Route: Tokyo → Matsumoto → Kamikochi → Okuhida → Takayama → Shirakawa-go → Kanazawa → Tokyo
Far from the big cities, the Japanese Alps reveal a quieter, more rural Japan. You visit Matsumoto's black 'Crow Castle', hike through the pristine Kamikochi valley beneath the 3,000-metre peaks of the Hotaka range and relax in the hot springs of Okuhida. In Takayama, morning markets, sake breweries and dark wooden merchant houses have barely changed since the Edo period.
The highlight is a night in a gassho-zukuri farmhouse in the UNESCO village of Shirakawa-go, whose steep thatched roofs resemble hands joined in prayer. The journey ends in Kanazawa with Kenroku-en, one of Japan's three most beautiful gardens, the geisha district of Higashi Chaya and the fresh seafood of Omicho Market, before the Shinkansen takes you back to Tokyo.
Arrival at Narita or Haneda and transfer to your hotel near Shinjuku station, the starting point for tomorrow's train. In the evening your guide briefs you on the route over a relaxed welcome dinner in an izakaya.
The Azusa Limited Express carries us into the mountains of Nagano Prefecture in about 2.5 hours. In Matsumoto we climb the steep wooden stairs of the 16th-century castle keep, a National Treasure mirrored in its moat against the backdrop of the Alps. Afterwards we stroll along Nawate Street and the white-walled storehouses of Nakamachi.
By train and bus we reach Kamikochi, a car-free valley at 1,500 metres. We hike from Taisho Pond along the clear Azusa River to the famous Kappa Bridge and on to Myojin Pond, with the Hotaka peaks towering above us. In the afternoon the bus takes us over the pass to Okuhida, where a ryokan with open-air baths and a Hida beef dinner await.
In Takayama we browse the Miyagawa morning market for pickles, miso and handmade crafts. We walk the lanes of the Sanmachi district, lined with Edo-period merchant houses, visit the historic government house Takayama Jinya and enjoy a tasting in a traditional sake brewery. Overnight in a ryokan in the town centre.
A scenic bus ride brings us to Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO-listed village of steep-roofed gassho-zukuri farmhouses. We climb to the Ogimachi viewpoint for the classic panorama and visit the Wada House to see how silkworms were once raised under the roofs. After the day visitors leave, the village becomes wonderfully quiet – we spend the night in a family-run farmhouse with a home-cooked dinner around the irori hearth.
After an early walk through the misty village we take the bus to Kanazawa. We explore Kenroku-en, one of Japan's three great landscape gardens, and the adjacent Kanazawa Castle Park. In the afternoon we visit the Nagamachi samurai district and the teahouses of Higashi Chaya, where you can see craftsmen apply real gold leaf. Farewell dinner with fresh seafood from the Sea of Japan.
Morning visit to Omicho Market, Kanazawa's 'kitchen' for 300 years, where you can enjoy a seafood rice bowl for breakfast. Around midday the Hokuriku Shinkansen takes you back to Tokyo in about 2.5 hours. The tour ends on arrival at Tokyo station.
Prices per person in USD. The final price is confirmed with your booking. Child (2–11 years): −20%.
The cancellation terms for this tour are confirmed in writing together with your booking, before you pay anything.
Read our cancellation & refund policyIt is simple and atmospheric: futons on tatami mats, shared bathrooms and a home-cooked dinner by the hearth. No private en-suite facilities.
No, only from about mid-April to mid-November. Outside this period we replace the day with a walk in the Okuhida valley and the Shinhotaka Ropeway.
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