrounded by 3,000m class mountains.
- 2020 Walking Tour of Japan's Wild West shows off the variety of the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route. Kurobe Gorge, Japan's deepest gorge, is ablaze with Autumn colour for this tour.
- 2020 Walking Tour of Northern Japan takes you through the brilliant Dewa Sanzan ('three Dewa mountains') along the pilgrimage trail and through Zao, Yamadera, Ginzan Onsen, Matsushima and the fabulous Urabandai. What an experience!
- 2020 Walking Central Japan in Autumn takes you on the Nakasendo trail where the trees are all shades of red and brown and you are surrounded by Samurai history. The tour also offers some of the best back street guided walking in Kyoto and Takayama.
2020 Walking Tour of Japan Alps in Autumn takes you to Japan’s pristine national parks with the Japan Alps high above you. In addition to the short nature walks (8-10k) on the plateaus and valleys in vibrant autumn colours, you will visit iconic cities of Tokyo and Kyoto.
| 1 Oct 2020 | Available |
This tour features Japan’s dramatic natural landscapes from the highest mountains to the deepest gorge. Full of cultural experiences including a night stay at a century-old thatched roofed farmhouse. Along with the remoteness, you will also explore the sophisticated cultural cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Kanazawa.
| 4 Oct 2020 | Available |
This tour covers culturally intriguing and naturally magnificent day walks (8-10 km/day) including the pilgrimage walks of sacred Dewa Sanzan in the northern parts of the main island of Japan in early autumn. Seriously off-the-beaten track, this tour exposes you to the warm traditional hospitality and immersive experiences of northern Japan.
| 7 Oct 2020 | Available |
Walk through the well-preserved villages and cedar covered forests on Nakasendo Way where samurai walked hundreds of years ago. The tour also includes back street walks in Japan’s major destinations such as Tokyo, Kyoto and Takayama still at the peak of autumn colours. The well balanced tour between nature walks and cultural encounters, it is ideal for active people who are looking for variety of experiences.
| 15 Nov 2020 | Available |
Walking in Japan in 2020
Japan is a very special and very safe place to walk for both the serious walkers and for those who enjoy the freedom of shorter walks without a heavy pack.
The Japanese cities and towns are wonderful places for short walks particularly away from the hoards of tourists travelling in large groups. There is so much culture and history to see in these places and you can get a much better understanding of the 'real; Japan. Additionally, Japan also has a maze of excellent trails well away from the cities. These trails are often well prepared and you take through some beautiful scenery, some are also pilgrimage walks.
Guided Walking Tours and Self Guided Walking Tours in Japan
Many of the walks outside the cities and towns are reasonably well sign-posted and can be covered relatively easy with a map. However, as in the cities, signs explaining what you may not have English or indeed are so brief as to be of limited value. It makes sense then , if you are interested in culture, history or even bioscience to enjoy your walk with a qualified guide who can point out and explain many of the things you may otherwise miss.
Away from the cities, the accommodation choices are often limited. Japanese style accommodation (ryokan or minshuku) are sometimes the only choice. For the most part you will find the warm and clean, however, language will likely as not present some interesting challenges and experiences.
There are obviously dozens of way do a walking trip in Japan. In the case of Journey to the East, our 2020 walking tours of Japan have the following in common.
- The group sizes are kept to a maximum of 8 like-minded guests to create friendlier groups and give access to the more unusual.
- We use qualified English speaking guides to provide almost one on one interaction with guests.
- The walks are more informative and cover shorter distance as a consequence.
- We prefer to walk without heavy packs.
- We employ the same focus on quality food as our other tours are known for.
- Accommodation is generally of a higher standard (trails permitting).
Had a fabulous time with a great group of people. I loved the country, the culture, the people and everything about the tour – hope to do another tour with JTTE – maybe Hokkaido or Kyushu next time
Vivien Hewitt, Western Australia
This was my first trip with JTTE and already I am looking at the program for next year thinking about another one. I liked the fact that it was a small group, the organisation was spot on and the food everywhere was outstanding.
Dee Mason – NSW Australia
Our Travel Style
At Journey to the East we are committed to providing authentic, small group tours to Japan – whether standard tours or custom-built for private groups. Our travel style is to immerse you in the culture and landscape of the country and expose you to a rich variety of unique experiences.
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