7 Beautiful hikes between TOKYO and KYOTO | My favorite trails in central Japan

Wauw! Last october we went to Japan and we were very lucky to have found some amazing hikes! 😀
I share seven of our favorites in this video 🙂
#japan #traveljapan #hikejapan

WHERE TO SLEEP
► Yui-An in (Nagiso, Nakasendo Trail) one of the best places I stayed in all of my travels! LOVE IT!
► Sheena to Ippei (Tokyo) also a great hidden gem!
► Panketo Lodge (Hakuba, northern Alps) great!! We had a new family room in the back which was amazing! (go for the renovated rooms if you can, the older ones are nothing spectacular)
► Minshuku Shimada (Narai, Nakasendo Trail) a Ryokan, very lovely and again amazing people, highly recommended!
► Noad (wakayama, kumano kodo) only recommended if you have a car cause it’s very out of the way, but lovely and quiet and (in a good way) kind of funky. Loved it! NOTE: you’ll rent a whole house and will not have a host around.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
02:04 Nakasendo Trail
05:06 Kamikochi
06:35 Akasawa Natural Recreation Forest
08:52 Tsugaike
10:30 Norikura Kogen
11:45 Kumano Kodo
13:25 Koyasan

NOTE: the mentioned hike with the waterfall is in the south of the Kii Peninsula – is the hike to the Kuwanoki Falls. It’s a clear path which is slightly challenging when it rained (and you might get dirty hands from grabbing rocks). It’s not a long hike tho 🙂

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Hey there great you’re here for this new travel grle episode I’m super excited because it has been such a long time since I posted anything and in this video I will show you seven beautiful hikes between Tokyo and Koto we are going to see all the colors that Autumn

Has to offer visit some important religious sites and basically just walk through history so I hope you’re ready let’s explore from Vivid blue Crater Lakes and desolate Snowy Mountains high up in hokido to subtropical wonderlands full of mangroves and coral reefs all the way South in Okinawa Japan is home to 34

National parks and they are simply stunning since we are here for only 3 weeks it’s simply impossible to see everything this country has to offer so in this video we will specifically focus on the heart of Japan exploring the high peaks and old valleys of the Japanese Alps anti ancient

Pilgrim routs in the KE Peninsula yes we absolutely found some famous hikes and some that are more of the Beaten Track so if this is your first time going to Japan or if you have seen some cities and want to Deep dive into nature next or if you’re from Japan

And just curious for an Outsiders perspective keep watching because this video is definitely here for you we start our journey in the central Alps where we find one of the most famous hikes in all of Japan the nakasendo trail this path connected what is now Tokyo with Kyoto in the Edo period it

Used to be over 500 km long with close to 70 post towns along the way nowadays most of this Trail turned into roads and highways but some parts are definitely still wellmaintained the most famous and therefore the most popular Trail lies between mome and TMO

This part of the trail can be done in just one day it should take about 4 4 hours on a leisurely Pace along the way you will find waterfalls lots of trees and of course the famous cobblestones other highlights of this hike include of course Momi and Tumo

Themselves two Charming old towns full of original wooden houses shops museums and of course the rokan ins rans are traditional guest houses in the original Japanese style it’s highly recommended to stay in one while traveling in Japan however if I can give you one great tip for this area it is this

Place this old farmhouse is a bit further from the trail and beautifully restored it’s lovely and quiet and the whole atmosphere is just amazing amazing whether it’s sitting by the fire at night or drinking your coffee in the morning while the sun rises over the mountains this place immediately Feels Like

Home the owners put as much love into their guests as they did into renovating this place which makes staying here wor worth a trip of its own and if you can’t get enough of History it’s also highly recommended to visit narai the wealthiest post town of kiso

Valy Lies a bit more up north it has the biggest collection of wooden houses and actually not that many tourists it’s great to stroll around here for a day get some good souvenir shopping done or start a multi-day hike along the nakasendo trail going north we find another famous

Place well known for some of Japan’s most spectacular Mountain views yes it’s kamii marshes and small ponds are scattered along the way and even monkeys are not a rare side here an animal you don’t want to encounter though is the Japanese black bear which is why you will find big

Bells like this along some trails and why many hikers wear small bear bells on their backpacks I’m no expert in how to deal with bears but just be aware this might be something to look into while preparing for any of your hikes getting closer to the central area

Of the park I was a bit overwhelmed with how many people were out here today this park is known to be very crowded during Summer and Autumn Leaf season if you’re okay with that that’s fine of course but if you’re more into quiet areas just

Like me I would take a deeper look into some of the other destinations covered in this video like our next destination akasava National Recreation Forest is crowned one of the three most beautiful forests of Japan and we happen to stumble upon it by pure accident we just just saw a sign while

Driving indicating there was a forest Railway so we randomly followed the sign and were surprised to end up in what I can only describe as a little Paradise first of all there is of course the forest Railway when everyone is on board the train slowly starts moving

Following the curves of the river deeper and deeper into the forest I would highly recommend to get out on the halfway point and walk your way back walking around you’ll be surrounded with a wide variety of trees which creates a beautifully colored landscape this Forest is also the

Birthplace of shindin joku also known as Forest bathing Forest bathing can be as simple as just being calm and quiet among the trees breathing deeply and focus all five of your senses on the nature surrounding you I have to admit I am no expert on

The matter in any way but I did find something about this Forest exceptionally magical and calming for me this place is worth a detour anytime we continue our journey in the northern Alps taking two gondolas up to T National Park the park itself is situated in an elevated Meadow which creates a stunning

Scenery and beautiful panoramic views I found the higher we went the more beautiful it got with more autumn colors and lots of beautiful views over the mountain range this was one of our first hikes and I was surprised to find much of the path covered in Boardwalk but later I

Realized it’s actually quite common in Japan and you will find them in a lot of trails at least the popular ones and yes we visited in Autumn but this place is especially known for its beauty in every season with plenty of Alpine flowers in spring and summer and

An impressive amount of snow in winter so you can experience the beauty of nature all year round if a lot of highlights and some relatively short hikes are your cup of tea you should definitely check out norikura Ken this highland at the base of Mount norikura is known for a multitude of

Attractions including waterfalls ponds and of course some beautiful panoramic views if you have a car you can easily travel from highlight to highlight and have a very easy day of hiking with a lot of beautiful things to see it’s good to know that what I show

You in this video is only a small part of what this place has to offer so I would highly recommend to look into this place while planning your trip through Japan and last but certainly not least we leave the Alps for our final highlight the Kumo Coto

This is a network of ancient pilgrimage Trails connecting multiple sacred sites in the south of the Key Peninsula for over a thousand years people from all backgrounds have walked these Trails not only to get from one sacred side to another this walk has always been considered a religious experience in itself

Since the trails stretch over a large area you could opt for a day or a multi-day hike or even hike for weeks and you wouldn’t even have seen all of them we opted for a Day hike from yam minina onen to hongu TAA which was slightly challenging but highly

Rewarding at the heart of all of these Trails you will find the three most famous shrines of Kumo also known as the Kumo Sunan we are not allowed to film inside because these shrines still have an important religious value today so you will have to just believe me when I say

They are definitely worth a visit another place you don’t want to miss out on is kyaan or Mount Coya it’s the center of shinon Buddhism and one of the holiest places in all of Japan the monk kodashi brought this religion to Japan at around 800 ad after wondering and searching for years he

Eventually chose kyaan as the place for his monastic Community today there are over a 100 temples and other sacred structures where shinan Believers and tourists search for relief from the stress of daily life it’s believed that kodashi never died instead he rests in Eternal meditation providing relief to everyone who asks for salvation

You will find his mulam at the end of the biggest graveyard in all of Japan if you want to learn more about kodashi and experience the scarcely lit Cemetery at night guided tour by one of the local monks is you guessed it highly recommended and there you go seven hikes

That I loved during our stay in Japan and oh my there is still still so much left to discover like Mount Fuji the most famous and iconic landmark in all of Japan and what about all of those hikes that nobody talks about like this lonely Trail we randomly found that

Ended up at an insanely stunning waterfall there must be so many hidden gems out here this video is just meant to be an inspiration and by no means a full list of everything out there if you miss your favorite spot please don’t hesitate to share it in the comments down

Below also check the description box if you want to know more about all the places featured in this video and all the guest houses we would recommend along the way don’t forget to like this video if you liked it and don’t forget to subscribe for more videos see you soon bye n