Mountain Travel Sobek • Celebrating 45 Years of Adventure Walking Japan TRIP DETAILS 11 days • Japan • Activity Level: Moderate HIGHLIGHTS • Explore the old imperial city of Kyoto, its ancient temples, the Golden Pavilion of Kinkaku-ji, and Ryoan-ji, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the Arashiyama district • Walk in the footsteps of shoguns as you follow ancient trade routes through medieval towns, lush valleys, and misty forests • Stay at traditional Japanese inns, where you will eat exquisitely prepared, multi-course Japanese meals and soak in hot springs • Experience the electric energy of Tokyo and visit some of its oldest sites, including the Imperial Palace and the Grand Meiji Shrine 1266 66th Street, Suite 4, Emeryville, CA 94608 1-888-MTSOBEK • 510-594-6000 www.mtsobek.com • [email protected] 1 Mountain Travel Sobek • Celebrating 45 Years of Adventure OVERVIEW Walking through the Japanese countryside, it is easy to see what has inspired the elegant simplicity of Japan’s traditional art: ethereal cherry blossoms, ancient temples, lush valleys, misty forests, and snowcapped peaks. Today, we tend to associate Japan with the hustle and bustle of modern Tokyo and its outstanding technological legacies, but the traditions of ancient Japan are still strongly ingrained in the culture. Traveling through its magnificent landscapes, you’ll hear the echoes of shoguns, samurai and merchants who once traveled on foot or horseback on a network of trails linking the Imperial capital with the provincial towns of the Kiso Valley. MTS’s Walking Japan itinerary includes hikes along well-maintained trails through forested mountains, and past hamlets and small villages that quickly bring you in touch with the real Japan. While some tours of Japan spend only one night in traditional accommodations and eat mainly western food, our trip immerses you in Japanese culture to experience the gracious hospitality of small, family-run inns and exquisitely prepared, multi- course Japanese meals. You will travel in the company of our expert, bilingual Japanese guides, who will share the culture, history, and traditions of their country with both passion and a flawless attention to detail. We'll start out from the old imperial city of Kyoto, home of an incredible 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites. While there, we’ll visit Kinkaku-ji—the Golden Pavilion—built by the Ashikaga Shogun at the end of the 14th century. We’ll also see the Gion Geisha district and stroll the famous Philosopher’s Path lined with cherry trees—a sublime experience in springtime! From the Nara plain, we’ll travel by train along the scenic Nankai railway to Mount Koya, a high, bowl-shaped valley filled with towering cedar trees. The center of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, this region is home to more than 100 monasteries, and we’ll stay in a traditional shukubo (temple lodging) and dine on shojin-ryori (Buddhist vegetarian fare). Along the way, we will use trains, buses and subways for transport, giving us the opportunity to travel with local Japanese in an environmentally friendly fashion. We'll continue along the Nakasendo, one of Japan’s principal trade routes during the time of the shoguns. Beautifully preserved post towns (called juku) pepper the route, and you’ll enjoy the hospitality of villagers who have converted their traditional ‘machiya’ houses into inns. And finally, we'll wrap up our journey in Tokyo, where we’ll visit the elegant Ginza shopping district, the Imperial Palace and the Grand Meiji Shrine, and experience the electric energy of the city. Come experience Japan, MTS-style! Please note that this walking trip is rated “Moderate” due to our hiking days, as well as the active nature of each day’s activities. There is a lot of walking to get to each itinerary location so we cover a lot of distance each day. Many of the temple sites we visit are situated on large, spread out gardens and grounds. In addition, we use public transport on this trip more than on other Mountain Travel Sobek adventures, and this creates a very active, multi- faceted trip. You will need to be prepared for steep staircases in the traditional ryokans in the countryside, with shared bathrooms; and busy subway stations in the city. 1266 66th Street, Suite 4, Emeryville, CA 94608 1-888-MTSOBEK • 510-594-6000 www.mtsobek.com • [email protected] 2 Mountain Travel Sobek • Celebrating 45 Years of Adventure TRIP DATES Mar 25, 2018 - Apr 04, 2018 Apr 08 - 18, 2018 May 06 - 16, 2018 Sep 03 - 13, 2018 Oct 07 - 17, 2018 Nov 04 - 14, 2018 Nov 11 - 21, 2018 AWARDS & ACCOLADES Day 1: Welcome to Kyoto We'll meet at our hotel in Kyoto and convene for a welcome dinner at a restaurant in the city center. With over 1,000 Buddhist temples, sublime gardens, and excellent cuisine it's easy to see why Kyoto has been voted Travel+Leisure's "Best Overall City" two years in a row! Please note that this entire trip is below 6,000 feet. Dinner / Royal Park Hotel the Kyoto - Kyoto Day 2: Explore the magnificent temples and gardens of Kyoto In the morning, we'll head to the extraordinary Kinkaku-ji, or Golden Pavilion—so named for its top two stories that are covered in gold leaf. The pavilion was built by Ashikaga Shogun in the late 14th century as a retirement villa, but was later converted by his son into a Zen Buddhist temple. While we're there, we'll have time to explore the temple's magnificent Japanese strolling garden and mirror pond. From here, we’ll walk to nearby Ryoan-ji to see its famous rock garden, which Day 2: Explore the magnificent temples and consists of 15 moss-covered boulders—only 14 of which are visible at gardens of Kyoto any time. It is said that the 15th rock can only be seen by those who have attained enlightenment. We'll transfer to Arashiyama, an area in northwest Kyoto popular with the nobility since the Heian period (794–1185) because of its beautiful natural setting. Here you'll find cherry blossoms in April, dramatic foliage in fall, forested mountains and, the Katsura River with its Togetsukyo Bridge. We'll have lunch, then visit the Tenryu-ji temple and the famous bamboo groves, and there will be free time afterwards so you can explore the area further or shop for crafts. Breakfast / Royal Park Hotel the Kyoto - Kyoto 1266 66th Street, Suite 4, Emeryville, CA 94608 1-888-MTSOBEK • 510-594-6000 www.mtsobek.com • [email protected] 3 Mountain Travel Sobek • Celebrating 45 Years of Adventure Day 3: Ride the train to Nara and visit the Todai-ji temple Enjoy a hearty breakfast before taking a short train ride from Kyoto to Nara. On a much smaller scale than Kyoto, Nara was established in 710 A.D. as Japan’s capital, and is home to the famous Nara Park, where over a thousand semi-tame Sika deer roam. We'll walk to Kasuga- Taisha, a bright vermillion Shinto shrine established in the 8th century. Stone lanterns line the path to the entrance, and hundreds of bronze lanterns hang inside. We'll continue to Mount Wakakusa for a short climb that that gives us a view of Nara City. After lunch, we'll visit the Day 3: Ride the train to Nara and visit the Todai- nearby Todai-ji temple, known for two superlatives: it's the world’s ji temple largest wooden building, and it houses one of Japan’s largest bronze of Buddha statues! We'll return to Kyoto in the late afternoon. (Walking time: 1.5 hours) Breakfast / Royal Park Hotel the Kyoto - Kyoto Day 4: Travel the scenic Nankai railway and follow the Pilgrim’s Trail to Mount Koya Today, we'll have the unique experience of traveling without our luggage, as it will be transferred by courier. Before we depart, you'll want to pack a small bag to carry your overnight items in. We'll travel by train along the scenic Nankai railway, which brings us to Mount Koya. At this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you'll find a high valley filled with stands of towering cedar trees surrounded by eight peaks. This has been a center of religious devotion and ceremony since the 9th century, when the monk Kukai (also known as Kobo Daishi) founded the first temple and the Shingon sect of Buddhism. Today, the valley is home to more than 100 monasteries, many of which host travelers in shukubo (temple lodgings). We'll visit Kongobu-ji Temple before arriving at one of the elegant shukubo, run by the monks. We'll dine on Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, shojin-ryori, tonight. Breakfast, Dinner / Shojoshinin Shukubo or Sanjo-in Day 5: Explore Mount Koya and head to the Kiso Valley Early risers are welcome to join a Buddhist service at the temple this morning at 6:30 am. After breakfast, we’ll tour the vast Okuno-in cemetery, with thousands of graves and memorials to feudal lords, shoguns, samurai, politicians, and other luminaries. We'll then say goodbye to Mount Koya and head by several different forms of transportation to the Kiso Valley, including a local train to Osaka and subway followed by a bullet train, limited express train and local bus. In the Kiso Valley, we'll join up with the ancient Nakasendo trail that links Day 5: Explore Mount Koya and head to the Kyoto and Edo (medieval Tokyo). During the Edo period, 69 post Kiso Valley stations, or shukuba, were built along this route for travelers to rest during their journey.