To the Thousand Year Cedars
The most adventurous circuit in the catalogue: Kyoto, Hiroshima, the onsen towns of Kyushu, the sand baths of Ibusuki, then three nights hiking in the primeval forest of Yakushima.
The points that matter.
Three nights hiking on Yakushima, a primeval forest and World Heritage site
The Jomon Sugi, a thousand-year cedar estimated to be between two and seven thousand years old
The hot sand baths of Ibusuki, buried to the neck in volcanic sand
The onsen of Beppu and the hot spring town of Yufuin, at the foot of Mount Yufu
A free day in Kumamoto to catch your breath before Ibusuki and Yakushima
A circuit best suited to an active, nature-loving traveller
Twenty-two days, twenty-one nights.
Arrival in Kyoto
Connection from Kansai airport by the Haruka express. Check-in, an afternoon in the hotel district.
Kyoto and its surroundings
Five days in Kyoto, with the option of also visiting Osaka, Nara and Kobe, all under an hour away, without changing hotel.
To Kurashiki
Shinkansen then local train to Kurashiki: the Bikan district, its canals, its white warehouses, the Ohara Museum of Art.
To Hiroshima
More of Kurashiki, then departure for Hiroshima in the late afternoon. First okonomiyaki dinner.
Hiroshima
The city centre, the castle, the Peace Memorial Park.
Miyajima
Itsukushima Shrine and its torii standing in the water at high tide.
To Beppu
Train to Beppu, Japan's onsen capital. Discovering the eight hells, bubbling springs in surprising colours.
To Yufuin
Bus or sightseeing train to Yufuin, a hot spring town at the foot of Mount Yufu, craft lanes and Lake Kinrin.
To Kumamoto
Train or bus to Kumamoto. In the afternoon, Kumamoto Castle, one of Japan's three great castles.
Kumamoto, free day
A day deliberately left free before heading south: Suizenji Garden, the Kamitori and Shimotori districts, local food.
Ibusuki
The hot sand baths of the Saraku onsen, buried to the neck in volcanic sand. At low tide, Chiringashima island, linked to the mainland by a fleeting sandbar.
Yakushima
Boat from Ibusuki to the island, a primeval forest and World Heritage site. Hikes to Shiratani Unsuikyo, the mossy forest that inspired Princess Mononoke, and to the Jomon Sugi, a thousand-year cedar.
Osaka
Return to Osaka by train or plane. Two days in the city: the castle, Shinsekai, Dotonbori.
Departure via Kansai
On to Kansai airport. End of the circuit.
Included in the price
Not included
Tipping is not customary in Japan · none is planned, none is expected.