This tour links Tokyo and Kyoto via the Japanese Alps, alternating between big cities and quieter stops in the countryside. It passes through several of the country’s former capitals, such as Kamakura, Nara and Kyoto, and follows part of the Nakasendo, the route once used by travellers between Kyoto and Edo. Nights in a ryokan and in a temple offer a look at traditional Japan from the inside, and a few moments with locals round out the trip.

Highlights

• Meeting locals: a day in Tokyo with an English-speaking guide who tailors the programme to your interests, a street-food evening in Osaka with a local resident and a Japanese cooking class with a local.

• Culture and history: the Great Buddha of Kamakura, Matsumoto Castle, the Silver Pavilion in Kyoto and the deer of Nara.

• Hiking and nature: the climb to the Chureito Pagoda facing Mount Fuji, the walk along the old Nakasendo trail between Magome and Tsumago, and the Mount Kurama trail to Kibune.

• Immersion in Buddhist Japan: a night in a temple on Mount Koya, a vegetarian dinner prepared according to monastic tradition and morning prayers.

• A variety of accommodation: city-centre hotels, two nights in a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn with hot spring baths and a Japanese dinner) and one night in a shukubo (temple lodging).