Our adventure begins in with 3 nights in Tokyo. Japan's thriving capital city is an electrifying mix of the ultra-modern and traditional. Shared shuttle transfers from Tokyo Haneda or Tokyo Narita Airport are included. In the afternoon, our Tour Leader will take us out to orientate ourselves as we start exploring the best of what Tokyo has to offer. There are endless opportunities for food and fun. You will be provided with an IC card providing unlimited travel on public transport around the city. The rest of the evening is free.

Today we have a full day exploring Tokyo with our Tour Leader, on foot and using public transport. Tokyo is a city with a vibrant youth culture, with young Tokyoites often setting global pop culture and fashion trends. We explore the perennially stylish regions of Shibya and Harajuku. Harajuku particularly is known for its colourful street art and fashions, with streets full of quirky vintage clothing, cosplay shops, and upmarket boutiques. We will also visit Meiji Shrine, Tokyo's grandest Shinto shrine, set within a forest. An impressive torii gate marks its entrance; torii are believed to be gateways between the earthly and divine realms. Here, we will get our first introduction to the Shinto traditions in which we will be immersed on the Kumano Kodo. We will also plan to visit the free observations decks at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings, which offer panoramic views of the city, and the iconic Shibuya Scramble intersection. This is a great place to find a café to sit and sample some Mochi (small buns made of soft chewy rice) whilst watching Tokyo life whizz by. We return to our hotel in the late afternoon. This evening we enjoy a welcome dinner, an experience of authentic Japanese cuisine.

We begin today with a short walk to Shimbashi Station from where we take the train (1hr) to the beautiful seaside city of Kamakura. Kamakura is home to some of the most iconic landmarks in Japan. The city, the administrative capital of Japan in the 12-14th centuries, is surrounded by forested hills making it a naturally protected fortress and providing many trails for us to explore. We will also visit the imposing Great Buddha of Kotoku-in and Hasedera Temple, which houses one of the largest wooden statues in Japan; a depiction of Hannon, the Goddess of Mercy. We take the train back to Tokyo in the late afternoon and the rest of the evening is free.

Today we depart Tokyo for the densely forested Kiso Valley. We travel first on the high-speed bullet train to Nagano, and from there by Express train to Kiso Fukushima, once an important check point on the Nakasendo Trail. The journey will take around 3.5 hours. Having sped out of modern Tokyo on the bullet train we will feel the change of pace as we swap onto the local train and wind our way towards rural Japan. By the time we arrive at our destination we will feel as if we have taken a step back in time to the Edo period. We check in at our traditional ryokan accommodation, which has minimalist rooms, and its own onsen (hot spring bath). This will be our base for the next two nights. Tonight we will enjoy a traditional multicourse dinner in the ryokan's dining room, we might want to wear the yukata provided in our rooms for the occasion.

The Kiso Valley is home to 11 of the 69 'post towns' or 'juku' where travellers would stop to rest during their long journey on the Nakasendo Trail, and Mogome and Tsumago are two of the most beautifully preserved. After breakfast we return to the train station and take the express train to Natkatsugawa and then the local bus to Magome-juku, where we begin today's 3hr walk. Our carefully restored paved trail will lead us on a winding journey through dense forest, over wooden bridges and past waterfalls, fields and villages. There will be plenty of scenic spots to stop and enjoy our packed lunch. In the afternoon, we arrive into Tsumago, where walking down the main street of dark-wood, lattice front, houses is like strolling through history. We will have some time to explore before we transfer by private bus back to Kiso Fukushima. There should be time to enjoy the onsen before dinner.

After breakfast, we check out of the ryokan and walk with our luggage to the train station where it will be stored for the morning. We take an enjoyable short train journey through the countryside to Yabuhara where today's walk begins. Today's section of the Nakasendo Trail leads us over the trail's highest point, the Torii Pass (1200m). We will pass through larch forests, and pass tiny mountain shrines and old teahouses. As we descend to Narai we will enjoy wonderful views over the town. Narai is known as 'Narai of a thousand houses' as it was once the wealthiest town on the Nakasendo Trail and marks the halfway point between Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo). In the heart of the town is a 1km road lined with beautifully preserved wooden buildings complete with traditional renji-goshi latticework. After lunch, we return by train to Kiso-Fukushima, pick up our luggage and take the afternoon train to Kyoto (2hr20mins). Our accommodation for the next 3 nights is just a short walk from the station. The rest of the evening is free. We can recommend visiting Pontocho Alley - a great place to sample delicious yakatori or ramen.

The captivating city of Kyoto is Japan's cultural capital, boasting over 2000 shrines, many with beautifully landscaped zen gardens, and 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Having escaped the ravages of WWII, the city has retained much of its original architecture and the spirit of traditional Japan. We begin with a visit to Nanzen-ji Temple, famous for its magnificent 350 year old wooden entrance gate known as the Sanmon. From here, we decend to Ginkaku-ji Temple, the Silver Pavilion. We will explore the scenic gardens of Tofuku-ji Temple before ending our day at Kiyomizudera Temple - an exquisite example of traditional Japanese carpentry. The evening is free for us to explore further under our own steam.

After breakfast, we visit Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for the thousands of blazing red torii gates that line a winding path up through the forest. The rest of afternoon and evening is free. There is much to see and do around Kyoto and our Tour Leader will be happy to make some recommendations.

After breakfast, we head with our luggage to the train station and board the train south to Kii-Tanabe on the Kii Peninsula. We are now heading back to rural Japan and the densely forested Kii Mountains. From Kii-Tanabe we travel by bus to Yunomine Onsen. The total journey time will be around 6 hours. Yunomine Onsen is a picturesque collection of traditional inns, houses and hot spring baths nestled a deep forested valley and we will spend the next two nights in a traditional ryokan here. Discovered around 1800 years ago, this is believed to be one of the oldest hot springs in Japan. Pilgrims would stop and perform hot water purification rituals here before arriving at Kumano Hongu Taisha. There is unique connection between Japan's onsen culture and its spiritual culture here and so it is a great place to begin our journey on the Kumano Kodo.

A gentle introduction to our three days walking on the Kumano Kodo. After breakfast we take the local bus to Hoshinmon Oji 'the gate of awakening of the aspiration to enlightenment'. From here, we follow forested trails through isolated mountain villages to reach Kumano Hongo Taisha, one of the three grand shrines of the Kumano. Kumano Hongo Taisha is home to Japan's largest torii gate. Kumano Hongu Taisha was originally located at Oyunohara, a sandbank at the confluence of the Kumano and Otonashi rivers. Legend has it that the Kumano deities, in the form of three moons, descended into the branches of a giant oak tree in this clearing. All of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes lead to this sacred site. We have time to look around before we walk back to Yunomine Onsen, there is also the option to return to Yunomine Onsen by local bus.

At breakfast, we should have our main luggage ready for collection as it will be transported ahead of us to our overnight accommodation in Koguchi. We take a local bus the short distance from Yunomine Onsen to the trailhead at Ukegawa. The first section is a gradual climb through forests of cedar and cypress up to the ridge and a steady ascent to the viewpoint at Hyakken-gura, where a break if the forest allows for some magnificent views of the surrounding mountains. This is one of the best viewpoints on the trail. From here, we follow an undulating trail to the remains of Sakura-Jaya Teahouse. The views from here will be another highlight. From here, we drop down into the valley on a cobbled path before crossing the river to reach the tranquil mountain village of Koguchi.

Today will be our longest, but most rewarding, day as we ascend over a series of mountain passes to reach Kumano Nachi Taisha; the second of the grand shrines that we visit on our pilgrimage. Our biggest challenge will be the ascent to the Echizen-toge Pass via the evocatively named Dogiri-zaka (torso-splitting slope), where we will gain 800m of elevation over just 5km. We will take our time and split the ascent into small manageable sections. Having successfully conquered the Dogiri-zaka our path seesaws until another short, steep ascent leads up to the Moja-no-Deai (the abode of the dead), which is often atmospherically shrouded in fog. After this, we emerge from the forest at the Funami-toge Pass, where we should have views across the Kii Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. We pass the remains of the Funami-Jaya teahouse, now just a small shelter housing Jizo statues from where it is a 4km ascent to the Nachisan and our final destination - Kumano Nachi Taishi, the second and last of our grand shrines. We will also see the striking 3-storey pagoda of the Seiganto-ji Temple, and behind it the thundering Nachi Falls, Japan's tallest waterfall with a uninterrupted drop. This powerful waterfall has been worshipped since ancient times and is believed to be the home of a god. We overnight in Nachisan, and join together in the minshuku dining room for a final meal to celebrate the end of our journey on the Kumano Kodo.

This morning we have some time to explore around Nachi, including Kumano Nachi Taisha and Nachi Falls. Afterwards we walk along Daimon-saka, a cobbled stairway flanked by cedar and bamboo that connects the Nachi area to the bottom of the valley. From there we catch the bus to Katsuura, where there will be time for lunch, before taking the train to Osaka and our hotel close to Kansai Airport. The total journey time should be around 4hrs. The rest of the evening is free. There is a shopping centre nearby where you can pick up any last minute souvenirs and plenty of restaurants to enjoy a final Japanese feast.

After breakfast we walk the short distance to the train station to catch the train to Kansai Airport. It is just a 10 minute journey and the train fare is included.