Flight to Tokyo
November 2 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 59 °F
Today we departed Portland at 7am and arrived in Tokyo at 5:30 pm the following day. Much more drastic than “falling back” an hour for DST.
Gandalf and Miniwaps were a hit with the stewardesses.Read more
1st full day in Tokyo
November 3 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 52 °F
The day started with a breakfast smorgasbord like I’ve never seen. All fresh ingredients. Salad bar, pastry bar, miso soup, grilled fish, pork sausage and bacon, 3 different egg preparations, freshRead more
Day 2, Tokyo
November 4 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
Today we joined the masses at Shibuya Crossing. World’s busiest crossing with up to 3000 people crossing at the same time. We crossed a few times then walked around the shopping district. HadRead more
November 5th, Tokyo
November 5 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
Today was the first day of our tour. We are on a tour led by Oku Japan “travel off the beaten path” Shoguns and Samurai. Today was spent walking 6+miles with multiple subway rides to see twoRead more
Nov 6th-Obuse and Yudanaka Hot Spring
November 6 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F
Today we rode the bullet train from Tokyo to Nagano then other trains and taxis to our inn in Yudanaka.
Today thru Nov 9th we are traveling out of our day packs and our luggage was forwarded to ourRead more
Nov 7th-Matsumoto and Narai Post Town.
November 7 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 39 °F
Today was multiple trains to Matsumoto and a visit to the Matsumoto Castle. The castle was the seat of Matsumoto Domain under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate and dates back to the 16th century.
WeRead more
Nov 8th-Tsumago and Magome Post Towns
November 8 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
Another hearty breakfast and train rides deeper into the mountains. Fall colors are wonderful. Tsumago is another of the post-towns on the Nakasendo Trail, Tsumago has been preserved by strictRead more
Nov 9th-Transfer to Takayama
November 9 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
Spent the day on trains and buses getting to Takayama. It was a good day to travel as it rained continuously. Our luggage that was shipped from Tokyo was waiting at our ryokan.
Takayama was formallyRead more
Nov 10th-Takayama
November 10 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 41 °F
Today was a rainy day walking and shopping the historic district of Takayama. Enjoyed a sushi lunch recommended by a friend who did this trip last year. After a cool, wet day the onsen was veryRead more
Nov 11-Shirakawa-go
November 11 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 43 °F
This morning we had “western style“ breakfast and I sure missed my Japanese breakfast. We then travelled to the bus station, stashed our packs and walked around the town for a few more hours.Read more
Nov 12-Transfer to Kyoto
November 12 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F
The house we stayed in last night was very rustic and the food was very tasty. We were provided heating pads for our futons as there was minimal heat. Sorta like van camping on a chilly night.
AfterRead more
Nov 13-Kyoto
November 13 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
The first half of the day We visited the famous Kinkaku-ji, also known as the Golden Pavilion, originally built by the Ashikaga Shogun in the 14th century as a place of
contemplation and rest. FromRead more
Nov 14-Nara
November 14 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 52 °F
The ancient city of Nara, which preceded Kyoto as Japan’s capital from 710 to 784, is one hour
south of Kyoto by train. We visited Todai-ji temple, with its bronze statue of Buddha. The temple
isRead more
Nov 15-Mount Koya
November 15 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 45 °F
We traveled first to Osaka by local train then along the scenic Nankai Railway Line to Mount Koya, a
bowl-shaped valley filled with stands of cedar trees 900 metres up in the mountains of theRead more
Nov16-Transfer to Osaka
November 16 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 54 °F
After joining the monks for morning services followed by breakfast, we visited a couple temples in Mount Koya.
Kongobuji temple is the head temple of 3,600 Koyasan branch temples and 10 millionRead more
Nov 17-Osaka and end of trip
November 17 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
Started with breakfast at 0830 and landed in Honolulu at 0900 on the same day!
We had a wonderful trip, guide and group. Getting out of the cities and into the smaller towns made this trip veryRead more




























































































































































































































































































Travelerwill enjoy the trip with .
Can't wait to follow a long!! [Paulette Hardy]