Leading tour operator in Japan, Walk Japan has launched the latest in its series of self-guided walking tours, the Basho Wayfarer – a six-day, five-night tour offering a comfortable exploration of Japan’s northerly Tohoku region. Walk Japan drew inspiration for this tour from the acclaimed poet Matsuo Basho (1644~1694) and his classic, poetic travelogue Oku-no-hosomichi, or Narrow Road to the Deep North.
Basho excelled in haiku poetry and his greatest work came from his itinerant journeys through Japan in the Edo Period (1603~1868), an age when the samurai were at their apogee. Customers follow in Basho’s footsteps from Sendai to Yamadera; from historic temples to beautiful coastlines, through forests in remote countryside, to charming villages and traditional, local inns. Delicious, hearty cuisine is accompanied in nearly all the accommodation by onsen natural hot springs baths, where a luxurious soak is the ideal way to round off the day’s travels.
The Basho Wayfarer includes visits to Matsushima Bay and its pine-laden islands, known for centuries as one of the three most scenic locations in Japan; the exquisite Hiraizumi temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Yamadera, a temple dramatically poised on a cliff; and Hojin-no-Ie, a venerable thatched building and the only structure that remains to this day where Basho is known to have stayed.
The Level 2 Basho Wayfarer joins the self-guided Nakasendo Wayfarer and Kumano Wayfarer tours, making the lesser-beaten-path in Japan easily accessible for those who like to do things on their own.
The Basho Wayfarer tour is a 6-day, 5-night self-guided walking tour for up to six participants, available from mid-May to early November. Subject to availability, it is possible to start Wayfarer tours on any date. Prices start at JPY212,000 per person (approx. £1,400*) including accommodation for five nights; five breakfasts, four evening meals and transfers. Solo travellers pay a single supplement of JPY32,000. Flights, lunches and drinks with meals are not included.
