Walk Japan - Kumano Kodo Trail

This trip revealed several layers of Japan’s historical and current urban and natural landscapes, all under the expert guidance of our enthusiastic tour leader, David Lam. David was exceptionally well organized, always had a Plan B option (rarely needed), took us to neat restaurants (e.g., savory Japanese pancakes at Okonomiyaki Ranban in Wakayama), and clearly enjoys being a guide and showing off Japan to newcomers. He set up a WhatsApp page for our group at our first meeting, and it was a great resource for logistical info, weather updates, and for us to post photos and notes of the trip. Our group of 10 participants (from four countries) spanned a nearly 50-year age range, and everyone got along remarkably well. The last four full days of the trip were my favorite. I loved being out in nature on our hikes of the Kumano Kodo trail, which were led by Jennifer Fujino and her assistant guides (including Asai Tomoko) on separate days (David stayed with us, too). Jennifer told us several stories of this pilgrimage route and the religious beliefs that people continue to practice in this area. On the trail, we listened to a variety of songbirds and saw snakes, frogs, little orange crabs, and lush vegetation in this beautiful area; we even tried forest bathing! I also liked going on a small boat ride of the Kumano River to Hatayama Shrine on Day 10 of the trip. We had our most spectacular weather on Day 11, which included visiting the Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine, adjacent Seiganto-ji Temple, and Nachi-no-Otaki waterfall (Japan’s tallest). After a scenic (but stuffy) train ride to Osaka, we continued the fun on Day 11 with an interactive dinner at a small Korean BBQ (where we cooked our meat/seafood on a little grill in front of us). Afterwards, we happened upon a Buddhist fire ceremony, and we ended the evening in the Namba entertainment district, which was full of bright lights, oversize sea creatures scaling buildings, and an abundant supply of multi-flavor KitKats that I bought to bring home to friends. As much as I liked this trip, there were a few things I was not as keen on: 1) I personally could have skipped Tokyo or spent less time there as I am not a big city person; my single room at the Sunroute Asakusa Hotel was a dismal cracker box with a running toilet that the hotel staff did not care to fix (jiggling the handle worked for a while), and the breakfast was not very good (I picked up grocery items at a nearby supermarket for my 2nd breakfast); 2) we went to a lot of shrines and temples, and I would have appreciated scaling that back some to go on more nature hikes; and 3) as a retired scientist, I have some strong opinions about the unsustainably large population of protected sika deer, considered sacred, in Nara. These deer are being treated like petting zoo animals, instead of wild animals, and I observed several deer aggressively chasing or biting the clothing of tourists who were not giving them enough of the special crackers one can purchase to feed them. These deer can transmit several diseases to humans, including Lyme disease from ticks that may travel from the deer to someone petting or hugging it. Explore guides should inform participants of these risks and insure that they wash their hands after touching the deer. On a positive note, it was a heartwarming moment to see a baby fawn being born and later taking its first steps at the Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara.

Japan's culture, people, and exquisitely prepared food make Japan a must-visit destination. Our guide, David Lam made our trip extra memorable. David's local expert knowledge, excellent communication and organization skills greatly enhanced our experience.

Good mix of touristic sightseeing and trail hiking. Public transport was extremely efficient and well-organised. Tour leader David Lam was absolutely excellent, knowledgeable about the temples, shrines, Japanese culture and history, very efficient at logistics, and just an all round nice guy. Pace of trip was not too frantic, so lots of free time to explore or relax.

Great trip with an excellent tour leader and local guides. The highlight for me was the trek on the Kumano Kodo trail and visiting the Shrines and Temples. Food was great too.

Nice walk in the Nakasendo trail and The Kumano trail. The walk in Nakensado could be longer, 2 days for example; the day in this portion of the trip feels like a long day train trip between Matsumoto and Kyoto. One more day in the trail of the Kumano would have been nice also. It feels like I missed something in Kyoto, Gion for example or the bambou forest but with the amount of tourists in this region it might be the reason why it is shorted down Kyoto. Be prepared to eat fish…..

It was good but not great. There could have been more walking particularly on Nara day. It would have been great to have had a Japanese guide rather that a local to explore the culture more. Kii katsura was the worst hotel that we stayed at whilst in Japan for a month

Started our dream knowing we wanted to do some walking in Japan not quite realising that the whole experience would be so much better than our dreams. The combination of our tour guide, David Lam, Explore and a fabulous group of people made for a wonderful experience full of surprises and bonuses that far surpassed what we had been dreaming of. David our tour leader was exceptional - thorough, considerate, punctual and knowledgeable and made the trip not just a holiday but an exceptional experience for our first trip to Japan. Thank you David Lam Thank you Explore and Thank you to our fellow participants, now friends.

Our Explore Japan walking trip was amazing, made even better by our fantastic guide, David Lam. We enjoyed tours of common sights and lesser known areas, experienced traditional food and local delicacies, hiked well known routes and those off the beaten track. Our guide offered amazing optional sights and dinners, provided great regional knowledge and was essential for navigating transportation. A dream vacation come true!

A packed itinerary that ran like clockwork due to David's organisational skills. David also included optional highlights and booked meals for anyone in the grouo to join in with, which enhanced our experience. Japan is an amazing country, this trip gives a good introduction with the variety and contrast of cities and countryside.. The Ryokan experience was great with the Onsen a must! A great trip, great group of fellow travellers and a great guide with good local knowledge Would reccomend, but bear in mund it is a full on trip!

The Walk Japan tour was excellent in many ways. I learned so much about Japan history, culture and modern day life. David Lam, our tour guide, was very organized, communicated very well keeping us informed and on schedule. The accommodations were comfortable and in good locations, especially the hotel in the Asakusa area of Tokyo. Hiking the Kumano Kodo trails and our stay at the onsen were highlights.

Explore ensured my first trip to Japan was amazing, incorporating a walking trip with thoughtful, cultural experiences. Our tour leader, David Lam, ably guided us through interesting aspects of Japanese modern life and ancient customs. We tried amazing dishes of food, onsen, visits to shrines and temples, ancient Kyoto nightlife and the modern mayhem of Osaka nightlife. I always felt we were in good hands with David. Walking on the Kumano Kodo was another fantastic highlight of the trip, guided by Jennifer Fujino and associates. Jennifer helped us experience what it would have been like for early travellers on this pilgrim way, adding a whole new level of understanding to the walk. Explore have put together an excellent package of walks and experiences that just make me want to come back again to Japan.

David Lam, our tour leader, was the best. He communicated very well, helped out with any problem or question, was super organised and managed the group of sixteen really well. Our accomodation was of a good standard and the itinerary kept us busy but with some time for ourselves.

The tour was wonderful. Karique was an excellent tour guide. He was knowledgeable and interesting, and looked after our group well. The food was great, and varied, which made a huge difference. The accommodation was great, especially the stay at Yunomineso. The hot spring was a highlight of the trip. It might be a while before I go again, but I'll definitely look at Explore when I do.

We were very happy with Karique,he kept calm and was very knowledgeable. Also very personable