New walking tour of Sacred Japan

Australian soft adventure agency, Active Travel, is offering a new, autumn-hued walking tour in Japan in September, 2015, when travellers can visit mountain-top temples and sacred waterfalls, soak in hot springs, join in dawn Buddhist ceremonies, sample local dishes and stay in traditional Japanese inns.

Led by experienced Australian walker, Mike Taverner, the 13-day ‘Pilgrim Trails of the Kii Peninusla’ tour departs from Osaka on September 26, 2015, with travellers able to explore the iconic Osaka Castle and visit Nara - the imperial capital of Japan in the 8th century and home to the World Heritage-listed Todaiji Temple – the world’s largest wooden building, housing Japan’s largest Buddha statue (16m tall).

Tracing the Nakahechi route of the 1000-year-old. Kumano Kodo pilgrim trail on the Kii Peninsula, hikers will visit Koyasan’s mountain-top temples and pass ancient teahouses and shrines and participate in morning Buddhist ceremonies in the mountains, with the pilgrimage trek ending at the Grand Shrines of Nachikatsuura, home to the highest waterfall in Japan, which has a drop of 133 metres.

Walkers stay in a mix of traditional Japanese inns and modern accommodation and can enjoy fresh Japanese dishes through the journey, with 27 meals included in the tour package. The ability to soak in a hot spring is available on several days and there’s also a rest day where open air hot springs, created naturally by geothermally heated water in a river, provide a welcome relaxation for the hikers.

Suited to walkers with good fitness, the trek entails 5-20km (up to seven hours) of walking each day between small mountain villages, with hikers only needing to carry daypacks. Luggage will be transferred each day to the next accommodation.

Active Travel’s ‘Pilgrim Trails of the Kii Peninusla’ tour includes 12-nights’ accommodation, 27 meals, sightseeing and entrance fees and is available from A$3879 per person, twin-share, with a single supplement of A$484. Flights from Australia are additional, and can be booked via Active Travel, subject to availability.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia