from tokyo we fly south to kyushu for 6 days in the volcanic mountains that run through the center of the island. we stay in villages small enough to have no convenience stores (a true rarity in japan!) to a small, arty town with horse-drawn and rickshaw carriages as a primary mode of transport. the lodging and baths on this tour are super refined and elegant modern takes on traditional japanese design, making this tour a great finale after our other, more rustic tours. the food, culture, crafts and hospitality are different in each of the regions we travel to, with kyushu being no exception. then, due to popular demand, we have four days in magical kyoto, followed by 6-7 days along wakayama prefecture’s rugged coastline. home of the famous kumano kodo pilgrimage route, this part of the tour features rare seaside bathing and small fishing villages as well as sacred forests and pilgrimage paths.

a quick overview of the itinerary:

day 1, october 29: leave US

day 2, october 30: arrive NRT, overnight narita

day 3, october 31: narita temple & baths

day 4, november 1: fly to kyushu, to the onsen

day 5, november 2: full day in kurokawa onsen

day 6, november 3: over the mtns to yufuin

day 7, november 4: full day in yufuin

day 8, november 5: yufuin, mud baths day trip

day 9, november 6: train to fabulous kyoto

day 10, november 7: wander kyoto

day 11, november 8: free day in kyoto

day 12, november 9: never enough kyoto!

day 13, november 10: train to katsuura coast

day 14, november 11: katsuura ocean day

day 15, november 12: kumano kodo afternoon

day 16, november 13: coastal train to shirahama

day 17, november 14: shirahama beach time

day 18: november 15: explore the coast

day 19, november 16: train back to narita

day 20, november 17: shuttle to airport, home!

below you will find a comprehensive, day-by-day photo-blog style itinerary. you will hopefully get a real feel of the places we visit, the kind of lodging we have chosen, and a tempting view of some of the baths. to view chronologically, scroll to the bottom of list and begin with “day two” and go forward!