Japan
Walking Eastern Japan: The Tokaido Road
Program No. 25370RJ
Follow local experts on an active and interactive exploration of Japanese history, culture and natural wonders along eastern Japan’s Tokaido road.
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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
12 days
11 nights
What's Included
24 meals (
10B, 7L, 7D
)
1 expert-led lecture
12 expert-led field trips
2 hands-on experiences
An experienced Group Leader
10 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
In Transit to Program
Location:
In Flight
Day
2
Arrival into Tokyo
Location:
Tokyo
Stay:
Hotel Kazusaya
Activity Note
Hotel check-in available from 3:00 p.m.
Afternoon:
This small-group walking program will be accompanied by a Group Leader. They will handle logistics and lead most lectures and field trips, unless otherwise specified. Everyone will handle their own luggage for transfers throughout the program. Meals will include water and tea with other beverages available for purchase, unless otherwise noted. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
On your own to either relax after a long journey or to explore some of Tokyo's many restaurants. Please refer to the list of suggested restaurants in the attachments as well as in the handouts provided by the Group Leader.
Evening:
At leisure. Settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Day
3
Orientation, Tokaido lecture, welcome dinner
Location:
Tokyo
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Hotel Kazusaya
Activity Note
Walking approximately 3 miles throughout the day. Use of transportation including assorted rail and subway transfers; about 2 hours total; some stairs, flat city streets, elevators/escalators sometimes available.
Breakfast:
At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a breakfast buffet with juice, coffee, tea, water.
Morning:
Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This is followed by a morning lecture on the Tokaido and a walking tour of the Nihonbashi area, the starting point of the Tokaido Highway.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant, we’ll have plated meals with tea and water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon:
Afternoon visit to Sengakuji Temple, the resting place of the 47 Ronin, to learn about their connection to the Tokaido and the Tokugawa era.
Dinner:
At a restaurant in or near the hotel, we’ll enjoy a meal together for our Welcome Dinner, with one drink (beer, or other alcoholic beverage, coffee, tea) and water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning. Main luggage will be gathered in the morning and sent to Shizuoka via overnight courier, so remember to pack overnight belongings in a day pack for our stay in Hakone Yumoto.
Day
4
Exploration of Shinagawa
Location:
Hakone Yumoto
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Yumoto Fujiya Hotel
Activity Note
Walking approximately 3 miles throughout the day. Use of transportation including assorted rail and subway transfers; about 2 hours total; some stairs, flat city streets, elevators/escalators sometimes available.
Breakfast:
At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a breakfast buffet with juice, coffee, tea, water.
Morning:
This morning we send our luggage by overnight courier to Shizuoka before a morning exploration of Shinagawa, the first of 53 post-towns that travellers departing Tokyo would encounter. The modern city has now encroached upon the original settlement, but enough remains to charm, and we will spend the morning here soaking up the atmosphere of the area.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant, we’ll have plated meals, plus tea and water; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon:
Train transfer to Hakone Yumoto. Check into accommodation with hot springs for a relaxing evening. Upon our arrival, we’ll take some time to learn the vital dos and don’ts of living in traditional Japanese style from our Group Leader. Where do we take off our shoes? Where are the beds? How do we use the baths? The lessons learned here are important, and will be vital throughout the program as we stay at a variety of traditional Japanese accommodation.
Dinner:
At our accommodation, we’ll enjoy the first of a number of formal Japanese plated meals.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
5
Our first hike along the Tokaido Highway, Lake Ashi
Location:
Shizuoka
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Hotel Associa Shizuoka
Activity Note
Driving approx. 20 miles; about 1.5 hours total, with stops. Walking approx. 5 miles total; about 4 hours; on cobblestones (steep and slippery when wet), plus forest trails and paved roads. Dedicated vehicle support throughout the walking. Total elevation gain of approx. 900 feet. 20 minute high speed rail transfer at the end of the day.
Breakfast:
Inn plated meal.
Morning:
Morning walk along a section of the old Tokaido highway to Lake Ashi, enjoying the scenic views and taking in the ambiance of the historic trail.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant along our walk, we’ll have plated meals, plus tea and water; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon:
Afternoon transfer to Mishima Taisha Shrine for a stroll through the streets of this charming small city, before a speedy Shinkansen bullet train transfer to Shizuoka and our hotel.
Dinner:
At a restaurant in or near the hotel, we’ll have a plated meal, with tea and water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
6
Tokugawa Ieyasu, Ando Hiroshige
Location:
Shizuoka
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
Hotel Associa Shizuoka
Activity Note
Walking approx. 6.5 miles on mostly minor paved roads, (with a short stretch of forest trail), temple and museum grounds. Total height gain 79m (260ft).
Breakfast:
At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a breakfast buffet with juice, coffee, tea, water.
Morning:
A morning visit to little-known Seikenji Temple in Okitsu, where Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu studied as a young man. View the temple’s hidden gem – a beautiful Japanese garden – before a walk over the Satta Pass, enjoying (weather permitting) the famous view of Mt. Fuji, as depicted in Ando Hiroshige’s blockbuster woodblock print series, the 53 Stages of the Tokaido.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant along our walk, we’ll have plated meals, plus tea and water; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon:
A visit to the nearby Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum to view original woodblock prints and, if we wish, try our hand at the process ourselves. We transfer from nearby Kambara Station back to Shizuoka and our hotel for the evening.
Dinner:
On your own to explore some of Shizuoka city's many restaurants. Please refer to the list of suggested restaurants in the attachments as well as in the handouts provided by the Group Leader.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
7
Shizuoka's famous tea fields, Nissaka post-town
Location:
Kurami Onsen
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Masagokan
Activity Note
Approx. 6 miles on minor paved roads with a short climb on cobblestones. Thereafter some steep climbs and descents, but on good surfaces. Total height gain 1000ft. Short rail and road transfers.
Breakfast:
At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a breakfast buffet with juice, coffee, tea, water.
Morning:
A local train transfer ferries us across the Oi River and to Kanaya. From here we walk to the nearby Tea Museum, learning more about Shizuoka Prefecture’s position as the green tea capital of Japan. Having passed by many a tea field on our journey so far, we now have the chance to learn the history and craft of tea-making in the region.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant, we’ll have plated meals, plus tea and water; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon:
A scenic afternoon walk through the tea fields of the Makinohara Plateau to the post-town of Nissaka. Short transfer to Kurami Onsen follows for hot spring bathing and delicious local cuisine.
Dinner:
Plated multi-course meal at our inn.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
8
The Princess Highway
Location:
Yuya Onsen
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
Hazu Bekkan
Activity Note
Maximum of 8 miles on forest trails and minor paved roads. Total height gain 900ft. Vehicle support on this day, so walking can be shortened if necessary. Vehicle transfers at the beginning and end of the day - total transfer time 2.5 hours.
Breakfast:
Plated meal at our inn.
Morning:
A dedicated vehicle is with us today as we transfer to the start of our walk along the “Hime Kaido” or “Princess Highway,” a spur of the Tokaido that avoided an open boat crossing in difficult conditions. Our walk takes in farming communities and citrus groves, and we learn about some of the more unusual travellers who took these paths.
Lunch:
Picnic lunch taken at a sheltered spot en-route.
Afternoon:
At the end of the walk we transfer to Yuya Onsen, a charming settlement set beside a rushing river deep in the Ina Valley, and relax in the hot springs before dinner.
Dinner:
Plated multi-course meal at our inn.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning. Main luggage will be gathered in the morning and sent to Nagoya via overnight courier, so be sure to pack overnight belongings in a day pack for our first night in Nagoya.
Day
9
Ure River, traditional tie-dying
Location:
Nagoya
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
Daiwa Roynet Nagoya Eki-mae
Activity Note
Maximum 5 miles on paved paths / single track road. Almost no height gain. Three rail transfers.
Breakfast:
Plated meal at our inn.
Morning:
This morning we send our luggage by overnight courier to Nagoya before departing on a morning stroll along the scenic banks of the Ure River. An express rail transfer to Toyohashi follows.
Lunch:
Your choice to explore the cafes and restaurants in the Toyohashi station area.
Afternoon:
Short rail transfer to Arimatsu, famed for its tye-dying traditions. We meet a master craftsperson and try our hand at the process in an afternoon seminar. Accommodation and dinner is a short train ride away in central Nagoya.
Dinner:
At a restaurant near the hotel, we’ll have a plated meal, with tea and water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
10
Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology
Location:
Nagoya
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
Daiwa Roynet Nagoya Eki-mae
Activity Note
Walking approx. 3 miles on flat city streets and around a museum. Short subway transfers.
Breakfast:
At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a breakfast buffet with juice, coffee, tea, water.
Morning:
Though somewhat overshadowed by its neighbours Kyoto and Tokyo, Nagoya is poised in the middle of the country as a manufacturing and shipping powerhouse for the nation, with companies such as Toyota maintaining a significant presence and employing thousands. A wealth of unique museums displaying the cultural and technological history of Nagoya are open to the public, and this morning we choose to visit the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology. From textile to car production with early looms giving way to assembly processes in modern car manufacturing, we gain insight into Japan's industrial success.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant, we’ll have plated meals, plus tea and water; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon:
Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities in the attachments. The Group Leader will be happy to offer other suggestions as well.
Dinner:
On your own to explore some of Nagoya city's many restaurants. Please refer to the list of suggested restaurants in the attachments as well as in the handouts provided by the Group Leader.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
11
Osaka Castle
Location:
Osaka
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Daiwa Roynet Hotel Osaka Uehommachi
Activity Note
Approx. 5 miles on city streets. Little height gain while walking but the Osaka castle visit will involve some stair climbing. Transfers by rail (with luggage) and local subway.
Breakfast:
At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a breakfast buffet with juice, coffee, tea, water.
Morning:
Transfer with luggage by comfortable express train to Osaka for our final day together.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant, we’ll have plated meals, plus tea and water; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon:
We take a boat trip on the Osaka Castle moat system and visit the imposing building. The 1615 siege of the castle was the final chapter in the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which would continue to rule Japan until the modern era.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant near the hotel, we’ll celebrate our journey and review the highlights of the program over our family-style farewell dinner. Tea and water included; other beverages available for purchase. Share some of your favorite experiences from the program with new Road Scholar friends.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
12
Program Concludes
Location:
In Flight
Meals:
B
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 10:00 a.m. See your program’s travel details regarding transfers.
Breakfast:
At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a breakfast buffet with juice, coffee, tea, water.
Morning:
If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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