Walk Japan’s Speciality Tours include all the qualities found in the company’s acclaimed walking tours but include other intriguing elements for a different but just as enjoyable experience of Japan and its people. The Kunisaki Retreat is a tour for physical and spiritual well-being held on the serene Kunisaki Peninsula, where Buddhism first took root over 1,300 years ago and blended with the local Shinto religion. The tour incorporates an emphasis on mind and body through meditation, yoga, gentle walking, and the preparation of and enjoyment of healthy cuisine. The Yaeyama: Okinawa Voyage is a land and waterborne adventure to some of Japan’s most southerly islands. Our principal modes of exploration on this tour include kayaking through mangroves and over the open sea, snorkelling down to coral reefs as well as gentle trekking through sub-tropical jungle.
The Onsen Gastronomy series of tours are the most recent additions to the Walk Japan’s Speciality Tours. At the invitation of Japan’s Onsen Gastronomy Tourism Association, Walk Japan is creating a range of shorter walking tours of up to five days that have an especial focus on some great favourites of Japan; luxuriating in Japan’s famed onsen hot spring baths and feasting on beautifully prepared and presented Japanese delicacies all accompanied by wonderful sakes and other local brews. The walking is comprised of leisurely strolls over easy terrain and limited up to 10km (6.2 miles), but averaging between 6 - 8km (3.7 - 5 miles), each day allowing time to visit sites of interest and/or workshops for a hands-on-experience of local crafts. Wherever available, we are sometimes joined by local producers and experts on food and drink who provide us with insights on their specialities.
The first of Walk Japan’s Onsen Gastronomy series of tours explores the beautiful countryside found on the border between Oita Prefecture, the onsen capital of Japan, and Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu; while the second explores deep into the mountainous countryside of Gifu Prefecture in central Japan. Subsequently, Walk Japan will add more tours in this new series in areas wherever pleasant walking combined with onsen hot springs and great food exists across the length and breadth of Japan.
