Yamato Roads is a 9 day walking tour that explores the area where legends,
religion, culture, and history began in Japan. The ancient name for the
area of Nara prefecture is Yamato. This tour walks several of the old Yamato
roads; the Muro Mountain Kodo, the Ise Kaido, and the Yama-no-be-no-Michi,
Japan's oldest recognized road. All of these Yamato roads go in, and around
Asuka. Before Tokyo, before Kyoto, before Nara, the proto-historic Yamato
priest-kings built their first capitals here. The earliest Shinto shrines
and Buddhist temples are to be found here. The vestiges of the preceding
monolithic tumuli culture, in the form of giant stone barrow graves, the
strangely shaped key-hole tombs of the early emperors, and the mysterious
carved rocks and statues, are scattered about the area.
Yamato Roads first explores the city of
Nara with the world's largest wooden structure (Todaiji), and bronze Buddha.
We next follow the Yama-no-be-no-Michi where Japan's oldest shrines are
found. Then after tramping the Ise Kaido and the Muro Mountain Kodo, we
arrive at the mountain temple of Muro. We leave the mountains and come down
into the terraced rice paddies of Asuka, to explore the ancient monoliths.
Walking the Koya Kaido brings us to the high mountain monastery atop Mt.
Koya, where the Buddhist Saint Kukai is said to have sat for more than 1,000
years in adamantine meditation awaiting the Maitreya or Future Buddha. Express
trains then whisk us back to the bright lights of Osaka for our final night.
Each day brings more stories.
The walks for each day are between 8 and 18km, but trains can be used for walkers who take the day off. Bags are sent ahead. The routes we walk are gentle ones through the forests and farmland along the foot of the mountains, and over two low mountain passes. Our inns are traditional ryokan, temple lodging, and minshuku or "people's inn", a friendly small Japanese style of bed and breakfast. The intimate nature of the inns makes the optimum group size between 10 and 15. Yamato Roads is organized by Japan experts and guided by fluent Japanese speakers.
Though this tour has been set at 9 days, the concentrated nature of the tour, makes it an ideal one to include in an extended trip to Japan. With sufficient forewarning, our Japan experts can help with hotel bookings and make out itineraries for Kyoto or other parts of Japan, for immediately before or after this tour. The Travel Advisers will make arrangements for return travel to Japan from Hong Kong. For further information, please contact Brian Smith at The Travel Advisers.
