Japan Luxury Walking & Hiking Tour

Book a 13-day Luxury Walking and Hiking Tour and journey through the cultural wonders and natural splendor of Japan with AJT. Our itinerary features a combination of nature hikes that showcase the most enchanting landscapes and a set of pilgrimage routes that to authentic, less-traveled temples and sacred places. These tours are fully guided by one of our friendly, professional English-speaking guides, with transportation between destinations facilitated by our private vans. Accommodation is a combination of luxury hotels, onsen hot spring resorts, and authentic Buddhist temple lodgings.

The tour arrives in Osaka but departs immediately for Nara – one of Japan’s most ancient cities – where we will explore the mountain trails near Todaiji Temple and Mount Kasuga. Hike through the enchanted Primeval Forest of Mount Kasuga, where we’ll likely come across a few adorable wild deer along the way. While in Nara, view the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple and the hundreds of lanterns at Kasuga Grand Shrine before we continue on to Koyasan.

Koyasan is one of the most sacred places in Japan – the center of the Shingon school of Japanese Buddhism as taught by their founder, Kobo Daishi. Hike the Chioshi-michi Trail, supposedly walked by the founder himself, through the nearby wilderness. You will also tour Kongobuji Temple and Okunoin – Japan’s largest graveyard, and stay overnight in an authentic Buddhist temple lodging, known as “shukubo”. Koyasan is also the gateway to the Kumano Kodo – one of Japan’s foremost pilgrimage trails, a sacred ground for the Shinto religion, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It preserves the Kumano Sanzan – the three sacred shrines of Kumano, plus hundreds of small “oji”, or wayside shrines. We will hike the route between the gate of Hosshinmon-oji to Kumano Hongu Grand Shrine. Take a traditional riverboat ride down the Kumano River to Hayatama Grand Shrine, and then hike to Nachi Grand Shrine and spectacular Nachi Falls – the tallest waterfall in Japan.

We go from there to Ise Shima, home to Ise Grand Shrine – the holiest shrine in the Shinto religion. In addition to the shrine grounds, we explore the traditional shops and restaurants of Oharaimachi, which has been serving pilgrims to Ise for centuries. We also see nearby Mikimoto Pearl Island, where we have lunch with the Ama Pearl Divers. We stop by the stately Miho Museum in Koka before we arrive in Kyoto – ancient capital of Japan and center of traditional culture for over a thousand years.

We feature three different hikes through Kyoto on each of the last three days of the tour. The first day involves a hike around Kyoto’s beautiful Arashiyama district. On the way, we see Tenryuji’s magnificent garden, the idyllic nature scenes of Jojakkoji and Gioji temples, and the hundreds of Buddha statues at Otagi Nenbutsu. On the second day, we walk through the hundreds of shrine gates at Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine, and then sample the sweet sake of Fushimi Sake District, after which we enjoy a meal of Kyoto Kaiseki cuisine hosted by a Geisha in the Gion Geisha District. On the last day, we see many of Kyoto’s most beautiful places, including Kiyomizu Temple, Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, Ishibei- koji, Kodaiji Temple, Maruyama Park, Heian Shrine, the Philosopher’s Path, Ginkakuji Temple, and Mt. Daimonji- yama.

Join a 13-day Luxury Walking and Hiking Tour of Japan with AJT. This Private Luxury Tour is fully customizable, so if you had a different destination in mind for your Walking and Hiking Tour, we can alter the itinerary to fit your personal vision. Please browse the detailed itinerary below for more information.