Trip Levels

Tours with Oku Japan allow you to experience Japan up close and personal, utilising local trains, buses and subways to get around. Walking around villages, towns and cities is an integral element of all our trips, so you’ll need to be active and happy to tackle stairs at train stations that may not have disabled access.

When deciding on your tour, it’s important to keep in mind that our Trip Level ratings are relative to the tours that we offer. While we have refined our guide based on feedback and experience, we know that there is no comprehensive rating system that will apply to every person.

You won’t need to carry your main luggage with you while on the trail, as this can be sent ahead by courier, allowing you to travel light with just a daypack. And, you will have the 24 hour contact information of our Japan-based, bilingual operations team, who will be happy to assist as needed while you are on tour.

Gentle

Our gentle walking tours may not have dedicated days of trail walking, but you will still be on your feet for much of the day to experience all the sights we want to show you.

We recommend gentle tours for anyone who does occasional walking or hiking, and is comfortable with being on their feet for much of the day.

If you do not exercise regularly, then you should undertake a program of walking to prepare and get the most out of your trip. Start by doing walks of two to three hours from about three to six months before your trip begins.

Active

Our active tours generally have dedicated days of trail walking, with some days of over four hours and with some ascent and/or descent.

We recommend active tours for anyone who does regular walking or hiking, and is comfortable to walk for up to a full day with some climbing and descending.

If you do not exercise regularly, then you should undertake a program of walking to prepare and get the most out of your trip. Start by doing walks of three to five hours from about three to six months before your trip.

Intermediate

Our intermediate tours generally have multiple dedicated days of trail walking, with some days of up to six hours or more and significant ascent and/or descent.

We recommend intermediate tours for anyone who does regular full-day walking or hiking, and is comfortable to walk for extended periods on consecutive days, with much of each day involving ascent and descent.

We recommend our intermediate tours for people who are already fit and active.

Advanced

Our advanced tours have consecutive dedicated days of trail walking, with walks of six hours or more and significant ascent and/or descent.

We recommend advanced tours for anyone who does regular full-day walking or hiking and is comfortable with walking for extended periods on consecutive days, with most of each day involving ascent and descent.

Compared with our intermediate tours, challenging tours may have fewer days without walking and subsequently less opportunity to relax in between.

We suggest our advanced tours for people who are already very fit and very active.

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