Hand-picked collection of Small Group Walking Tours in Japan
This page offers a diverse range of immersive Japan walking tours designed to prioritize depth over distance – comfortably paced, with walks typically under 10 Km per day.
The tours savour local culture, exquisite cuisine and the quiet beauty of Japan’s landscapes. Each meticulously crafted itinerary shows you a purposefully selected region of Japan at its very best. The groups are intentionally small, and departures are limited, to maximize your experience.
Walking is only part of the experience – the true richness lies in the connections, insights and moments that unfold for you along the way.
👉 Click on a tour name below to explore individual itineraries, prices, dates, and what makes each journey unique.
Tour Type
Signature
Our Signature tours offer the most comprehensive cultural exposure.
Discovery
Our Discovery tours provide up-and-close encounters with traditional life and natural landscapes into the more remote regions of Japan.
Comfort
With a focus on comfort and ease, our Comfort tours deliver an authentic experience with a few extra creature comforts to make for a more relaxed and supported trip.
Seasons
More about japan
Walking Tours Features
Japan Walking Tours 2025/2026
What You Can Expect
- Firstly, a light day pack (for water, camera and any personal needs during the day) is all you will need to carry. Your heavy luggage will be moved for you.
- You’ll be accompanied throughout by some of Japan’s best English-speaking guides, ensuring the same attention to detail and care that our guests consistently praise in their 5-star reviews.
- Although distances are typically less than 10 km (6.2 miles), you will be on your feet for longer while you enjoy your surrounds and interact with your guide. Japan frequently has steps leading to an exhibit or view.
- Each of our walking tours in Japan is carefully curated so that your guide can help you notice and enjoy what most travellers walk straight past. These aren’t just scenic walks — they’re immersive cultural journeys.
- Group sizes are up to 8 people. Your small group can walk in places not suited to big groups. Indeed, you walk with the locals and become part of the local life.
- The pace is set to impart an insight into the spirit of each place; its people, seasons, history, and values. The very best way to absorb the magic of Japan is on foot and on these tours, walking is the ‘transport’ not the goal.
- At the end of each day, you’ll enjoy regional meals. As you will be travelling through small towns and villages, where the accommodation has been chosen for its connection to the area — they are both comfortable and deeply authentic.
What You Can Experience
- 🚶 Walking parts of historic routes like the Nakasendo, Shikoku pilgrims trail, through the sacred Dewa Sanzan mountains or experience life in the backstreets of big cities without all the hordes of tourists.
- 🧭 Walking with expert guides who illuminate every step — perhaps sharing what 900-year-old cedar trees have seen or stories of samurai who walked this way before you.
- 🏞️ Moving through changing landscapes — from forested mountain villages to serene coastlines and countryside towns that tourists rarely reach.
- The endless surprises, like the pristine landscapes with no trash bins or the friendly but shy locals or perhaps amazing musicians playing the shamisen over dinner in a quaint Japanese pub.
- 🛖 Staying in local inns and ryokan where hospitality is personal, food is seasonal, and new stories emerge each night.
- 🌸 Discovering small, beautiful details; a moss-covered shrine, the cultural role of rice, or the scent of hinoki cypress after rain.
HINT these tours are limited to just 8 people and tend to fill quickly. If you want to see Japan on foot, make sure you let us know soon. (Contact us at the top of the page)
Why travel with us
At Journey to the East we are committed to providing authentic and most memorable experiences in Japan – for both Small Group Tours and custom-built Private Tours. Whether it is your first visit or you have been several times to Japan, you will always find something new and have special experiences with Journey to the East. Our travel style is chosen to immerse you in the culture and landscape of the country and expose you to a rich variety of unique experiences.
We do this by taking you beyond the tourist hotspots to explore the lesser-known parts of Japan. Our tours are designed to strike the right balance between the classic highlights and local secrets, the urban and the rural, the historic and the contemporary, and in doing so, reveal the true heart of Japan.
With Journey to the East, you will have fun and be safe on your deeply rewarding journey through this endlessly fascinating country!
We are specialists that just handle tours within one country, Japan. Whether you are from the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand or beyond we meet you at the airport upon arrival into Japan and ensure a smooth and stress-free time in a foreign land.
Accommodation styles
Ryokans
Ryokans is a Japanese style accommodation, mostly consists of Japanese style rooms with tatami matt floor and futon bedding, and private ensuite. Some ryokans have a western style room with beds. A Japanese style room always has a low table and flat cushions to sit on, but the room may or may not have chairs. Most ryokans have an additional large public bath for guests and includes kaiseki style dinner. Breakfast can be Japanese style (rice, miso soup, fish etc.) or western style buffet.
Western Style Hotels
Size and standard vary from 5-star large international chains to regional small business hotels. Generally, in Japan twin rooms (two single beds) are more common than double rooms (one double bed), and some hotels in regional cities only have twin rooms. Room sizes are generally smaller in cities. Also beds and pillows tend to be firmer than those in western countries.
Minshuku
A minshuku is a type of Japanese guesthouse, often family-run, that offers a more intimate and budget-friendly experience than a traditional ryokan. Accommodations often feature Japanese-style rooms, and bathrooms and toilets are often shared by guests. Staying in a minshuku offers a chance to connect with local families, learn about their way of life, and experience Japanese hospitality.
Shukubo (temple lodging)
The vast majority have Japanese style rooms and shared bathroom although there are limited number of temples with a western bedroom with ensuite. The stay at shukubo includes Buddhist vegetarian dinner and breakfast. Dinners are served early, around 5pm. They are run by monks, and facility and services are basic. Guests can attend morning service in the main hall.
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