The Imperial Pilgrimage Route Tour follows the southern most part of the Nakaheji Route which the imperial family and nobility took while seeking salvation in sangaku shinko (a belief in the supernatural power of mountains). You will follow the southernmost part of the old Nakaheji pilgrimage route for about 65 kilometers (4 days of trekking) staying at family run inns and temples along the way. Walking in the quiet solitude it is easy to imagine the days, centuries ago, when nobles followed these paths through the mountains. The pilgrimage route ends at Nachi where your accommodation overlooks the highest waterfall in Japan. Hot springs are abundant in this area and you will have many opportunities to relax in the naturally hot waters.

After a week of walking you will travel out of the mountains, via the quiet mountaintop village of Yoshino, to the ancient capitals of Asuka and Nara . You will explore the sites here and walk through gentle countryside along the Yamanobe-no-michi (literally the ‘path beside the mountains'). In Kyoto you will experience a more cosmopolitan side of Japan. Shorter strolls will take us to Japanese gardens and other important historical cultural sites. You will visit the ultramodern Miho Museum in Shigaraki, and there will be free time for shopping in Kyoto and enjoying the bright city lights.

Destinations:
Mt Koya - location of the head monastery of the Shingon ('True Word') school of Buddhism
Yoshino - a mountain top village famous for its views and cherry blossoms
Nara - a former capital beautifully situated in a large park
Kyoto - Imperial Japan in a city founded in 794 AD with 17 World Heritage Sites

Imperial Pilgrimage Route is a 14 day begins and ends in Japan.

THe price is US$ 4,450 per person including All domestic transport, accommodation, meals, guides, entrance and activity fees.

If you have any questions about the Imperial Pilgrimage Route Tour, please feel free to Contact Us.

Day 1 –Mt. Koya- "Shukubo" Temple Lodging - Japanese style room
Meet in Osaka and travel by train and cable car to Mt. Koya, location of the head monastery of the Shingon ('True Word') school of Buddhism. We will eat shojin ryori, which is a delicious vegetarian meal eaten by Buddhist monks, and stay overnight at a Buddhism temple.

Day 2 – Ryujin Hot Spring - Ryokan Lodging - Japanese Style Room
In the morning we will have a guided walk through Okunoin, an old cemetery situated amongst tall cypress trees, and then see other sites on Mt. Koya, a UNESICO World Heritage Site. In the afternoon we will have a pleasant drive to Ryujin Onsen (hot spring) where we will stay. We will eat seasonal cuisine and relax in the hot spring baths of a beautiful ryokan (Japanese inn) before heading to bed.

Day 3 – Yunomine - Minshuku Lodging - Japanese Style Room)
(Walking 13 miles: approximately 8 hours)
Begin Walk alnong Nakaheji Pilgrimage Route

A short drive to the start of the 4-day walk along the old Nakaheji pilgrimage path to Kumano. From the start at Takejiri Oji, the path climbs steeply up to the ridge-top village of Takahara. The Nakaheji has been established as one of Japan 's National Historic Roads. The paths are clearly defined, and flagstones have been laid in some places to make the climbs easier. Although rarely seen these days, there are small bears in the Kumano mountains and, more commonly, deer and wild boar. Wayside shrines encourage regular rest stops. Massive cedar trees around the small shrine at Nonaka no Ipponsugi marks the end of the first day of the walk. The night is spent in a ryokan in Yunomine.

Day 4 - Walk to Grand Kumano Shrine- Ryokan Lodging - Japanese Style Room
(Walking 13 miles: approximately 8 hours)
Today we will continue toward the Grand Kumano Shrine in Hongu, a sacred shrine done in a classic architectural style that blends seamlessly with the surrounding forests and mountains. We will also pass stone statues and monuments where nobles of times past would stop to rest and compose poetry along their journeys to the three great Kumano shrines. At night, we will stay in a ryokan in Yunomine, one of the oldest hot spring villages in Japan.

You will stay at a comfortable ryokan with an outdoor hot tub, fed by local hot springs, in Yunomine. Evening soaks under the stars are recommended for tired limbs, as are morning dips before breakfast. Your breakfast eggs might well be boiled in the boiling, sulphurous waters at the spring in the center of the village.

Day 5 – Kogumotori Pass- Ryokan Lodging - Japanese Style Room
(Walking 9 miles: approximately 6 hours)
Today's hike will include a gentle climb over Kogumotori Pass and end in Koguchi, a hot spring town where we will stay the night at the home of a Shogendo priest in the village of Koyama.

Day 6 – Toward the Grand Shrine in Nachi-"Shukubo" Temple Lodging (Japanese style room)
(Walking 10 miles: approximately 6 hours)
This will be the final stretch of our journey along the Nakaheji route. We will cross Ogutomoro Echizen Pass and descend to the Nachi Shrine, which overlooks Nachi-no-taki Waterfall (the highest in Japan at 133 meters). We will be resting overnight at Sonshoin Temple, which has a beautiful garden and a great view of the waterfall.

Day 7 –Yoshino - Ryokan Lodging - Japanese Style Room)
After an optional morning meditation session at the temple and a look at Nachi Falls, we will drive to the mountain-top village of Yoshino via Kumano City. The ryokan for tonight has a garden designed by the great tea master Sen no Riyku.

Day 8 – Yoshino - Minshuku Lodging - Japanese Style Room
We will see the Mikumari Shrine and Kinpusenji Temple today and then eat a lunch of kuzu noodles (a local specialty). Afterwards, we will travel to Asuka and spend the night at a minshuku.

Day 9 – Asuka - Minshuku Lodging - Japanese Style Room
Asuka, on the southern fringe of the Nara Plain, was the first capital of a unified state known as Yamato.Japan 's modest equivalent of Stonehenge is in Asuka, which also has a number of huge imperial tumuli or burial mounds. The oldest Buddhist statue is found in Asuka, a village which has strict planning permissions and so retains the sort of rural charm lost in many parts of Japan .

You will visit a craft center, the Asuka Ai zome Senshokukan, where there is the opportunity to try your hand at dyeing - a souvenir to take home perhaps? This is the home of an ex-NHK journalist who has a great collection of indigo-dyed aizome fabrics, and clay bells (over 10,000!). Lunch will be delicious handmade buckwheat noodles. In the afternoon you will explore the Asuka area on a gentle guided cycle tour.

Day 10 - Yamanobe no Michi Path - Western Style Hotel - Western Style Room
Yamanobe No Michi, or 'path beside the mountains', is fairly easy and takes us through rural farmland and countryside. We will follow the path from Miwa Shrine to Tenri, eating some chilled Miwa noodles along the way, and stay in a hotel in Nara.

Day 11 - Nara- Western Style Hotel - Western Style Room
Nara is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as Nara park, which is full of friendly, free-roaming deer. One of our sightseeing stops includes Todaiji, which has a huge bronze Buddha statue and a huge wooden structure housing it (biggest free-standing wooden structure on earth). There will be free time in the afternoon to relax and look around Nara on your own.

Day 12 - Kyoto- Ryokan Lodging - Japanese Style Room
We will travel to Kyoto and have a noodle lunch. Then we will visit Ginkakuji ('Silver Pavilion'), which has a lovely Japanese landscape garden, and walk down Tetsugaku no michi (Philosopher's Walk) to Nanzenji Temple. We will be served dinner at our ryokan by staff dressed in traditional kimono.

Day 13 - Kyoto - Ryokan Lodging - Japanese Style Room
First up today is the the ultra-modern Miho Museum in Shigaraki, which is sculpted into the mountains and is almost as spectacular as the Guggenheim in Bilbao. There will be time in the afternoon to look around Kyoto, and dinner will be served at the ryokan.

Day 14 - Kyoto- Ryokan Lodging - Japanese Style Room
We will visit an old merchant house, Nijo Jinya, before lunch. After visiting Nijo Castle, there will be time to shop around at the amazing variety of stores in Kyoto, where you can find an incredible variety of foods and cutting-edge kitchen knives and utensils, among other things. A guided tour of Gion, which is an old geisha district and a lively modern night spot. Finally, we will end the night with a farewell dinner and try our hands at some traditional haiku poetry.

Day 15 - Kyoto- and Home
This concludes the tour. Guests can either catch return flights home or continue on to other destinations they have planned.

Please note that single rooms are normally only available in hotels – where a single room supplement may apply. Single travelers may be asked to share a room (same gender) in Ryuji Onsen, Nonaka, Yunomine, Koguchi, Yoshino, Asuka, Mt. Koya, Nachi.

Bob first visited Japan more than 30 Years ago. After graduating from the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies in 1980, he worked in Japan as an English teacher in state schools for three years. He has spent most of the last fifteen years in the UK working as a Japanese translator and interpreter. After doing a Mountain Leader training course, Bob started to offer tours of Japan. He now spends much of his time guiding small group adventure tours with his network of expert local guides throughout Japan.

If you have any questions about the tour, please feel free to Contact Us.

Tour schedules are subject to change. If any changes should be made it will be done in the best interest of the travelers.
Japan Roads will at all times aim to offer you the most interesting tour possible.