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Richard is one of our expert tour leaders, and heads up group tours all over Japan. He is based in Kyoto, and has a passion for all things Zen and Buddhism – as you can see from his previous blog posts! Today, he lets us in on some of the best bits from one of his favourite tours: Classic Japan.
I’m a huge fan of all our group tour itineraries, and would be hard pushed to pick a favourite. That being said, if I were forced to choose, Classic Japan would be a high contender for the top spot.
There is a great deal to recommend the Classic Japan small group tour. Like all of our group tour itineraries, Classic Japan has a great mix of rural and urban destinations, which makes for a wonderfully varied tour.
One aspect of the itinerary that I particularly appreciate is the even pacing of the tour. A number of our tour itineraries include one-night stays in certain locations, which is great for people who are hoping for a fast-paced trip. Classic Japan on the other hand consists of two-night stays in all locations (except for the final night back in Tokyo). I find that this gives just enough time to see the major sights in each destination and to get a good feel for each place, while maintaining a nice relaxing pace. Perfect for people who like to take the pace a little slower.
Now let’s take a look at a few of my favourite aspects of this tour in more detail!
Destination: Kamikochi
Kamikochi is easily my favourite destination on this tour, and even if I were choosing between my favourite destinations on any tour, it’s likely that it would still emerge victorious.
A mountain resort in Nagano Prefecture, Kamikochi is an area of outstanding natural beauty. In order to preserve the area, access by private cars is not permitted, and access by train is impossible due to the remote location. The only way to get into the national park is on a chartered bus. (You can also hike in, although that’s not for the faint of heart!).
Another unique feature of Kamikochi is that it’s only open from April to November and closed during the rest of the year due to heavy snow during the winter – hence you’ll find that the Classic Japan tour only runs during these months!
Kamikochi is essentially a 15 kilometre valley with a number of mountain lodges (more luxurious than they sound!) scattered around for accommodation. The area offers a variety of great hiking opportunities for all levels of experience and fitness. Leading the group on a couple of easy hikes through the valley is one of my favourite experiences on this tour.
Experience: Showa-kan Museum, Takayama
This one’s a bit leftfield, but this is one of my favourite museums in Japan – just because it’s so kooky! Takayama is a delightful small city in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture. The main draw for this destination are the beautifully preserved merchant districts, but I’m a huge fan of the small and little-known Showa-kan, so I always offer it as an option when running this tour.
The museum is stuffed full of memorabilia from Japan’s Showa period (1926-1989 in the Western calendar), from old toys, cameras, and postcards to cigarette packs, textbooks, and dental equipment. The museum is laid out like an old 1950s streetscape. It’s totally kitsch, but a really interesting place to wander around soaking up the atmosphere of Japan’s more recent history.
Restaurant: Sanpei, Osaka
My favourite destination for food on this tour has to be Osaka, which I regard as Japan’s comfort food capital. One of Osaka’s most famous foods is okonomiyaki: a pancake/omelet/pizza-like creation that is cooked on a hotplate in front of you. I consider myself something of an okonomiyaki connoisseur, having worked in an okonomiyaki restaurant kitchen and spent a great deal of time trying to find Osaka’s best okonomiyaki joint. After extensive research, I believe it’s Sanpei, and I always try and take everyone there when leading this tour.
Okonomiyaki is a great communal dining experience and really tasty. After sampling the dish on our first night in Osaka, I’ll usually take everyone out to try Osaka’s other two famous dishes on our second night; takoyaki octopus dumplings, and kushikatsu deep fried skewers. No one loses weight during our two nights in Osaka, but we sure gain a lot of happiness! It doesn’t help that the Cross Hotel in Osaka, the usual accommodation for this tour, has, in my opinion, the best buffet breakfast of any tour.
Hotel: Resorpia, Hakone
The usual style of accommodation in the mountain resort of Hakone is a traditional ryokan inn, which usually involves sleeping on futon mattresses on tatami-mat floors. On this tour we do things slightly differently in Hakone, staying in a Japanese-influenced, Western-style hotel. With two nights in Japanese-style accommodation in both Takayama and Kamikochi on this tour, two more nights in Hakone could be risking futon overload for some people, and I think the Hotel Resorpia in Hakone is the perfect solution to that possible pitfall!
Although the hotel has Western-style beds and rooms, the hotel is run in many ways like a Japanese-style ryokan inn, with yukata gowns for guests to wear in and around the hotel. The real highlight for me, though, is the onsen hot-spring baths. A number of the hotels and ryokan on the Classic Japan tour have hot-spring baths, but the baths at the Resorpia are my favourite, particularly the lovely rotenburo outdoor bath.
Bar: Shushu, Kyoto
A quick drink after dinner on tour is a great way to finish a day’s sightseeing, and there is nowhere in Japan where I’m more familiar with the best nightspots than Kyoto, where I now live (OK, maybe Kanazawa, where I used to live!). My favourite watering hole in Kyoto is a bar called Shushu, managed by a super friendly guy called Toshio. He’s been a bartender for 18 years (and counting!) and I’m pretty certain he makes the best gin and tonic in Japan. He also has a fine selection of Japanese whiskies, including the locally distilled Yamazaki, all for a great price. Even when I’m not on tour, you’ll often find me propping up the bar in Shushu, so do pop in and say hi!
So there we have it – a few of the main reasons why I love the Classic Japan tour, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! If you would like to know more about the style of the tour and the other destinations and experiences featured on the tour, check out our website or give one of our expert travel consultants a call, and you can be putting on weight in Osaka and working it off on some of Japan’s most beautiful hiking trails in no time!
