Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)

Northern Japan adventure holiday

COUNTRY:
Japan
DEPARTURES:
2012: 5 Oct
PRICE:
From £1965 (15 days) excluding flights
MORE INFO:
Minimum age 18
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
Make enquiry
Northern Japan adventure holiday

Northern Japan adventure holiday

Small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.

How this holiday makes a difference

This tour stays very close to the ground, travelling in a small group, staying usually at small family run pensions or ryokan local guesthouses or shukubo monastic guesthouses and eating at local restaurants, using public transport and very much being part of the world we are travelling through – not observing it from the goldfish bowl/behind the windows of a tour bus!

Where possible we may also take a gentle walk of an hour or so to see a particular attraction. By travelling in a small group we are able to eat at small restaurants or drink at local bars without impinging on the local community – in fact as the tour leader is now a familiar face, everybody finds themselves very welcome! At Osore San we eat together with pilgrims and those who wish are welcome to join in at a prayer ceremony.

At Kakunodate we have the chance to help the local economy by purchasing products made of cherry bark – a craft perfected by disbanded samurai at the end of the shogun period. This tour is lead by Phil Colley an experienced Japanese-speaking tour leader who as well as guiding the group reads the occasional Matsuo Basho haiku at the appropriate place according to the poet’s journey in 1689. Phil also knows how to find the best hostelries for sampling local sake!

In Japan we use only public transport – and discourage the use of disposable chopsticks!

In the UK we don’t produce glossy brochures and run an almost entirely paperless office – everything is done by email or online.

Make enquiry
How we choose providers
Northern Japan adventure holiday

Northern Japan adventure holiday

Reviewed 09 Nov 2009 by Maddy Ball4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


It is difficult to identify one thing in this category. This is due to the variety of places we visited and things we had an opportunity of seeing/taking part in. In my opinion we had an opportunity to see behind the scenes and meet Japanese people, as opposed to just seeing the hotel receptionist/waiter. However, I would have liked to have taken the "Onsens" home - would have been brilliant to go into after a hard day at work - also very refreshing in the morning. The trees and mountains were beautiful. Plan B meant that we were able to avoid the typhoon and ended up with only a few days of rain. The group leader was brilliant and very patient - the readings from "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" were not to be missed.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Make sure that you are prepared to travel every day/other day and that you do not pack too much. Also, at present Japan does not have the facility for accepting debit cards in their ATM machines, although most stores can accept them. Go with the flow and relax - and be appreciative of the welcome that you get from the local people.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Yes, although where we stayed more than one night, we could have been given the option to re-use our towels to save on laundry (ie put back on the towel rail if you wish to re-use, put on the floor if you want fresh towels). There was only long distance taxi which was due to the lack of trains at the time of the typhoon. The odd taxi was used where necessary, but local drivers were used.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


First rate. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the group gelled very well.
Make enquiry

Holiday Reviews

We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!

Read our review policy

Northern Japan adventure holiday
Convert currencies