affordable, non-traditional travel in traditional Japan, since 1999
Who would enjoy these trips?
These are tours for the experienced, culturally sensitive, flexible and adaptable traveler who wants to experience real people in real places and come away with a clearer, deeper understanding of the land, its people and their culture. These are not for the tourist accustomed to traveling around in a glass bubble tour bus with 40 others, staying in 5-star hotels and dining on steak in their restaurants every night. No buffet meals here.
This is "grass roots" travel, among the people, in the Japanese countryside.
What to expect.
Participants use local transportation (buses
and trains) and have accommodations in minshuku (bed and breakfast) and ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in the style of budget-minded Japanese touring in their own country. There are no tour buses here to pick you up and take you from one "famous" place to another in each location, so expect up to five miles of walking each day in villages, towns and cities; hiking trips average 8-10 miles per day. What you will experience is the warmth and generous hospitality of Japanese countryside people in some memorable places off the main tourist routes.
What's included?
Land transportation, guide and entry fees, accommodations and all meals, except lunch, are included. This is countryside, people-to-people travel, avoiding the big cities and the usual, crowded, tourist destinations.
clean your plate(s).
Just back from the Visit Japan Travel Mart 2012 in Yokohama with a host of new tour concepts, for all seasons, not just spring and fall. Bicycle tours in the Hida Mountains and Okayama/Shikoku, sea kayaking the Izu Peninsula, Kii Peninsula, Sado Island and Sanriku, farm visits in Aomori and Kagoshima Prefectures, and more, along with hiking the Kumano Kodo Ancient Pilgrimage Routes in April and old Japan in Takayama/Kanazawa in late April and October. Accommodations will range from new Youth Hostels in Kyoto to minshuku to luxury Onsen hotels in Aomori and Iwate-ken.
Ever wanted to visit Japan, in a group of eight, or fewer, people, travel in the uncrowded countryside and not have to pack your suitcase every night? Then mark your calendar for Thursday May 16, 7pm at Collins View Dance & Arts Center, 318 SW Palatine Hill Road, Portland 97219, for an evening presentation about the many Visits to the Japanese Countryside tours planned for 2013.
Visits to the Japanese Countryside are just that, leisurely tours in rural Japan, far away from the big cities, for experiencing traditional crafts, countryside lifestyle, hiking, cycling, festivals, soaks in mountain hot springs, morning markets, local history and more -- all at a leisurely pace. Think of it as non-traditional travel in traditional Japan.
The guides are all local people, accommodations are in traditional Japanese inns -- minshuku and ryokan, with two meals included -- and transportation is by local bus and train, and your own two feet. One does a lot of walking in Japan.
Tours are planned for:
August in Tohoku (northern Honshu) for farm visits and the Nebuta festival in Aomori Prefecture; Lake Towada; and the Sanriku coastline of Iwate Prefecture. Yes, this is part of Tohoku so devastated by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, but entirely safe to visit. Let's extend our sympathy and goodwill for the people of this area.
Mid-October to Sado Island, Niigata prefecture, home of taiko; Takayama in the Japan Alps, Gifu Prefecture; and Matsumoto, home of the black castle in Nagano Prefecture.
Mid-November to Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu for farm visits, hot springs soaks and more.
April 2014 to travel the Kumano Kodo Ancient Pilgrimage Routes, a World Heritage Site, in Wakayama Prefecture.
This is a hiker's dream experience in Japan. DVD available.
These are grass roots tours where you travel as Japanese do, spend a minimum of 2 or 3 nights in each destination and have the time to relax and absorb your surroundings and the local lifestyle -- no "20 minutes and back on the bus" on these trips. They average $3000/person for a 12-day trip, plus RT airfare, and are limited to 8 participants. In the 2 months before departure there will be 10 hours of cultural education including lots of links to websites about the destinations and local customs, traveler Japanese language and the opportunity to democratically decide the group's choices for local activities in each destination. It's your trip, after all.
Again, the tours presentation will be on Thursday, May 16 at Collins View Dance and Arts Center, 318 SW Palatine Hill Road, Portland, Oregon 97219. Call 503-293-6195 for more information.
