Nature & Culture in Japan

13 Nights: £2700 (excluding international flights)

Destinations:
Tokyo | Karuizawa | Matsumoto | Japan Alps | Magome | Kyoto

Come and join your Tour Leader, wildlife expert and Japan enthusiast Oscar Huygens, for an exciting adventure mixing the very best of Japanese culture in the vibrant cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, with 5 days amongst nature hiking in the stunning Japanese Alps.

We alternate visits of Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan's most famous cities, with one- to three-day hikes in the beautiful mountains of Central Japan and a stay in Matsumoto, the gateway to the Japanese Alps, and home to one of Japan's best preserved samurai castles.

In the stunning Kiso Valley region we hike the old Nakasendo highway which functioned as a postal route during the Edo period. The path winds between the well maintained post towns of Nagiso and Tsumago through fields, rice paddies and past local houses. This amazing day is topped off with a night in a night in the picturesque town of Magome with a stay in a traditional Japanese style inn wth ryori fireplace.
 
The group for this tour is limited to just 8 people allowing you to see Japanese nature up close and to share Oscar's expertise and knowledge. The tour combines mountain hikes with visits to places of cultural interest and if you are lucky you may see monkeys, serows and even wild bears. An exciting mix of history, architecture, contemporary culture, and of course nature.

Accommodation will be a mix of Western style (mostly in the cities) and traditional, with futons laid out in beautiful Japanese tatami rooms. You will also have the option of a "homestay" with a Japanese family in Matsumoto (subject to availability). The food will be exquisite, and the pace and variety of experiences will be such that you will truly feel like your Japanese experience could not have been more complete!

Pricing Information

2011
Tour Price: £2700
Extra Nights  
Pre-Tour: Twin Share pp £50     Single pp £60 
Post-Tour: Twin Share pp £50    Single pp £60
2012
Tour Price: £2700
Extra Nights  
Pre-Tour: Twin Share pp £50     Single pp £60 
Post-Tour: Twin Share pp £50    Single pp £60
Start Dates 2012

2012
Mon 3 Sep - NOW BOOKING

 Prices:
2012: £2700

Prices are excluding international flights.

What’s Included:
  • 13 nights accommodation
  • All transport on the tour between destinations in Japan including airport transfers on arrival and departure
  • Meet and Greet at Tokyo Narita Airport
  • Breakfast everyday
  • 9 dinners/lunches
  • Tokyo transport pass
  • Luggage forwarding between Matsumoto & Kyoto
  • Kyoto bus pass for 1 day
  • Full time services of your Tour Leader Oscar Huygens
  • InsideJapan Tours' complimentary Info-Pack
What’s NOT Included:
  • International flights
  • Extra local transport you may choose to use (buses, subways, taxis) except those covered by the Tokyo and Kyoto passes
  • Beverages and entrance fees not mentioned above
  • Baggage handling - you will be expected to carry your own bags for the duration of the trip

*(Please note that two meals a day will be included in the Japan Alps (breakfast and either lunch OR dinner), depending on the day's itinerary).

Homestay Option
An unique optional "Homestay" opportunity is available in Matsumoto. You will stay for 2 nights with a Japanese family on a twin share (2 meals) basis.

Important Practical Information

Maximum Group Size: 8

Hiking: This tour does include a considerable amount of tough hiking and so you will need good hiking boots, waterproofs and you will need to be of reasonable fitness. No technical expertise is required and we take it nice and slowly - the views and nature are well worth it!

Where an evening meal is included in the mountainous areas it will be breakfast and either lunch or dinner depending on the day's itinerary.

The actual itinerary in the Japan Alps may vary depending on weather conditions and lodging availability. There is an alternative program should bad weather and the conditions in the mountains preclude us from hiking in the Northern Japanese Alps.

Transport & Luggage: Most transport for this tour will be by minibus - luggage space is limited and so suitcases are NOT appropriate for this tour. Please pack as lightly as possible using soft bags such as duffel or sports bags. You will also need day sacks for the hikes in the mountains. Clothes washing facilities are available in Tokyo, Matsumoto and Kyoto (extra charge payable at the hotel).

International Flights: This tour starts in Tokyo (for arrivals at Tokyo Narita Airport) and finishes in Kyoto (for departures from Osaka Kansai or Osaka Itami airports). If you need to transfer back to Tokyo for an onward flight from Tokyo Narita Airport then there will be an additional cost of 13,520yen per person payable in Japan for the Shinkansen train from Kyoto to Tokyo.

Please note that the included meet-and-greet and airport transfer to the first hotel is ONLY available up to 2 days in advance of the tour and if you are staying extra nights pre-tour it is only available if those nights are booked through InsideJapan Tours.

Check-in: Please note that rooms at the Tokyo hotel are only available from 3pm. (You can however securely leave your luggage at the front desk at any time).

BACK TOP

 


Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1 Tokyo

Meals: Dinner

You arrive at Tokyo Narita Airport and will be met and greeted at Tokyo Narita Airport by one of our representatives who will supply you with transport tickets to the hotel in the historic Asakusa District of Tokyo. The hotel is in a great location in the centre of Asakusa and just a short walk from Tokyo's oldest and most famous Temple complex, Sensoji. This evening a group meal is included - a great way to meet your fellow travellers!

Day 2 Tokyo

Meals: Breakfast

Today we will discover Tokyo and its diverse faces: the world's largest fish market at Tsukuji; traditional temples at the Yasukuni and Meiji shrines; modern Japanese fashion at Harajuku; and finally the buoyant nightlife in Shinjuku. Overnight in Tokyo with numerous restaurant options on our doorstep.

Day 3 Karuizawa

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner

Free time in the morning and afternoon transfer by private vehicle to the mountainous Karuizawa area, in Nagano prefecture. Nagano, with its numerous mountains, is often called the roof of Japan. We will stay in a montain inn on the forested slopes of a volcano. The food will be delicious, and your futons will be laid out on tatamis in beautiful traditional Japanese rooms. The inn also features a natural hot spring, the use of which is a Japanese experience all by itself!

Day 4 Karuizawa

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner

Full-day but relatively easy hike up the beautiful slopes of the Asama Yama volcano, just inside the Joshin Etsu Kogen National Park. Throughout the day Oscar will introduce you to the ecology of the area. We will stop along the way to scan the slopes for wild serows, an endemic Japanese ungulate, walk through dwarf bamboo thickets and subalpine larch forests, and picnic above the tree line with magnificent views of the Asama volcano. The more intrepid can then loop around on a more difficult hike on a beautiful ridge with magnificent views of the surrounding mountains and plains. We all return for a second night at the mountain inn.

Day 5 Matsumoto

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner

Transfer by private vehicle to Matsumoto. Rather than use the tunnels and miss the scenery we will take the high roads and drive over the Central Prefectural Highlands. We will make a short hike along the way to visit a bear trap still used by the bear research group Oscar helped found, and to talk about the recurring conflicts between bears and humans in Japan. Availability permitting, optional first night homestaying with a Japanese family. The alternative accommodation is a modern hotel in the centre of this lovely city. Whatever your choice, another sumptuous meal is included tonight.

Day 6 Matsumoto

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner

We will go back in time and visit Matsumoto's famous 400 year old samurai castle. Lunch in a typical Japanese restaurant and free time in the afternoon to further explore this charming town.

Day 7 to Day 9 Japan Alps

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner

We will begin with a steep climb up to a ridge just above the tree line (2500 m) on the first day and enjoy incredible views of the surrounding mountains along the way and from the top. With luck we might see wild monkeys, serows, or even bears! We will then settle down in front of a great Japanese meal in a mountain lodge where we will also spend the night. The next day is less strenuous as we hike along the ridge to the next lodge, enjoy fantastic scenery the entire day, and continue to search for wildlife. Second night in a mountain lodge and return to the valley bottom the next day to check into a traditional Japanese onsen with great accommodation, including an outdoor hot spring. For these 3 days Oscar will prepare an exciting alternative program, including hikes in lower mountains with views of mount Fuji, should adverse weather or snow conditions render the Japanese Alps inaccessible to us.

Day 10 Magome

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner

Transfer by private vehicle back to Matsumoto from where we take a Ltd Express train to Nagiso, From Nagiso we will take the famous hiking trail along the old postal route towards Tsumago. Tsumago is probably the best preserved post town on the old Nakasendo trail which used to connect Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto. On arrival in Tsumago we will then either continue on by foot to Magome or take a local bus. In Magome we will stay in a traditional family run inn in the centre of the old town. A tasty evening meal is included this evening in our minshuku.

Day 11 Kyoto

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner

This morning we will take a local bus back to the main station and then transfer to Kyoto first by Ltd Express train and then our first experience of Japan's amazing Shinkansen bullet train. Kyoto is perhaps Japan's famous old Imperial capital city and we spend three nights here to make the most of its treasure trove of World Heritage sites. Our first afternoon will include visits to the famous "Pure Water" Kiyomizu Temple and Sanjusangendo temple. An evening in Kyoto will top off our first night stay in this magical city.

Day 12 Kyoto

Meals: Breakfast

Today we will visit the famous Ryoanji zen gardens and the celebrated Golden Pavilion early in the morning to beat the crowds. You then have a free afternoon - options include exploring the old streets of Gion or trying your hands at a local craft. Oscar will be on hand to assist you with organising anything you would like to do. Buses are the most convenient way to see Kyoto's many sight and we have included a one day bus pass so you can get around like a true Kyotoite!

Day 13 Kyoto

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner

Today there is an optional unguided day trip to Nara, one of the other ancient capitals of Japan where we can combine visits of the deer park, the Kofukuji temple, the awe inspiring Todaiji, the world's biggest wooden building and the giant Buddha it houses, and, if time allows, the Kasuga Taisha shrine with its thousands of lanterns. On our third and final night of the tour in Kyoto we will have a Sayonara included evening meal.

Day 14 Depart

Meals: Breakfast

It’s sayonara as the tour ends and we go our separate ways. If you are leaving Japan today Oscar will make sure you have no problems getting to the airport in good time to check-in for your flight. Please note that the tour ends in Kyoto, so a departure flight from Osaka Kansai Airport is ideal. If you are departing from Tokyo Narita Airport the Tour Leader can help to purchase the Bullet train tickets up to Tokyo and the Airport transfer tickets from Tokyo to Narita Airport. Remember your airport transfer to Osaka Kansai Airport is included in the price so no need to worry about this. If you are staying on a bit longer, we wish you all the best for the remainder of your visit!

Photos