Shinetsu Trail – Nagano, Japan

11 Day Japanese Cultural Experience

Day 1: Arrival in the Land of the Rising Sun … Japan.

Highlights: Dine at Izakaya, a Japanese-style bar, learn dining etiquette and how to use chopsticks!

You will need to make your own way to the arranged hotel in Tokyo in time for the tour briefing at 6.00pm. Upon arrival at the arranged hotel in Tokyo, you will be met by your tour leader in the lobby. In the evening, we will go for a group dinner at Izakaya, a Japanese-style bar. There, we will get to know each other and experience our first taste of Japanese culture.

Schedule: Tokyo » Hotel » Dinner » Hotel
Stay:  Hotel in Tokyo
Meals: Breakfast [ NA ]      Lunch [ NA ]      Dinner [ ✔ ]

Day 2: Explore Tokyo and Hike Mt. Takao

Highlights: Mount Takao Hike, Views of Mount Fuji and Tokyo, Train ride.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Grab your daypack and leave your suitcase in the hotel. Our objective is a half-day hike on Mount Takao. We will get there by train exploiting one of the best rail systems in the world. Only a 1.5 hour train ride from central Tokyo, this mountain offers stunning views, a long history and a fascinating temple. On a clear day Mount Fuji is visible from the top and an amazing landscape beckons to the north-east with the immensity of Tokyo sprawling out in the distance.

The trail to the summit is well-maintained and surrounded by natural forest. It’s an easy hike (3.1 km, 400 m of elevation gain) and will give us the opportunity to stretch our legs and prepare for the trip ahead. We will take a cable car down the mountain leaving us more time on the summit to relax and soak in the surroundings.
After returning to Tokyo, you will be able to explore the city on your own.

Schedule: Tokyo » Mt Takao » Tokyo
Stay:  Hotel in Tokyo
Meals: Breakfast [ ✔]      Lunch [ NA ]      Dinner [ NA]

Day 3: Explore Zenko-Ji and blend in with the mountain community

Highlights: Bullet Train ride, Zenko-Ji temple, Nakamise Street, Washi making session, dinner at hot springs resort.

We leave Tokyo behind and travel to Nagano by Shinkansen, the famous bullet train. We will speed through the country to arrive in Nagano in 1.5 hours. After checking our suitcases at the train station, we will take a public bus to the most famous attraction in Nagano: Zenko-Ji, one of the finest temples in Japan. Find out how lucky you are while touring the temple by consulting an oracle, or Omikuji.

Later, enjoy the prosperous and energetic atmosphere of Nakamise Street while exploring its shops and restaurants on foot. Pick your most enticing option for lunch, or ask your tour leader to recommend and arrange one for you. After lunch, we will make our way via bullet train to the night’s accommodation. Then, we will visit a hot springs resort for a dinner to kick-off the hiking portion of the trip.

Schedule: Tokyo » Nagano, Zenko-Ji » Liyama
Stay: Cabin, Iiyama
Meals: Breakfast [ ✔]      Lunch [ NA ]      Dinner [ NA ]

Day 4: Discovering the wood: Shinetsu Trail Part 1

Highlights: Trail highpoint, first glimpse of Japanese beech forests, traditional Japanese BBQ dinner featuring all local ingredients and sake.

Starting the trail we will be joined by an additional local guide from the Shinetsu Trail Club. This guide has an intimate knowledge of the area and, in combination with your tour leader, will make your trip even more interesting.

This trail gets the steep stuff out of the way soon after starting, the first hour’s hiking is one of the hardest sections of the entire trail as a fairly sustained climb takes us to the top of Mount Madarao (1382 meters), the highest point of the trail. Resting from the climb we enjoy stunning summit views. Heading on we walk through beautiful beech forests intermingled with Japanese oak, maples and birches.

As this is a “Satoyama” region there are occasional small roads in the vicinity and we often use these to access our accommodations and nearby towns and villages. At the end of this, and most other hiking days, there will be a ride waiting for us and we head into town to our cozy accommodation. We will stay in a traditional ryokan in Togari-Onsen.  Enjoy warm welcome and hospitality followed by dinner prepared with local ingredients from their own farm.

Schedule: Liyama » Hiking Part 1 » Togari
Stay: Togari
Meals: Breakfast [ ✔]      Lunch [ ✔]      Dinner [ ✔]

Day 5: Follow in warlord Kenshin’s footsteps: Shinetsu Trail Part 2 

Highlights: Taishojin-ato, natural springs, Wakui Village, Ryokan.

Today, we walk past Wakui, a small village featuring houses especially designed for protection from heavy snow. Later on, we will pass by fascinating historical artifacts, one of which, a stone monument called Taishoujin-ato, reveals that the warlord Kenshin led his men through the area on his way to the battle of Kawanakajima in the 16th century. We will also visit two natural springs where we can fill our water bottles with water flowing from the earth.

We come back to the same accommodation and dinner will be your choice of meat or fish.

Schedule: Togari » Hiking Part 2 » Togari
Stay: Togari
Meals: Breakfast [ ✔]      Lunch [ ✔]      Dinner [ ✔]

Day 6: Classic ridge hiking: Shinetsu Trail Part 3 

Highlights: Ridge hiking, Autumn colours, a first class Kaiseki dinner in Ryokan, japanese-style lodging, soak in hot springs.

Today we walk through a forest composed almost completely of beech trees. This part of the trail features many very large and majestic trees. On the hike you will also see some distinctive curved beech trees that illustrate how heavy the snowfall can be in this area and explain why only beech trees are soft and strong enough to thrive in this climate.

Our hike today ends at the Sekita Pass where our host from the Nozawa-Onsen will meet us and take us to a luxury traditional Ryokan in Nozawa-Onsen which is renowned for its hot springs.

Schedule: Togari; Hiking Part 3; Nozawa-Onsen
Stay: Traditional Ryokan, Nozawa Onsen
Meals: Breakfast [ ✔]      Lunch [ ✔]      Dinner [ ✔]

Day 7: Rest Day! Take today to relax and meet the famous Snow Monkeys 

Highlights: Snow Monkey Tour, Free time after tour in Nozawa-Onsen, No hiking.

We will take a half-day tour to visit the famous hot spring snow monkeys. They are a must-see attraction in the area and will be a highlight of your trip. Since making the front page of LIFE magazine in 1970, these monkeys, who bathe in the hot springs in the area, have become one of the biggest attractions for tourists. Although it is a bit early in the season to see the monkeys in full force, it is still a more-than-worthwhile visit.

After the tour we will return to Nozawa-Onsen and the rest of the day is yours. Enjoy your free time exploring this fascinating village. Dinner is on your own tonight, but your tour leader will be able to recommend several choices for the night.

Schedule: Nozawa-Onsen; Snow Monkeys; Nozawa-Onsen
Stay: Traditional Ryokan, Nozawa Onsen
Meals: Breakfast [ ✔]      Lunch [ NA]      Dinner [ NA]

Day 8: Deeper into the wood: Shinetsu Trail Part 4

Highlights: View of the Japan Sea(weather permitting), traditional Japanese BBQ dinner featuring all local ingredients and sake.

Bolstered by our day off and fitness gained on previous days we tackle another demanding section of trail. Frequent ups and downs are tempered by the gorgeous fall foliage of the surrounding forest as we head into its depths. The trees here often form archways over the trail in an intricate and beautiful assembly. At Maki Pass on a clear day you will be rewarded with an expansive vista of the Japan Sea to the north and raptors soaring through the skies. Throughout the walk today you will notice changes in the forest. Due to the higher snowfall here only the larger trees can survive. The resulting forest has much bigger and more picturesque trees.

Tonight we enjoy a Japanese-style BBQ, cooking fresh local vegetables, pork and beef over charcoal.

Schedule: Nozawa-onsen » Hiking Part 4 » liyama
Stay: Cabin, Iiyama
Meals: Breakfast [ ✔]      Lunch [ ✔]      Dinner [ ✔]

Day 9: Climax of the adventure: Shinetsu Trail Part 5

Highlights: The climax of the hike, soak in hot springs, amazing food and drink prepared by a local chef.

We travel along the oldest part of the entire trail today. Busaka-Pass and Nonoumi-Pass have been in use since the Nara Period (AD 710~) for trade and travel. A fitting last day on the trail, it is the most scenic part of the trail and features some short steep ascents and descents.

We will visit a hot springs resort for soaking in hot springs.  We come back to our accommodation to celebrate our accomplishment of walking the trail with an amazing feast of food and drink prepared by a local chef.

Schedule: Liyama » Hiking Part 5 » Liyama
Stay: Cabin, Iiyama
Meals: Breakfast [ ✔]      Lunch [ ✔]      Dinner [ ✔]

Day 10: Return to civilization

Highlights: Breakfast at the road station, Great views of Sekita Mountain on clear days , Bullet Train ride, Time to explore Tokyo on your own.

We leave our accommodation for our breakfast at the road station in the area, a perfect location to enjoy a complete view of the Sekita Mountains, scene of our wondrous journey.

After breakfast it’s time to say goodbye to the mountains and people we’ve met. After returning to Tokyo on the bullet train we check in at our hotel to conclude the guided portion of the tour. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy in Tokyo. The tour leader will be more than happy to help you with all the information you need to be able to get around around Tokyo on your own.

Schedule: Liyama » JR Iiyama St. » Tokyo
Stay: Hotel in Tokyo
Meals: Breakfast [ ✔]      Lunch [ NA]      Dinner [ NA]

Day 11: Tour conclusion

Tour concludes after breakfast at the hotel.

Schedule: breakfast at the hotel
Stay: Not included
Meals: Breakfast [ ✔]      Lunch [ NA]      Dinner [ NA]

Hiking Difficulty

It is a Moderate/Difficult hike. A moderate level of fitness is required for the hike. The trail is not technical however there are frequent elevation change throughout the day. (See Day-by-Day itinerary) You will need to be able to hike in a group over five days, averaging a comfortable 14 kilometer with a day-pack for 5 to 7 hours each day. The majority of the trail is well-maintained and signed and pleasantly cushioned with fallen leaves which your feet and knees will appreciate. It can be very slippery and muddy when wet. Hiking poles and hiking boots with good ankle support are strongly recommended. The suitable age for the hike is over the age of 18.

Accommodation Info

Single Supplement Charge: If you would prefer a single room when available or you are a single traveller, you will be charged a supplementary charge for certain nights. If you are a single traveller and are willing to share with another traveller of the same gender let us know and we will try to pair you up if possible. Payment of the Single Supplement Charge does not guarantee a single room booking when staying in accommodations on the nights of Day 4, Day 5, Day 6 & Day 7 due to limited availability in those accommodations. Single rooms are only guaranteed when we are staying in a hotel in Tokyo (Day 1, Day 2, Day 10). No single use available when staying in Morinoie on Day 3, Day 8, Day 9 since Morinoie only offers shared accommodation (Cabin-Style) where you will share a cabin with other group members of the same gender. In the event that a single room cannot be provided, Yamnuska Mountain Tours will refund the portion of the Single Supplement Charge relevant to the nights on which a single room cannot be provided to you.

Non-Smoking Policy: Yamnuska Mountain Tours will try to fulfill requests for non-smoking rooms. However Yamnuska Mountain Tours cannot guarantee the availability of non-smoking rooms because some hotels and Japanese inns (Ryokan) do not have non-smoking rooms or such rooms are in very limited supply.

Meeting Place & Time

You will meet your Yamnuska tour leader at our hotel in Tokyo. There will be a tour briefing at 6pm after which we will go out for our welcome dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Getting to Tokyo & Transportation

Upon booking you will receive an information package by email. It will include detailed instructions on how to get to our hotel from the Tokyo (Narita) Airport. If landing at another airport or arriving in Tokyo by rail or other means send us your travel details so we can send you customized instructions.

Guides & Group Size

Yamnuska tour leaders are professional guides certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG), they are fluent in both English and Japanese. They have extensive experience in both Japan and in the Canadian Rockies. They have advanced wilderness first aid training and heritage interpretation accreditation. They carry emergency equipment including a group first aid kit and communication tools.

Our group size will be between eight and ten guests.

What to Bring

You will need to bring your own daypack and personal clothing (guides carry first aid and emergency gear). Cotton clothing is NOT recommended as an insulating layer as it causes rapid heat loss when wet. Weather conditions can vary from hot to cold, rainy and even snowy meaning you need to be equipped appropriately. It also can be very slippery when wet, due to many tree roots and muddy terrain. We highly recommend that you wear hiking boots which provide firm ankle support. Walking poles are highly recommended and available for rent.

See a sample equipment list here.

Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. A 35% deposit is required at time of booking.  Please note that there is a $200 CAD non-refundable portion of this deposit. Final payment is due eight weeks before the start of the tour and that amount in Canadian dollars will be calculated using the Yen exchange value at that time. The price is subject to change due to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates without notice.

It is required that you have Medical Travel Insurance. You may also want to consider Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance.