Walk Japan

Walk Japan The pioneer of off-the-beaten-track walking tours in Japan since 1992. Visit www.walkjapan.com for more information and to contact us.

Listed in National Geographic Adventure's Best Travel Companies on Earth, Rough Guide Recommended 2008.

The Shujo Onie Festival๐Ÿ‘นIn rural Kunisaki Peninsula, the Lunar New Year is celebrated with a unique festival known as Sh...
24/01/2025

The Shujo Onie Festival๐Ÿ‘น

In rural Kunisaki Peninsula, the Lunar New Year is celebrated with a unique festival known as Shujo Onie. This longstanding tradition, dating back to the Heian Period (794-1185 AD), was once practised by many temples scattered across the peninsula. Recognised for its cultural significance, Shujo Onie was designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1977. While many temples have vanished over the years, the festival continues to be held annually in three temples.๐Ÿ‘บ

During the festival, priests dress as 'Oni' or demons, which are benevolent reincarnations of Buddha depicted as devils. Through chants, these Oni, carrying flaming torches, perform a frenetic dance before lightly hitting attendees with their torches. It's believed that those struck on the back or shoulder will enjoy a year free from illness and a successful harvest.๐Ÿ”ฅ๐ŸŒพ

Photo Credit: Paul Christie ๐Ÿ“ธ

Discover more about the traditions of the Kunisaki Peninsula on our Kunisaki Trek & Kunisaki & Yufuin Walk, full itineraries available at our website.
https://walkjapan.com/destinations/kyushu

โ€Just like life, pilgrimage contains ups, downs, unexpected meetings, lessons and hardships. When it gets tough, thereโ€™s...
19/01/2025

โ€Just like life, pilgrimage contains ups, downs, unexpected meetings, lessons and hardships. When it gets tough, thereโ€™s only one answer: keep on going.โ€๐Ÿฅพ

Oliver Berry, writing for National Geographic Traveller, shares his experience walking the ancient route of the Self-guided Shikoku Wayfarer and his memorable encounters with fellow pilgrims along the trail ๐ŸŒฟ๐ŸŒฟ

Read the full story at the link below๐Ÿ‘‡
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/hike-shikoku-henro-thousand-year-old-spiritual-island-pilgrimage-japan

Pilgrimages have been part of Japanese culture for over a thousand years. The UNESCO-listed Kumano Kodo is legendary among hikers, but on Shikoku thereโ€™s another sacred trail that remains quiet.

Where in the world are these dramatic mountain views? โ›ฐ๏ธ๐Ÿง (HINT: A summer paradise โ˜€๏ธ)Let us know your guess in the comm...
17/01/2025

Where in the world are these dramatic mountain views? โ›ฐ๏ธ๐Ÿง (HINT: A summer paradise โ˜€๏ธ)

Let us know your guess in the comments! ๐Ÿ’ฌ

Travel back in time through post towns along the Tokaido Trail ๐Ÿ“ฎ๐Ÿฅพ Walk the historic Tokaido, an ancient highway connecti...
15/01/2025

Travel back in time through post towns along the Tokaido Trail ๐Ÿ“ฎ

๐Ÿฅพ Walk the historic Tokaido, an ancient highway connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and Kyoto
๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ Visit the Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum, where you can admire the renowned woodblock artist Hiroshige's original woodblock prints depicting life along this iconic route
๐Ÿฒ Savour the rich flavours of 'tororojiru', a comforting grated yam soup, at a local restaurant made famous by Hiroshige's print of Mariko post town

๐Ÿ‘‰ Head to the link below for a more detailed itinerary.
https://walkjapan.com/tour/tokaido-trail

Dreaming of hiking through Kyoto's countryside in 2025? ๐Ÿ’ญ๐Ÿ’ซOur Kyoto: Mountains to the Sea was selected as one of the wor...
12/01/2025

Dreaming of hiking through Kyoto's countryside in 2025? ๐Ÿ’ญ๐Ÿ’ซ

Our Kyoto: Mountains to the Sea was selected as one of the worldโ€™s best hiking holidays for 2025 in The Telegraph ๐Ÿฅพ

Click the link below for the full list๐Ÿ‘‡
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/best-walking-holidays/

Put your best foot forward this year, whether traversing the bracing Scottish Highlands or the lofty peaks of Nepal

Craig Mod highlights the remote Toyama Prefecture for The New York Times' โ€œ52 Places to Go in 2025,โ€ noting its connecti...
10/01/2025

Craig Mod highlights the remote Toyama Prefecture for The New York Times' โ€œ52 Places to Go in 2025,โ€ noting its connection to the Noto Peninsula ๐Ÿ—พ

"Cradled on one side by the Japanese Alps and on the other by the Sea of Japan, the city of Toyama serves as a gateway to the Noto Peninsula, which was devastated in 2024 by an earthquake and torrential rain and, although still recovering, is now courting tourists as part of its recovery efforts."

Discover why Craig chose this destination via the link below๐Ÿ‘‡
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/travel/places-to-travel-destinations-2025.html?smid=url-share&referringSource=deeplink

Where will the new year take you? Kick-start your travel plans by selecting favorites from our annual list.

๐Ÿšถโ€โ™‚๏ธHita Okan - one of the oldest routes of 'ishidatami' stone-paving in Kyushu.This is a part of the route that connect...
08/01/2025

๐Ÿšถโ€โ™‚๏ธHita Okan - one of the oldest routes of 'ishidatami' stone-paving in Kyushu.

This is a part of the route that connect Nakatsu in the Edo period. This cobblestone route is 1,260 meters long and is created as a gentle slope for horses and people to walk through.

Walk on this stone-paved road with us on our Oita Hot Spring Trail tour. 2025 dates are now available to book on our website at the link below.โ™จ๏ธ๐Ÿž๏ธ
๐Ÿ‘‰https://walkjapan.com/tour/oita-hot-spring-trail

๐ŸŽ‰ Happy New Year 2025 ๐ŸŽ‰This year will be the year of the snake ๐Ÿ and we wish you only the friendliest of reptile encount...
05/01/2025

๐ŸŽ‰ Happy New Year 2025 ๐ŸŽ‰

This year will be the year of the snake ๐Ÿ and we wish you only the friendliest of reptile encounters on your next tour ๐Ÿฅพ

Thank you to the talented Ono-san from Yotsume Dye House (ใ‚ˆใคใ‚ๆŸ“ๅธƒ่ˆŽ) , who amazed us once again with this scaly 'Nengajo' New Yearโ€™s card.

๐Ÿฅ‚ Happy New Year and a happy announcement ๐Ÿฅ‚As 2024 comes to a close, we're looking back on all the wonderful adventures ...
01/01/2025

๐Ÿฅ‚ Happy New Year and a happy announcement ๐Ÿฅ‚

As 2024 comes to a close, we're looking back on all the wonderful adventures we took this year, from the classic Nakasendo Way to one of our newest tours, Kyoto: Mountains to the Sea. Thank you for joining us on these journeys - we can't wait for another year of slow travel in 2025!

We're also excited to announce our nomination for Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards, which would not have been possible without your support. Voting is open until February 24, 2025, and we invite you to cast your vote (link below). Perhaps we'll see Walk Japan amongst the world's best tour operators come August 2025 ๐ŸŽ‰

https://wba.m-rr.com/home

Thank you again for your support, and here's wishing you a Happy New Year! ๐Ÿฅ‚

Thank you for walking this journey with us. Hereโ€™s to 2025! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ™Œ
29/12/2024

Thank you for walking this journey with us. Hereโ€™s to 2025! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ™Œ

Sake. Sulphur. Snowshoes โ„๏ธA walking tour through the winter wonderland of Tohoku, a region celebrated for its rich cult...
27/12/2024

Sake. Sulphur. Snowshoes โ„๏ธ

A walking tour through the winter wonderland of Tohoku, a region celebrated for its rich culture, bountiful snowfall, exquisite Japanese sake, andrejuvenating onsen hot springs โ›„๏ธ

Visit our website for the detailed itinerary at the link below๐Ÿ‘‡
https://walkjapan.com/tour/tohoku-hot-spring-snow-tour

Happy Holidays โ„๏ธ๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿ””As the year winds down and powder snow blankets Japan, we're enjoying the season and looking forward ...
25/12/2024

Happy Holidays โ„๏ธ๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿ””
As the year winds down and powder snow blankets Japan, we're enjoying the season and looking forward to some wonderful winter tours in the new year โ›ท๐Ÿ‚

Tour Leader Diane (More Than Tokyo), what are your must-haves on tour? ๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™€๏ธ ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐ŸŽคThere are many essentials I bring on hik...
22/12/2024

Tour Leader Diane (More Than Tokyo), what are your must-haves on tour? ๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™€๏ธ

๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐ŸŽคThere are many essentials I bring on hiking toursโ€”tabi boots, a water bottle, trekking polesโ€”but these are my stand-out favourites:

๐Ÿ‘’My trusty Canadian hat, perfect for sun and rain protection, and a lightweight terry cloth scarf, essential for wiping away sweat or drying hands after washing.

๐ŸงฃAs an added bonus, my scarf is decorated with cute images from Japanโ€™s first manga, the Choju Jinbutsu Giga (Scroll of Frolicking Animals and Humans), created in the early 13th century.

โ˜•๏ธBut my ultimate favourite? A simple coffee cup. I love to enjoy the early morning quiet with a fresh coffee in my room before diving into the day.

As one of Japanโ€™s last great wildernesses, Iriomote Island is host to a distinctive subtropical ecosystem ๐ŸŒณ Along its co...
18/12/2024

As one of Japanโ€™s last great wildernesses, Iriomote Island is host to a distinctive subtropical ecosystem ๐ŸŒณ

Along its coastline, salt water meets fresh water from the deep jungle interiors to create an ideal habitat for tangled mangrove forests. Remarkably, all seven mangrove species native to Japan thrive here, making Iriomote a true haven for biodiversity ๐Ÿฆ€๐Ÿข๐ŸŸ

๐Ÿ”—Learn more on the Yaeyama: Okinawa Voyage at the link below
https://walkjapan.com/tour/yaeyama-okinawa-voyage

Futon or Bed? ๐Ÿ›Œ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿ™‹ Share your pick in the comment!
13/12/2024

Futon or Bed? ๐Ÿ›Œ๐Ÿค”
๐Ÿ™‹ Share your pick in the comment!

Snow-capped peaks, serene lakes, and the occasional Yezo Shika deer sighting โ€“ the Hokkaido Snow Tour is anything but yo...
08/12/2024

Snow-capped peaks, serene lakes, and the occasional Yezo Shika deer sighting โ€“ the Hokkaido Snow Tour is anything but your typical snowshoeing adventure โ„๏ธ

๐Ÿ‘‰Click the link below to read the full itinerary.
https://walkjapan.com/tour/hokkaido-snow-tour

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