Kunisaki Trek

The Kunisaki Peninsula is nestled into the western end of Japan's Inland Sea on Kyushu, the most westerly island of the Japanese archipelago. But the peninsula may as well have fallen off the map, for few Japanese, and even fewer foreigners, know of its existence. Modern Japan has left this quiet haven of rural life largely untouched. It was, though, for many centuries an important centre of Shugendo, the earliest form of Buddhism in Japan and quite different to the 'newer' Zen Buddhism. Shugendo is a syncretism of the indigenous, animistic Shinto religion and Buddhism brought from China and Korea. Kunisaki's once-powerful religious institutions are long gone, but delightful temples and wayside shrines are some reminders of its deeply religious past.

'Mine-iri', a monk's practice of traversing sacred mountain paths in prayer, has been part of the religious life of Kunisaki since about 800 A.D. Although now rare, the practice still continues today in Kuniskai, one of only a few places in Japan where it still does so. Our trek follows in the monk's footsteps. Occasionally we pass through picturesque hamlets and temple grounds, but otherwise our trek is largely offroad on little-known mountain paths. The climbs are usually short but they can be steep and require a degree of stamina to reach the peaks. Once there, though, the rewards include tremendous views and, as we negotiate narrow ridges and bridges, heady thrills. A reasonable head for heights is necessary.

Just to the south-east of Kunisaki is Yufuin, a small, up-market town in the shelter of the towering Mount Yufudake, an extinct volcano. Many of Japan's top writers have found, and still find, a haven here to put pen to paper. Perhaps because of this and the many onsen, hotsprings, found here the town boasts some of the finest ryokan, Japanese inns, that Japan offers. Yufuin is also ideal for some browsing and shopping. We spend two nights here interspersed with an ascent of Mount Yufudake. Lunch at the top of this mountain is enjoyed with a backdrop of grandstand views over Kunisaki and beyond.

Kunisaki is a tour we recommend for the fit walker. Please contact us for guidance if you are not sure about its suitability.

Price: US$2,840. There is no single supplement for this tour (Please see below).

What is included and not included? Local travel from tour meeting point to finishing point, accommodation, all breakfasts and evening meals and two lunches, baggage transfers, and entrance fees are included. Not included are flights, transfers to the tour meeting point and from the tour finishing point, five lunches and drinks with meals.

Single room supplement: There is no single room supplement. Throughout this tour we are staying in traditional Japanese accommodation and single rooms cannot be guaranteed. Please note, however, that we will endeavour to provide single accommodation rooms whenever possible. No additional charge is made for any single accommodation provided in traditional accommodation.

Group size: The small, intimate nature of the inns makes the maximum group size 14 people. We have no minimum size. If we accept a booking we guarantee to run the tour.

Please see the Itinerary for this tour and Tour Dates for dates and availability. These tours start on a Friday and finish on a Friday.

Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information and to book this tour.

*SPECIAL OFFER* The Kunisaki Hike tour complements Walk Japan's new Kyushu Expedition tour, which starts in spring 2010. The scheduled dates for both these tours run in succession for an easy combination of the two tours. If you wish to book both tours the combined price is US$5,650, including transport between the end point and start point of two consecutive tours.

Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information and to make a tour booking.

This itinerary is 'ground only', beginning in Fukuoka and ending in Yufuin. Instructions will be provided in English and Japanese for getting to the meeting point in Fukuoka.

Day 1

The tour group meets in Fukuoka at 12:30 pm before travelling by the award-winning Sonic Express train for a one-and-half-hour journey to Usa (pronounced 'Ousa'), the 'gateway' to Kunisaki. We visit Usa Jingu, an ancient and impressive Shinto shrine, that was instrumental in the development of Buddhism on Kunisaki. Our nearby Japanese inn for the night has the first of many onsen, thermal hot springs, we enjoy throughout the tour. Dinner, taken in our inn, is a Japanese feast of locally caught fish and locally grown farm produce.

Dinner provided.

Day 2

After breakfast at our inn a taxi will take us on a 25 minute journey to our start point at the heart of the Kunisaki Peninsula. Luggage, aside from backpacks, is taken on to our evening's lodgings by taxi.

Very soon after the start of the trek we find ourselves in verdant forest and remote countryside. We visit some secluded temples before lunch in a small, rural restaurant. The afternoon's trekking includes a short but stiff climb up to Mumyo-bashi, a spectacularly perched bridge between two crags. A cliff-hugging descent brings us down to road level and our last temple for the day. From here it is a 45 minute walk to a well deserved thermal hot spring and our lodgings for the night. 6 hours walking of approx. 10.5 km.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.

Day 3

Main luggage sent on by taxi. We travel by minibus a short distance to the beginning of Nakayama Senkyo, a ridge climb that takes us up to some spectacular views over the surrounding countryside and the Seto Inland Sea. Lunch is a delicious bento box. Beyond here we wind our way up over a pass before descending to a quiet hamlet before meeting our transport to nearby Imi Port. Given enough time before our ferry departs for Hime-shima we will visit a local craft and coffee shop. Hime-shima, a small island, is 20 minutes away on the ferry and our inn for the night is a short walk from the quay. The island is a delightful place with the main settlement a maze of streets, houses and little vegetable plots. Our dinner is focused on locally caught, fresh fish from some of the best fishing grounds in the Inland Sea. 5 hours walking of approx. 8 km.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.

Day 4

We return by ferry to Imi Port. After sending our luggage on, we have lunch at a local restaurant before catching a public bus to the start of today's trek. We soon pass through the grounds of a long-gone temple. Little is left of this once-powerful institution except stone Buddha statues and hundreds of monks' gravestones. The latter include Ninmon's last resting place. Nimon was the monk that is reputed to have first brought Buddhism to Kunisaki some 1,100 years ago. A climb to Itsutsu-tsuji Fudo provides impressive views across the Inland Sea to Honshu and Shikoku, respectively Japan's first and fourth main islands. We also have a grandstand view of Hime-shima. On through forests to Monjusen-ji (ji = temple), a temple perched on a cliff face. 4 hours walking of approx. 8 km.

Breakfast and dinner provided.

Day 5

If the priest is in residence, and for those who wish, up at dawn to join him in prayer and for a rare visit into a hidden cave for some holy spring water. Otherwise, there is time after breakfast to climb a cliff overlooking the temple, or just relax and soak up the atmosphere. As usual our main luggage is forwarded by taxi to our evening's lodgings before we start our trek. Today we pass through virgin forests and cedar plantations before we descend to an old village and join a little-used old track to Futago-ji, the principal temple on Kunisaki.

After lunch at a local restaurant a minibus pick us up to take us to nearby our lodgings for the night, another onsen. The lodgings here, though, are dominated by the rare attraction of a giant, 65cm reflecting telescope. A Japanese evening meal is followed, weather permitting, by an opportunity to look at the stars above Kunisaki through the telescope. The skies here are frequently very clear and a cloudless night can provide spectacular vistas of the heavens. 4 hours walking of approx. 7 km.

Breakfast and dinner provided.

Day 6

An easier day of walking but no less spectacular. A taxi takes us the short distance to the beginning of today's walk on Nokogiri-yama, a short but impressive ridge trek. We finish at the Kumano Magaibutsu, the largest Buddha relief carvings in Japan.

Rejoining our taxi, we journey into the charming castle town of Kitsuki for lunch in one of its restaurants. This is followed by a short guided tour around this quiet town's old samurai quarter, featuring buildings from feudal Edo Japan. En route to the spa town of Yufuin we visit a sake brewery for a sample or two. Our lodging is a delightful ryokan, Japanese inn, in the middle of town. 3 hours walking of approx. 3.5 km.

Breakfast and dinner provided.

Day 7

We take a taxi to the start of our climb, at 700m, of Mount Yufudake (1,583m). At the mountain's peak a grand panorama across Kyushu to an active volcano and Beppu Bay awaits us, and makes a wondrous backdrop to lunch. For the adventurous an optional guided trek continues around the crater of this extinct volcano before we all head down for our walk into Yufuin. Here we spend the night in an upper-class ryokan, a traditional Japanese-style inn. Reinvogorating thermal hot spring baths here are followed by another Japanese feast for dinner. 6 hours walking of approx. 10 km.

Breakfast and dinner provided.

Day 8

The tour ends after a Japanese breakfast. Travel back to Fukuoka Airport by direct express coach from Yufuin, or onward travel elsewhere in Japan by air and rail is easily accomplished.

Breakfast provided.

Walk Japan Ltd is happy to provide information and advise about places to visit for those wanting to extend their stay in Japan beyond Day 8.

This itinerary is subject to change.

Please see Tour Dates for scheduled tours and their availability. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information and to receive the booking form.

 

The following travel tips are intended to be helpful advice for our Kunisaki Trek tour. In addition, please refer to your own past experiences and make adjustments or amendments as necessary. If you require any further advice please contact us.

Clothing:

Early spring temperatures fluctuate from warm during the day to cool/cold at night. In late spring and late autumn, days will be warm to hot and evenings cool to cold. In summer and early autumn, days are hot and evenings warm. Except for the summer months, it is advisable to bring a variety of layers ranging from t-shirts to a top with long sleeves and perhaps a lightweight sweater/fleece. Shorts are acceptable in Japan for both men and women. However, we recommend long trousers for most, if not all, of the trekking itself. We recommend good quality walking shoes/boots and a collapsible walking pole. You may also like to bring some comfortable casual shoes sneakers, sandals, etc. for use in town. The sun's rays can be strong and we recommend a sun hat, sun screen, etc. A lightweight, packable style waterproof should suffice for inclement weather. Some individuals find Japanese pillows uncomfortable and you may like to bring your own inflatable pillow. Yukata, evening gowns for sleeping in, are provided at each lodging. However, we recommend leggings, a top, etc. to wear underneath. This will provide a degree of modesty and help ward off any cold air. Laundrette facilities are not available.

Food and drink.

While travelling during the day it is not usually necessary to carry more than water, a snack and personal needs. Vending machines, which are found in many temples we visit, provide drinks. Lunch will be taken either in restaurants or with bento lunch boxes.

Dinner in the Japanese inns is Japanese style, though breakfast may be more Western in style. Tap water is nearly always drinkable your guide will advise.

Medicines and cosmetics:

Some medicines and cosmetics with which you are familiar may not be available in Japan, although there are usually similar products. Prescription medicines in Japan may differ from foreign medicines in minor, but possibly unacceptable, ways. If you require a specific medicine or cosmetic, either for health or comfort, please bring sufficient quantities with you.

Access to cash:

Exchanging cash or travellers' cheques in major currencies is only possible in Kitsuki on Day 6. However, changing foreign currency at a bank can be a time-consuming exercise. Instead, we recommend alternatives including arriving in Japan with some Japanese currency, using credit cards, and withdrawing cash from ATMs.

Japan is still a society based on cash payments. Given that the crime rate is quite low, there is not a great deal of risk in carrying around relatively large amounts of cash. Credit card payments are sometimes possible, but do not rely on it as credit cards are not universally acceptable in Japan, particularly in rural areas. ATMs at Japanese post offices, which are ubiquitous in Japan, and Seven-Eleven stores provide cash against the following credit cards - Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club International, PLUS, Maestro, Cirrus and JCB.  Most Japanese bank ATMs, though, do not accept debit cards or provide access to foreign bank accounts.

International telephoning, cell phones and the internet:

Making international telephone calls and using the internet outside of major urban areas can be difficult or impossible. Please bring a telephone charge card issued by your local telephone company, such as AT&T, BT and Telstar. These can be used almost anywhere.

The Japanese cell, or mobile, phone system uses a specialized CDMA technology which is incompatible with most overseas systems. Some G3, Blackberry smartphones and iPhones operate in Japan, however, please confirm with your provider whether your phone set will work. If your phone does not work in Japan you may like to rent a cell phone from providers such as NTT Docomo, Cellhire, Mobalrental, Worldroam, Vodafone, etc.

Internet access is available on Days 1, 5, and 6.

For any more information please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The following is an indication of what level of activity to expect on our tours. The itineraries for all our tours provide specific details of each day's walking.

Please note that one person's expectations of what is easy or hard can be very different. Whilst age, physical ability and fitness are factors in deciding what a person is capable of, often a seemingly less fit person completes our tours with no problem. Another factor to consider is the weather, which can affect people differently.

Since 1992 we have taken many thousands of people of many nationalities, all ages and abilities on tour in Japan. We have good experience and knowledge about what most, if not all, people can achieve so please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like further information and advice related to your abilities.

Participants must be able to handle their own luggage, climb a few flights of stairs and walk less than 1 km a day. Travel will be almost entirely by public transport, taxi and private hire bus.

Participants must be able to handle their own luggage, climb a few flights of stairs and walk up to 5 km a day on mainly even ground.

Participants must be in reasonable health, mobile and able to participate in 4~6 hours of walking at a moderate 2kph to 4kph pace. The terrain is mainly even ground, with occasional short but steep climbs.




Participants must be in reasonable health, mobile and able to participate in 4~6 hours of walking at a 2 kph to 4 kph pace. The terrain includes more uneven ground than Level 2 with some short, occasionally longer, steep climbs.




Participants must be in good health, mobile and used to a reasonably active lifestyle. Walking may require up to six hours of moderate-paced activity per day, at a 2 kph to 4 kph pace over varied terrain. Ascents and descents can sometimes be steep,    necessitating the use of arms for support.

 

Participants must be in good health, have a good level of physical fitness and used to an active lifestyle. Walking may require up to eight hours of moderate-paced activity per day, at a 2 kph to 4kph pace over varied, mountainous terrain including some long ascents and descents.