Gradfly

Hi all,

I'm in the midst of deciding which walking tour to select on my trip next winter (Dec 18- Jan 10.) The tours are operated by WalkJapan. Here are the rough details:

• Nakasendo: Nagoya – Magome – Tsumago – Kiso-Fukushima– Kaida Plateau – Matsumoto (Dec 20-26)
• Kunisaki: Fukuoka – Kunisaki – Fuki-ji – Nakayama Senkyo – Kyu-Sento-ji – Fuki-ji – Nokogiri-yama – Tashibu – Yufuin (Dec 23-26)

This is not my first time in Japan but will be the first in either area. My previous visits were to the Kansai area and about one day in Tokyo. Currently leaning towards Nakasendo but my Japanese friend recommends Kunisaki. I'd like to ask fellow FTers what their thoughts are.

Here is my itinerary so far (still in progress):

Dec 18 -Arrive in Tokyo

Dec 19-20: Depending on tour selection: Chugoku area\Nagoya

Dec 20-26: Tours

Dec 27-Jan 2: Depending on tour: Chugoku\Nagano\Niigata\Hokkaido

Jan 3-10: Tokyo Area and departure
Thoughts or opinions? (especially on areas and timing)

Other questions:

Any thing I should consider due to time of year? I have heard that it does get busy around the new year. Is it comparable to Lunar New or U.S. Thanksgiving? In relation, is there any place I should avoid during this time?

Thanks in advance

ksandness

Having been to the Nakasendo (which is wonderful, at least in the summer), I am surprised that there are hiking tours in the winter. It's a rather mountainous area.

Fukuoka, Yufuin, and environs have a much warmer climate. According to what I find on the Internet, average daily highs in December are in the 10-12°C (50-55°F) range.

Matsumoto, the only city beyond Nagoya on the Nakasendo route that I can find, has average December highs of about 5-8°C, which can be significant.

Definitely hike the Nakasendo some day. It is a slice of old Japan that was accidentally preserved through neglect, but save it for a warmer time of the year.

As far as the New Year celebrations are concerned, it would be best to stay in a large city during that period, because it's one holiday when Japanese people are likely to return to their hometowns and many businesses shut down for various lengths of time in late December and early January, although things start to get back to normal around the third. Hotels are open, of course, but many museums, restaurants, and major stores are closed. Temples and shrines, however, are open and crowded, and local public transit may be less crowded than usual because of the number of businesses that give their employees a few days off.

The New Year's period is mostly a family holiday, so don't expect Times Square. The temple bells will ring at midnight, and people will head out to a shrine to pray for good luck in the coming year. Children receive gifts of money, and adults give gifts not to friends or family members but to people to whom they owe an obligation in the Japanese scheme of things. It's a quiet but interesting time to be in Japan.

5khours

December? Definitely Kunisaki.

Gradfly

Thanks for the reply. I originally wanted to do the Nakasendo during a warmer time but had conflicts with my work schedule. One of the reasons I wanted to do it was, like you said, to see a slice of old Japan. Do you have any suggestions to experience similar, with respect to the season I'll be visiting.

In regards to the New Year, how is transportation during that time? Should I reserve in advance if I wanted to travel between different major cities or areas?

Gradfly

Do you have anything that you'd consider a "must do or see"?

5khours

I did Kunisaki a long, long time ago mostly by thumb and foot with a bit of rail. There are a couple of important temples (Futagoji?) and also some impressive statues carved in the mountains (can't remember the name - but I'm sure you can find them in guide book). Mostly though it's pretty far off the beaten path so it's a nice way to experience non-urban Japan.

ksandness

By the evening of December 31 and the first three days or so of the New Year, people are usually settled where they want to be, and if the trains are crowded, you can always stand in the aisles of the non-reserved cars. (I once stood from Nagoya to Maibara.)

However, you are arriving on the 18th, so on the morning of the 19th (don't bother doing all this at NRT) you can head to the nearest large JR station and make reservations for your intercity travel. At least you will know how crowded the trains are going to be after you go through this process.

By the way, Nagoya itself is not a great tourist center, but you are within easy day trip distance of Hida-Takayama (It's a famous center of arts, crafts, and sake brewing, and you will see why I don't recommend going hiking in the mountains of central Honshu in winter.) and Hikone Castle (take the Shinkansen to Maibara and change to a local or just take the bus from Nagoya).

Gradfly

Thanks, good to know that my hiking tour will cover the places you mentioned.

Gradfly

This is good news. I'll be traveling back to the Tokyo area either on the 1st or 2nd.



I did a search of these places you mentioned, during the winter. Yes, now I know why Kunisaki is being recommended.

behuman

Anybody good experiences with a tour company for self guided Nakasendo trail walks early November 2024, 6 to 8 days ideally. https://walkjapan.com/tour/self-guid...sendo-wayfarer does not look bad A Hong Kong company.

Gradfly

I ended up doing the tour with WalkJapan and would recommend them. From what I recall, the admin functions are split between HK and Japan.

behuman

Thank you. They appear well organized. How was the accomodation? Sleeping on the floor and local cuisine as well as comunal bath are OK for us, not so much a shared toilet . Looks like they can accomodate such requests on self guided tours.

Gradfly

Normally, I would point you toward the trip report I made but for some reason, all the pictures no longer appear.

Not sure how applicable this is to your Nakasendo trip since my tour was in Kunisaki. I had no complaints about the accommodations. Two of the nights were in a very rural ryokan but I recall having an ensuite toilet. On the third night, it was at a mid-tier ryokan with an ensuite bathroom. Since you're on a self-guided tour, I'm sure there is more flexibility with the accommodations.

williamluk

S you better checked with Walkjapan about that. One of the places they stayed on the guided Nakasando tour is a small inn with only ONE toilet for the whole inn! Not sure there is any alternative in the area. That’s one if the reason I never did their Nakasando tour lol (I did the Kumamo Kodo with them a few years back).

behuman

Scandalous, disgusting and insalubre - not what you would expect from a highly civilized country .

Thank you for the heads up dear williamluk, I will check with them and hope it will be possible to circumvent being it the self guided tour.

And yes, toilets are (very very) important!