From time to time, I work with other travel writers who want to share their travel and destination tips. Here’s a post by Rebecca from Hiking Mastery. 

We all know Japan is an amazingly beautiful country where history and scenery are unmatched. If you are planning a trip to Japan, you will want to explore as much of it as you can so you can maximize your experience and get some awesome photos.

If you are looking to get back to nature while in Japan, we have some great hiking and walking tours in Japan that you can check out below. By the end, you will be ready to book your trip immediately!

Kumano Ancient Trail

This 9-day trail takes you round trip from Kyoto to Wakayama and back. Along the way, you will have a guide who will help you navigate, get food and proper transportation. You will go from Kyoto to the Kii Peninsula and then hike Takahara through to the Grand Shrine in Hongu.

Along the way you will also see the Kumano River, which is explored by boat ride, and then more hiking to the Nachi Grand Shrine, where you will see waterfalls, too. At the end, you take a hike along the coast and visit the hot springs.

See featured image.

Kii Hanto Pilgrim Hike

The Kii Hanto Pilgrim hike is 5 days long and will start and finish in Kumano, Japan. The great thing about this hike is that you get to explore the mountains of northern Japan and visit the Hongu shrine, as well as the Nachi shrine with waterfalls.

At these shrines, people come to worship or practice their faith, so you must be respectful. If you are here in the winter, you can get on the onsen which holds 1,000 people on the Kawayu River.

You then take the Yamabushi pilgrim trail and head back to Kumano. Once on the Pilgrim trail, which takes about 5 hours, you will see the Hatenashi Mountain Peak and the Hatenashi settlement, with a ton of amazing scenery.

Land of Fire Tour from Kyoto to Osaka

This tour will take you from Kyoto to Osaka, which is a 15-day trek. You will want the best ultralight sleeping bag for the money because you will need it here. While there are accommodations, you may find that a sleeping bag is extremely helpful.

Not only will you see sights in Kyoto with visiting the Philosopher’s Path on the way to the Nanzen-ji Temple but you will visit the Nijo Castle which housed the Tokugawa Shoguns centuries ago. You will hike through Asuka and take a ferry to the Inland Sea, and then head to Beppu and the Kurokawa hot springs!

Along the way, you will visit Mt. Aso, see Yokagura dances, hot sands baths, and tour Yakushima Island as well as Nagasaki before you end up in Osaka.

Temples and Trails of Shikoku

Temples and Trails of Shikoku

From Osaka to Kotohira, you are going to get an amazing Japanese tour of some temples, with a guide, on this 13-day tour. You will arrive in Shikoku which has the Temple Pilgrimage Trail, which is highly spiritual and somewhat mysterious. It even has a connection to the foundations of Shingon Buddhism, Kobo Daishi.

You will also see 88 Buddhist temples, which, in old times, people would walk from temple to temple over long periods of time. The scenery is amazing, and each temple area may work the same, but they have different looks, foods, and landscaping. You will also stay on Mt. Koya, which has a hilltop temple that was put there by Kobo Daishi.

Through the countryside, and some forests, you will stay in traditional inns and enjoy the relaxing hot springs.

The Nakasendo Tour

A 12-day tour, you will begin in Tokyo and end up in Kyoto. You will walk the Nakasendo Trail for 4 days, where you will see outdoor baths that are located in the forestry. Hot springs are also in the area, and visit museums.

Through the Kiso Valley, you will see the best part of the Nakasendo Trail, where you can explore Magome and each the local foods like gohei mochi, sticky rice and more! You will then take the bullet train to Osaka and continue on to Nara and Yoshino before you discover Mt. Koya, where you will be among 100 monasteries, and sleep in a temple lodging area. You can even join in on a Buddhist service before you head on to Kyoto to finish up your tour.

Winter Nakasendo Trail

From Kyoto to Tokyo in 8 days, the Winter Nakasendo Trail is beyond belief when it comes to aesthetics and seeing Japan in the winter time. You will travel to Nakatsugawa, on the Nakasendo Trail, which is one of the oldest post towns in Japan. You will find that the town has its traditional, old style theme, which buildings made of wood and appearing rustic.

You will experience the cedar forests in Ochiai and hike through cobblestones from the Edo Era. You will find that the town of Tsumago has some of the most beautiful parts of the Nakasendo Trail and you can be in awe of the wooden buildings and older architecture as well.

The next part of this tour will take you to Kiso Fukushima where you will experience indoor or outdoor thermal baths, which is great in the winter time! From there you will go to Narai and then onto the Asam Onsen, which is a spa town that is at least 1,300 years old that includes more beautiful architecture.

You will leave Asama and head to Tokyo where you will end your trip!

Conclusion

Are you ready to plan your trip to Japan yet? Any one of these tours would be amazing to see and experience. From the scenery to the food and beautiful monasteries, waterfalls and mountains, you are sure to be pleased. Don’t miss out on a trip to Japan, where the beauty is abundant and the scenery is beyond belief! Have fun planning your trip!

About the Author

Rebecca lives in USA, but loves hiking all over the world. Her favorite is Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal. It usually takes 16 days, but she likes to slow down, enjoy mountains, company of other adventurers and take more pictures, so it took her 28 days last time. Another of her passion is the ocean, so all short and long hikes along the ocean shore bring a lot of joy. She also writes for HikingMastery.com.