Japan walking holidays travel guide




Our Japan walking Holidays
Japan self guided walking holiday, Nakasendo Trail
Self-guided walking along Japan’s ancient Nakasendo trail
Honshu hiking holiday in Japan
A challenging walking and hiking holiday in Japan.
Kumano Kodo trail self guided walking holiday, Japan
Self guided walking on the Kumano Kodo Trail
Kumano Kodo walking holiday, Japan
Village to village walking in the sacred Kii Peninsula
Nakasendo Trail walking tour, Japan
Village-to-village walking on the historic Nakasendo trail
Nikko and Yumoto Onsen walking tour, Japan
Explore Nikko and hike in the beautiful Oku Nikko plains.
Nakasendo self guided walking tour
The Nakasendo Trail and Kamikochi -or extend to Nikko
Shikoku Pilgrimage self guided walking tour, Japan
Shikoku 88 Pilgimage route self-guided walking
Nakasendo Trail winter tour, Japan
The tranquil magic of winter on the Nakasendo trail
Japan walking tour of Shikoku
Beautiful Shikoku Island and the 88 Pilgrimage trail
Japan walking holiday, North from Tokyo
A walking journey, rich in spirituality and tradition
Japan ancient capitals self guided walking tour
Ancient Capitals, historic trails and cultural treasures.
Japan Alps winter walking holiday
Self-guided winter holiday in Nagano and Gifu
Japan walking and culture tour, Nakasendo & Kiso Valley
Guided tour of the highlights along the old Edo road
Japan Guided Tour, Eastern Hokkaido
Explore the untamed wilderness of Hokkaido
Kumano Kodo trail walking holiday in Japan
1200-year-old Kumano Kodo walk, major pilgrimage destination
Walking holiday in Japan
An ideal introduction to the delights of Japan
Is a Japan walking holiday for you?
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Our top Japan walking Holiday
Japan self guided walking holiday, Nakasendo Trail
Self-guided walking along Japan’s ancient Nakasendo trail
This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary
Walking holidays in Japan
Guided or self-guided?
How tough are they?
Japanese walking holidays are often as much about experiencing local history and culture as they are about the hikes. Check the number of days of full walking in the itinerary, because sometimes it might only be for half of the actual trip, if it is a guided trip. If it is tailor made, then you can hike as much as you like. And generally the walking is not too strenuous. On Nakasendo Trail walking holidays, there are only about four days of walking, and outings vary from two to five hours in length on mainly flat-ish, well trodden mountain paths that twist and turn through ancient forests. On Shikoku Island hikes, you will walk on gently rising mountain paths, a bit rough underfoot but nothing too taxing. On the Kumano Kodo Trail, the mountains are a bit tougher and on a guided hiking tour you will walk for about five days, between two and six hours a day, but with more climbs. So, although it is not Kilimanjaro by any means, a good level of fitness is required to tackle up to 1,000m ascents some days. But they are always interspersed with easier days, so don’t panic.If you are going to take on the summits of Fuji or Yari, however, it is a different story. Some days involve six to eight hours of trekking, with challenging climbs and descents on Yari for two days. Indeed the final summit involves a scramble, ladders and chains. This is not for people with knee issues – nor vertigo, for that matter. Fuji is not as challenging but you still need to be ready to hike for two days, get up early to summit at sunrise and have a good level of fitness.