Japan's Kumano Kodo

Walk ancient pilgrimage routes along the Kumano Kodo

After uncovering ancient shrines and pathways in Kyoto, we head off the beaten track to the Kumano Kodo region, one of the most remote and rewarding pilgrimage routes in Japan. This moderately challenging walking trip focuses on beautiful scenery, nature and rural life, while following some of the most historic walks in the country. Staying in traditional ryokans along the way, we fully immerse in authentic Japanese culture and way of life. After, we visit Toba to learn about the pearl-collecting Ama Divers and embark on one last pilgrimage walk on the Nakasendo Way, before re-entering modern civilisation in Tokyo.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Find out more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here, and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• The use of a local guide means our customers will be well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels and restaurants, the emphasis on eating locally produced food, and by supporting other local enterprises.
• Guests stay in traditional family-run Japanese guesthouses (ryokans/minshukus) on many nights of the trip, where they eat home-cooked traditional Japanese meals prepared by local people.
• When visiting Toba, we learn about the life of Ama Divers and witness a fishing demonstration by them. With the fresh seafood caught, guests can enjoy a grilled seafood lunch in a traditional Ama Diver hut. Being an Ama Diver holds a life-threatening risk and this thereby discourages younger generations to carry on this tradition. But our visit helps support and preserve the Ama diving community and traditions that are at the brink of extinction.
• With a strong emphasis on culture and history, this trip provides plenty of opportunities to visit various museums, cultural sites and shrines. Our visits to these sites benefit the local people and contribute to the preservation of their cultural assets through the money spent on entrance fees and other purchases made within the area.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels.
• By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment. On many nights of the trip, especially when walking the Kumano Kodo, the group stays at traditional family-run guesthouses often off the beaten track.
• Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regard to working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste. For example, we encourage eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead encourage clients to drink the tap water, which is safe to drink in Japan. We encourage all clients to take a refillable water bottle with them on the tour.
• During the tour, our guides educate guests on how to appropriately separate and dispose of any waste, as well as encouraging them to use reusable chopsticks and canvas tote bags for shopping.

 Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.
• We choose to travel predominantly by public transport throughout this trip as opposed to private transport throughout or taking domestic flights.
• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary mostly use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• Vegetarian and vegan options are available at the majority of accommodation and restaurants.
• Most accommodations used on this trip adhere to strict environmental policies to save water and energy and lower their carbon footprint.

 Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own reusable water bottle on this trip. Tap water in Japan is safe for drinking, hence we strongly encourage clients to bring their own reusable water bottles for this purpose and minimise our usage of single use plastic bottles

Cultural respect

• Shoes are never worn in someone’s home or on Japanese tatami flooring (mats). There will always be a place to put your shoes. In addition, you will be given slippers to wear. There are often different slippers for the bathroom.
• It is highly inappropriate to stick chopsticks into food, especially into a bowl of rice. This practice of placing chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice is a funerary practice known as tsukitate-bashi.
• When eating soup or rice, it is acceptable to lift the bowl closer to your mouth to avoid spilling food. Generally, miso soup (which accompanies many meals) is drunk directly from the bowl, while larger soups are usually consumed by using a soup spoon.

Is this trip for you?

The trip is rated Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.  

There are eight days with walks/hikes. You are only required to carry your backpack during the walks and, where necessary, all main luggage is transferred to the next accommodation.

The walks vary from relaxed two-hour walks to seven-to-nine-hour hikes on a couple of days. Days 5, 6 and 8 are the most challenging due to the distances and the fact that some of the terrain has long, steep ascents/descents. Therefore, good fitness levels are essential to take part in this trip. On some walks, you can take a local bus to the next stop to cut down the distance, but this won’t be possible on all routes.

The trails are generally very well marked and most of the walking is on good paths, soft-soil trails and partly paved roads. There are some unpaved sections though. This is not a traditional point-to-point walking trip, there are several days where transfers are taken by bus or local train to the start points of walks and/or from the end point of walks to the next accommodation.

We spend eight out of 13 nights in traditional guesthouses/ryokans in Japanese-style rooms, which allows us to fully immerse in Japanese traditions and culture and to stay in more remote, less visited locations. These rooms in the guesthouses/ryokans will be twin-share. Private bathrooms are not common in traditional Japanese guesthouses or Japanese-style rooms, so these eight nights have shared bathrooms. Please see the Accommodation section of the Trip Notes for more details.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

Japan

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include hepatitis B, tetanus, Japanese encephalitis, rabies (bat lyssavirus) and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Visa

Japan

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Japan. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/japan
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/japan
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/japan/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Japan.html

Food & Drink

All breakfasts, six lunches and nine dinners are included.

Japanese cuisine is usually one of the main highlights of any trip to Japan. It is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes, which are usually prepared with seasonal ingredients. Seafood is very common, and it usually comes grilled or deep fried. Sushi and sashimi aside, other staple dishes include soba or udon noodles, sukiyaki (meat, fish and vegetables cooked in broth) and yakiniku (grilled meat).

The included breakfasts at the traditional guesthouses/ryokans are likely to be Japanese style.

The included lunches mostly consist of bento boxes enjoyed during the walks or in some instances may be taken in small eateries where available.

The included dinners are usually at ryokans (traditional guesthouses), which may include a kaiseki-style dinner, a multi-course meal including a dozen tiny dishes prepared with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. When food is not included, your leader can always recommend the best local eateries and arrange some group meals for a full immersion in the varied and excellent cuisine of Japan.

Please note, the availability of certain specialised products for restricted diets, eg gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan, is minimal or non-existent in Japan. However, there are several vegan restaurants in Kyoto and Tokyo. It may be a good idea to bring with you some foodstuffs that you normally consume or to supplement meals with snacks purchased in the local convenience stores.

Please advise us at the time of booking if you have any specific dietary requirements.

Weather

Japan has four very distinct seasons. Our aim has been to avoid the extremely cold winters and humid summers and settle for the more pleasant spring and autumn. In Tokyo, September and October are warm, maximum temperatures are 26C (79F) and minimum 12C (54F). September is likely to be the warmer of the two and rain is likely. March is cooler with temperatures possibly going as low as 7C (45F) with a high of 17C (63F). Kyoto is very similar climatically to Tokyo but the higher up into the mountains we venture, the colder it will become with nights being especially cold, particularly in March and November.