5 Days Nakasendo Walking Tour (Matsumoto-jyo, monkey park, Kusatsu onsen)

INTRO:

The Nakasendo or “Road through the Central Mountain’ was part of feudal Japan’s network of highway.

This is a 5-day walking tour of Nakasendo route, one of the Five Routes in Edo era. Nakasendo was built as the important highway which linked Kyoto to the starting point of Edo Nihonbashi in 1659. In a long highway of approximately 532 kilos, 69 stages were established to heal from journey. Like ancient travellers in Edo period, Today’s visitors can walk section of the original routes by day.

In addition, you will visit to Matsumoto-jyo Castle, a national treasure, snow monkey park, and other attractive spots such as excellent Kusatsu Onsen as well as hiking of Shiga Kogen.

This tour starts at Nagoya Station and ends at Ueno Station in Tokyo.

WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE:

• Walk on the loviest parts of Nakasendo Trail and Kisoji
• Stay at many styles of accommodation including ryokan, temple lodge, onsen ryokan
• Visit Matsumoto-jyo Castle and Zenkoji Temple
• View the famous wild snow monkeys in Onsen at Jigokudani Monkey Park
• Onsen tour and Yumomi observation and experience

TOUR ITINERARY:

• Day 1
  -Meet with a guide at Nagoya station and move to Tsumago.
  -Sightseeing in Tsumago including history museum.
  -Stay at nice ryokan surrounded by Japanese garden.
  Tsumago is the place that prospered as a point of the traffic from the Edo era, and Tsumago Honjin is a facility appointed by the Shogunate as lodging of daimyos.
  When the last head of a household left in the Meiji era, it had been demolished, but Honjin of the Edo era was reproduced in 1995. At the history museum, the summary of such a post town and the history of Kiso are saved carefully.
• Day 2
  -Hiking around Kisoji for 3 hours.
  -Move to Matsumoto
  -Free time for dinner. Enjoy the local food.
• Day 3
  -Sightseeing in Matsumoto including Matsumoto-jyo
  -Move to Nagano and visit Zenko-ji temple
  National treasure Matsumoto-jyo Castle is the Japanese oldest existing castle in a tower of the fivefold sixth floor.
  It is known as black-and-white contrast being beautiful and the castle tower inclining.
  Zenko-ji is a temple from the past when Buddhism is divided into the denominations in Japan.
  Regardless of the religious sect, it is a place where a long cherished dream was possible.
  In addition, it is known as the rare temple to accept woman in a period of old Buddhism that had exclusion of women.
  A lodging (shukubo) is the accommodation made for a priest and a worshiper mainly.
  It was the facilities where only a priest stayed at, but because Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine prayer spread from the Heian era, temples allowed noble, samurai, and general prayer stay.
• Day 4
  -Visit monkey park
  -Hiking shiga-kogen
  -Stay at famous Kusatsu onsen
  Jigokudani Yaen Koen is known for Snow monkey (monkey entering the hot spring in winter) and is the wild monkey garden which can observe the habits of the wild Japanese monkey close.
  This place is introduced on Japanese newspaper as “it is rare even in the world where wild animals can be observed at the close distance in the public garden”. Observation is secured by tourists following rules.
  Shiga Kogen forms the complicated topography due to the activities from old times in a mountain born by many volcanoes and volcanic activity.
  Wetlands, a damp plain, an alpine plant, and the various elements including the virgin forest gather and thereby let beauty of the mountains-cape of the subalpine zone become more attractive.
  Kusatsu is a hot spring ranked as top in the Edo era and one of three famous Japanese springs.
  You will enjoy various hot springs including a footbath and the outdoor bath in a hot-spring resort of old taste.
• Day 5
  -Onsen tour and Yumomi observation and experience
  -Move to Ueno and the end of program
  Yumomi is done to lower the springs temperture by stirring the hot spring with the board, called Yumomi ita, while singing Kusatsu melodies.
  It is a traditional technique in Kusatsu, but the place continuing this is limited now. You can experience in this program.

PRICE PER PERSON:

• From A$3,670
• The currency in Australian Dollar

GROUP SIZE:

• Min. 2 persons
  Max. 5 persons
• Please note that there may be other participants

HOW TO BOOK:

1. Please contact us for availability through ‘CHECK the availability’ button
2. We will check the availability and come back to you with a quote within 3 business days
3. Payment request will be sent
4. Reservation is done upon receiving your payment. Confirmation e-mail will be sent to you

PAYMENT:

• Program fees shall be paid through Credit Card. Currently, no other payment method is accepted.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

• Reservations may be cancelled without charge up to 21 days prior to the program date.
• Reservations cancelled less than 20 days before the program date will incur the following charges:
  – 20 days to 8 days prior to start date of tour in Japan: 20% of total price
  – 7 days to 2 days prior to start date of tour in Japan: 30% of total price
  – 1 day prior to start date of tour in Japan: 40% of total price
  – On the start date of the tour in Japan, during a tour, or no show: 100 % of total price
  *Time is in JST

CONDITIONS:

• Please advise us if there are any religious or health restrictions, allergies, or any case where special care is needed when you ask us for availability.
• Every effort will be made to keep to the above itinerary, but we cannot make absolute guarantees! Changes to the itinerary will normally be made to introduce an improvement. Weather conditions, road and transport conditions, and the health of walkers can all contribute to changes. The guide will ensure that the trip runs according to plan, but an easy-going nature is an asset!