The journey
Trade Japan's famously fast pace for a slower one: cycle Tokyo's backstreets, glamp in the shadow of Mt. Fuji, practice yoga and meditation on the shores of Lake Biwa, and spend two nights in a mountaintop Buddhist temple lodge at Koyasan, twelve days built around stillness as much as sightseeing.
Mountains & Mindfulness: A Japan Wellness Journey looks past the country's fast-paced cities and bullet trains to find its quieter side. Begin in Tokyo with a hands-on Edo Kiriko glass-cutting workshop in Asakusa and a cycling tour through the city's hidden backstreets, before heading to the foothills of Mt. Fuji for panoramic pagoda views, a kimono art museum, and a conservation hike through the ancient, moss-covered Aokigahara forest, all capped by a night of glamping. In Kyoto, pedal past geisha teahouses on a guided bike tour, spend a morning of yoga, Pilates and meditation at a Lake Biwa farmhouse followed by a home-cooked Japanese meal, and explore a quiet corner of the city's temples, from Daigoji's Momoyama-era garden to a trio of hillside Buddhist retreats. The journey's capstone is Koyasan, a mountain community of over 100 temples and 1,200 years of esoteric Buddhist history, with two nights in a shukubo temple lodging, a torch-lit night walk through Okunoin Cemetery, and an optional morning prayer service, before a final stop in Osaka.
Highlights
- Glamp in the foothills of Mt. Fuji after a day at the Chureito Pagoda, the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum and the shores of Lake Kawaguchi
- Hike the ancient, moss-covered Aokigahara "Sea of Trees" forest with conservationist guides, and take part in its preservation
- Practice yoga, Pilates and meditation at a traditional farmhouse on the shores of Lake Biwa, then cook a home-style Japanese meal
- Spend two nights at Koyasan, a 1,200-year-old mountain community of over 100 Buddhist temples, with a torch-lit night walk through Okunoin Cemetery
- Cycle two guided tours, through Tokyo's hidden backstreets and Kyoto's geisha districts and Imperial Palace Park
- Explore a quiet, little-visited corner of Kyoto's temples, from Daigoji's Momoyama-era garden to a trio of hillside Buddhist retreats
Included
Accommodation
11 nights across Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, Koyasan and Osaka, including a glamping resort near Mt. Fuji and a Buddhist shukubo temple lodging at Koyasan
Activities
Asakusa Edo Kiriko glass-cutting workshop and craft district walk · Tokyo cycling tour (Shimo-Kitazawa and hidden backstreets) · Mt. Fuji touring (Chureito Pagoda, Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, Lake Kawaguchi) · Aokigahara "Sea of Trees" conservation hike · Kyoto bike tour (Gion, Shirakawa Canal, Imperial Palace Park) · Lake Biwa yoga, Pilates and meditation retreat with a home-cooked Japanese meal · Kyoto temple day (Daigoji, Unryu-in, Sennyuji, Imakumano Kannonji, or an alternate Daitokuji tea ceremony during peak-season weekends) · Koyasan (Kongobuji, Konpon Daito Pagoda, Okunoin Cemetery night walk) and shukubo temple lodging with an optional morning prayer service
Also included
English meet and greet with return airport transfers · English-speaking guides on Days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 · private transfers as mentioned in the itinerary · green car train tickets from Mishima to Kyoto on Day 6 · Okunoin Cemetery night tour on Day 9 · breakfast daily, plus lunch on Day 7 and dinner on Days 4, 5, 9 and 10 · self-guide app and travel documentation
The route
Twelve days across Japan
5 stops · Tokyo to Osaka
Tokyo
Mt. Fuji
Kyoto
Koyasan
Osaka
Stop 1 of 5
Journey's end
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Day by day
The route in detail
Day 1
Arrival in Tokyo
Arrive in Tokyo, where a local representative will be waiting to help with the transfer into the city, whether by train or shuttle bus. The rest of the day is free to explore independently. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 2
Asakusa's Crafts & Secrets
Meet a guide and head to Asakusa for a hands-on Edo Kiriko glass-cutting workshop, choosing a glass shape and practicing cutting technique under an artisan's instruction before carving an original pattern into the glass to take home. Continue exploring Asakusa on foot, strolling Denobin-dori's crafts shops to a local arts and crafts centre showcasing traditional hand-made goods from Tokyo's Taito ward. Visit Matsuchiyama Shoden, a temple dedicated to the daikon radish, and Imado Jinja, a shrine tied to the legend of Japan's beckoning cat, before saying goodbye to the guide with time to return to the hotel or continue on to Sensoji Temple independently. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 3
Tokyo by Bike
Meet a local guide at Sasazuka Station for a bicycle and helmet fitting, then set out on a cycling tour through Tokyo's backstreets and hidden neighbourhoods, including the hip shotengai shopping lanes of Shimo-Kitazawa, with stops for photos and a break at a charming cafe along the way. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 4
Tokyo to Mt. Fuji
Travel from Tokyo's metropolis into the countryside at the foothills of Mt. Fuji. Climb the forested trail to the iconic five-story Chureito Pagoda for panoramic views over Lake Kawaguchiko and Mt. Fuji, then visit the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, home to mesmerizing kimono masterpieces by a 20th-century textile master. Stroll the shores of Lake Kawaguchi, where the clouds permitting, Mt. Fuji rises above the water. This evening's accommodation is a glamping resort, offering guests a luxurious night amongst nature. Overnight glamping.
Day 5
Aokigahara's Sea of Trees
Meet local conservationist guides and travel to the Aokigahara "Sea of Trees" forest in Mt. Fuji's foothills, joining in a stretch of litter-picking in an area of the ecosystem most in need of restoration before hiking the ancient forest's lush groves of oak trees and moss-covered lava beds. Finish at the shores of Lake Saiko, a crystal-clear lake where Mt. Fuji often appears mirrored on the water in a photogenic "double Fuji" view. Overnight glamping.
Day 6
Mt. Fuji to Kyoto
Depart by private transfer to Mishima Station and board the bullet train to Kyoto. After dropping luggage at the hotel, set out on an afternoon guided bike tour of the ancient capital, pedalling through Gion, Kyoto's main geisha and entertainment district, past the machiya houses of Miyagawa-cho and along the willow-lined Shirakawa Canal, where geisha and maiko still pass between traditional teahouses. Turn onto Hanami-koji, the district's most famous alley, then cycle on to Imperial Palace Park before returning along the Kamogawa River to the bike depot. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 7
Lake Biwa Wellness Retreat
Travel to the neighbouring prefecture of Shiga, home to Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. Stop first at Juge Shrine, a small forest shrine looking out over the lake, before a yoga and Pilates class held in a traditional Japanese farmhouse, combining breathwork, stretching and strengthening in a moment of total relaxation. Afterward, learn to prepare an authentic, healthy Japanese meal from homegrown vegetables and rice, sampling homemade pickles along the way, before a leisurely lunch and a return to Kyoto. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 8
Kyoto's Hidden Temples
Drive to Daigoji, a temple complex in Kyoto's eastern outskirts, beginning with the garden at Sanboin, designed in 1598 by the warlord Hideyoshi Toyotomi and considered a pinnacle of Momoyama-era style. Continue deeper into the grounds to the Bentendo island shrine and Kyoto's oldest structure, a five-storied pagoda built in 951, finishing at the Reihokan Museum's collection of antiquities. Continue into the hills to a trio of isolated Buddhist retreats: Unryu-in, for a bowl of warm matcha tea overlooking a rustic garden; Sennyuji, home to the graves of countless Japanese emperors and an ancient spring where pilgrims sip chilled holy water; and Imakumano Kannonji, a stop on a famous 33-temple pilgrimage route, ending with a climb to a hillside pagoda for a quiet view over Kyoto. Guests visiting on a peak-season weekend instead join an alternate tour to Daitokuji, a Zen temple complex, for a traditional tea ceremony in a host's private home. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 9
Kyoto to Koyasan
Travel by private car into the mountains of Wakayama Prefecture, through river valleys and forested slopes, to Koyasan, a mountain community of over 100 temples belonging to the secretive Shingon sect of esoteric Buddhism, home to religion and daily life in Japan for over 1,200 years. The rest of the day is free until check-in, with time to explore the town's Sanmon Gate, the golden Tokugawa Mausoleum, and the Reihokan Museum's collection of religious art independently. Settle into a shukubo temple lodging for a shojin ryori vegetarian Buddhist dinner, then join a torch-lit night tour of Okunoin Cemetery, Japan's most storied graveyard, walking past centuries-old moss-covered graves to the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Koyasan, as a priest explains his significance to Japanese history and offers a solemn prayer. Overnight in Koyasan.
Day 10
Koyasan's Sacred Sites
An optional morning prayer service at the temple lodging offers a chance to hear the priests chant and drum before a vegetarian breakfast. Meet a local guide to explore Koyasan, the spiritual centre of Shingon Buddhism, visiting Kongobuji, the sect's head temple and home to Japan's largest rock garden, and the brightly painted Konpon Daito Pagoda, housing a three-dimensional mandala altar. Continue to Okunoin, Japan's largest and most important cemetery, walking a two-kilometre trail past more than 200,000 gravestones between soaring cypress trees to the Torodo Lantern Hall and the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi. The afternoon is free to explore the town, relax, or find a quiet corner for personal meditation, with another vegetarian temple dinner this evening. Overnight in Koyasan.
Day 11
Koyasan to Osaka
After a final temple breakfast and morning prayer service, the day is free until a private car transfer to Osaka, Japan's culinary capital, known for its flamboyance, fun-loving people and celebrated food scene. Guests can opt for an evening food walk near Tenma Station, through Japan's longest covered shopping arcade and a local market to three neighbourhood restaurants for a taste of true Osakan cooking: a standing tachinomi bar, a lively izakaya serving kushikatsu skewers, and a homestyle kitchen known for yakitori and oden. Overnight in Osaka.
Day 12
Departure from Osaka
The rest of the day is at leisure until the scheduled transfer by private vehicle to Kansai International Airport for the departure flight.
Moments
Along the way
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