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Walk through Japan’s physical and cultural landscape, exploring Kyoto’s historical sites, hiking the Nakasendō trail, and experiencing Tokyo’s modern landscape. Participate in traditional tea ceremonies, fabric dyeing, and noodle-making. The trip encourages cultural immersion through walking tours, local interactions, and daily reflections. Develop navigation skills, cultural awareness, and a deeper appreciation of Japan’s history and contemporary society.
Day 1
Day 1
We arrived in Osaka after a long but smooth flight. Everyone found ways to cope with so much time in a seat. Spirits were high when we disembarked.
After an eternity passing through immigration, we discovered that one suitcase had remained in San Francisco. Thank goodness for pour guides, who got us to our hotel and provided us with bento box dinners. They also played an essential role in getting the lost bag delivered to us at the end of our first full day.
Day 2
Day 2
Our first full day was packed with activities around Kyoto, beginning at Nijo Castle in the morning and stretching all the way to our return to our hotel at 9:00 after a an unanticipated second opportunity to explore a popular covered outdoor shopping district.
In between, we visited the Golden Pavilion at Rokuon ji, navigated by subway and twice, took two taxis, tried our hands at both traditional fabric dyeing and the tea ceremony, and snatched sushi off conveyor belts motivated by taste and a desire to win Pokémon magnets. Everyone headed to bed exhausted and satisfied.
Day 3
Day 3
Today we got to eat breakfast at our hotel. It was very good, and we got pieces of toast along with a buffet. After that we walked to Kyoto station to ride the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Nagoya. From there, we took a local train to Nakatsugawa where we hiked from the station along the historic Nakasendo highway (“the way through the central mountains”) all the way to a traditional inn! For the last stretch, we traveled over stone pavers through dense forest. We all got to bathe in traditional baths and wear yukatas!! It is so cool and everyone is excited for tomorrow <3 ~ Today’s blog post by Maddie Karimi.
Day 4
Day 4
Today, we continued our expedition along the illustrious Nakasendo road, stretching from Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo). Today’s venture began with goodbyes to our wonderful hosts at the Shinchaya Ryokan Inn as we ventured to the next post town of Magome, a wonderful town known for its legendary wood from historically renowned trees. We spent time exploring the remarkable shops and cafes in the town. After purchasing several different kinds of wooden souvenirs we continued our walk across Japan in awe for the next ~9 miles of the Nakasendo. We then took a train to Kiso-Fukushima where we again stayed in a traditional inn where we had a nice dinner and went to sleep looking forward to our next day in Japan. ~Today’s blog post is written by Aayan Tamton.
Day 5
Day 5
After eating our delicious breakfast at our inn, we learned how to make our own soba noodles under the watchful eyes of some local grannies. We started with buckwheat flour and mixing the dough, kneading it, cutting it into thin noodles, and cooking them in boiling water before enjoying them as our lunch. Once we ate, we spent some time in the toy museum next to the soba-making kitchen, where we experienced and played with various wooden toys and games. In the afternoon, we snowshoed up a mountain to our inn for the night. The snowshoes were required because of the amount of snow we had the night before. In the inn, we all got to experience the onsen, the hot spring bath, before having a wonderful dinner with rice, soba noodles, and much more.
The next day, we checked out a former checkpoint along the Nakasendo, learning about what travel in the Edo period looked like. After a short bus trip ride, we had another couple miles of snowshoeing to get to our inn, through multiple inches of snow and active snowfall. At the summit, we stopped at the torii gate and Dhinto shrine for which the pass is named. Finally, once we got to our inn, we got to enjoy the warm bath before enjoying our dinner.
Tomorrow morning, we’ll get up bright and early for an early breakfast before getting on a train to Tokyo, where we’ll spend the rest of the week before returning home.
~Today’s blog post is by Aayush Ravulapati.
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