Gentle Trekking Nakasendo Trail reviews
Read holiday reviews by Mountain Kingdoms travellers.
A marvellous holiday. It gave us some insight into the history of Japan. It was interesting to see life in rural Japan. Tokyo is a vibrant city and Kyoto a more relaxed place. Our guide was delightful and very well informed. I would certainly recommend this trip.
Things we loved: getting immersed in Japanese Culture; Japanese people are so polite and friendly; trying Japanese food; and travelling in a group of six with good camaraderie.
Having spent the previous two weeks mountain trekking in the Japan Alps without a guide we were looking to this "gentle trekking" trip with a guide to introduce us - with explanations - to some of the key cultural aspects and sites of Japan through the medium of unstressful walking. I think the trip met our aims for it.
The different places we visited provided a good introduction to Japan. We especially liked travelling by public transport, (not by road in a coach or minibus), staying in the minshuku and ryokan, and the meals provided there. It was our first visit to Japan and we would like to go again.
This trip was extremely well organised and all the travel arrangements etc worked perfectly. Aya was a very good guide giving us loads of insights into local culture and making requested amendments to the itinerary (we only asked for a few small ones!) with conscientiousness and good humour. The group size was ideal and everybody was very friendly and helpful to each other. Overall this was a wonderful trip in so many ways and I shall never forget it. Japan is such a beautiful and exciting country - made extra special by weather to die for, almost continuous wall to wall blue skies and warm sunshine every day but one!
MK's Nakasendo Trail's gentle trekking trip gave us a taste of a few cities and staying in hotels, the challenge of reducing luggage to what we carried on our backs (letting our main bags be transferred very efficiently for occasional access, and which enabled such easy luggage-free public transport travel everywhere); and then what seemed a real privilege to be trekking in alpine countryside, with accommodation in small privately owned minshukus, inns, ryokans and even a Buddhist temple (surprisingly luxurious!). We were blessed with good walking weather, and the beginnings of autumn foliage, and could hunt out the occasional chrysanthemum display. Learning the etiquette of onsen-use involved ditching British reserve(!), but those hot communal baths offered a great way to relax after a day's walking, and we would then all assemble dressed in our yukatas and slippers for dinner. Thanks, MK, for another really well researched trip, and also for organising our Hiroshima extension, to which travel was easy in that we were by then public transport experts!
This was my first solo trip without family and friends so I was excited and nervous. I loved Japan and the people, experiencing the very modern working alongside the very traditional. The mix of trekking, visiting temples, cities and seeing traditional crafts was great. Staying in the Minshuku and Rayakans was a real experience and gave us a flavour of the past. Overall an amazing adventure that I shall treasure.
We loved this trip. We wanted to see Japan but not at the frantic pace of most tours. This itinerary allowed us to experience Japan in all its glory, without the feeling of rushing between its various sites. From our first outing in Tokyo, visiting a beautiful Shinto shrine, to our final walk along the Philosophers Trail in Kyoto, the whole trip was spectacular. Our guide was excellent, managing to herd us gently and expertly, always ready to help, translate, explain and enlighten us on any matters Japanese. The minshuku and ryokan were all very comfortable and welcoming, with lovely food. Our particular favourites were: staying at the Ekoin Temple, enjoying the hospitality of the monks and witnessing their morning ceremonies; and taking the 7 different modes of transport it took to get there! The transport in Japan is so clean, so timely, so efficient and even the rush hour in Tokyo was well mannered. This meant that far from being the tiring, trying experience that it may be in England, the 7 different modes of transport were a joy, an adventure, adding to the overall experience and so much better than being ferried around on a bus!
I liked the variety in the program in that we visited cities and rural areas. I enjoyed the experience of staying in the different types of accommodation, not just hotels.
This was a lovely holiday. Travelling everywhere by public transport, staying in a ryokan, minshukus and a temple, and walking every day were unexpected highlights. As well as the Nakasendo Trail itself, we particularly enjoyed our stay at the temple in Koya-san and walking the Yamanobe No Michi trail, as well as visiting Nara and Kyoto.
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