Hiking & Countryside Walking Tours

All around Osaka and the Kansai area, there are many fantastic places to stroll or hike. Some are gentle rambles through the Japanese countryside, while others are more vigorous hikes up Japan’s rugged mountains.

Pilgrimage to “The Last Samurai” Temple & an Impenetrable Castle

Walk in the footsteps of Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe on the set of “The Last Samurai” and visit a powerful castle that was never defeated.

On your pilgrimage to the temple and visit to Himeji Castle, you’ll:

• Ride in comfort along the seaside and past Kobe in one of Japan’s sleek bullet trains (Shinkansen).
• Soar up Shosha Mountain in a cable car, while taking in the magnificent views of Himeji and the Seto Inland Sea.
• Follow an old path that meanders past numerous Buddhist statues and stop to ring the massive temple bell for world peace.
• Marvel at the impressive Maniden temple, which was established over 1050 years ago and towers over us on it’s network of pillars.
• Enter the temple’s inner sanctum to absorb the relaxing incantations of a resident Buddhist priest (in one of the few Buddhist temples that allows you to freely enter).
• Relive the scenes from The Last Samurai that were shot at the three massive wooden temple halls that make up Mitsunodo – scenes such as Ken Watanabe’s character Katsumoto greeting Tom Cruise’s Algren, Katsumoto chanting a sutra in front of Amida Nyorai, and Ujio and Katsumoto discussing whether to kill Algren or make use of him.
• Go inside Jikido (one of the three temple halls) and wander amongst the artifacts on display in this small mountaintop museum.
• Partake of a popular local lunch in the comfortable atmosphere of a small restaurant, and experience the lunch many Japanese eat in their homes on a regular basis.
• Enter Himeji Castle and discover the secrets of its defenses, which ensured it became one of only eight Japanese castle to never be defeated and destroyed, and marvel at the massive pillars that run all the way up through this impressive castle. See if you can guess which mini-series this castle starred in.
• Celebrate your pilgrimage with a refreshing alcoholic (or non-alcoholic, if you prefer) drink as you relax on the bullet train on your way back to Osaka.

What’s included in your all-inclusive tour?

• All bullet train and regular train fares between your hotel in Osaka and Himeji, and the return fares.
• Bus fare between Himeji and Shosha Mountain cable station.
• Cable car ride up and down the mountain.
• Entry into the Engyoji temple complex.
• Lunch in Himeji.
• Entry into Himeji Castle.
• Celebratory drinks for the return trip.
• A 10-hour tour with an experienced guide who has lived in Japan for more than a quarter century.

Tour time:

• Starts at meeting point in Osaka City at 8:00 AM
• Ends at meeting point in Osaka City at 6:00 PM

Tour price: $585 (1-3), plus $95 per extra member
Maximum number of guests: 9

No payment required at this time. Osaka Day Tours will soon contact you and confirm tour date availability. If your chosen date is available, you will be able to lock in your tour at that time.

Hike to the Castle in the Clouds

On your hike to the castle in the clouds, you’ll:

• Ride through the Japanese countryside to the trail head in comfort in a limited express train.
• Walk the streets of an ancient castle town, see original samurai houses, and enjoy the atmosphere of this eclectic town.
• Ponder the age-old mystery of the monkey rock. Can you solve the puzzle?
• Go on a fun treasure hunt for 700-year-old artifacts.
• Enjoy a specially prepared, delicious Kuma’s Kitchen picnic on top of Japan’s largest mountain castle and most impenetrable stronghold.
• Marvel at the sweeping views across the Nara Valley and all the way back to Osaka.
• Trek through the Japanese countryside and enjoy the sights of country living.
• Visit the village that was chosen by Japan’s early emperors as the first capital of Japan.

Warning: This is a 12-kilometer (7.5-mile) hike up and down a 584-meter (1,916-foot) mountain on a mountain trail. To join this hike, you must be in good physical condition and wear sturdy footwear (hiking boots or running shoes). If you are not quite ready for such a vigorous hike, please consider the alternative Drive to the Castle in the Clouds tour or the gentler Walk in the Japanese Countryside tour.

What’s included in your all-inclusive tour?

• All train fares between your accommodation in Osaka City and the trailhead stations.
• A delicious picnic lunch provided by Kuma’s Kitchen of Osaka.
• A beverage with lunch (hot mulled wine in the cool months, refreshing wine coolers in the warm months).
• Original Kuma’s Kitchen energy bars for snacks along the trail.
• A 9-hour guided tour with an experienced outdoorsman who knows the mountain well.

Tour time:

• Starts at meeting point in Osaka City at 9:00 AM
• Ends at meeting point in Osaka City at 6:00 PM

Tour price: $415 (1-3), plus $45 per extra member
Maximum number of guests: 6

No payment required at this time. Osaka Day Tours will soon contact you and confirm tour date availability. If your chosen date is available, you will be able to lock in your tour at that time.

Drive to the Castle in the Clouds

On your drive to the castle in the clouds, you’ll:

• Enjoy a comfortable drive through Osaka’s outlying towns, over the mountain pass between Osaka and Nara Prefectures, and down through the Nara Valley.
• Have the flexibility to stop anywhere you want to along the route going to the mountain and returning to Osaka.
• Ride through the streets of an ancient castle town, see original samurai houses, and enjoy the atmosphere of this eclectic town. Get out and stretch your legs for a gentle ramble through part of town.
• Ride up the mountain past a massive Buddha statue in a beautiful mountainside temple complex.
• Enjoy a specially prepared, delicious Kuma’s Kitchen picnic on top of Japan’s largest mountain castle and most impenetrable stronghold.
• Marvel at the view across the Nara Valley and all the way back to Osaka.

Note: There is a 10-minute walk up some stairs and past the castle’s well to get to the castle’s keep.

What’s included in your all-inclusive tour?

• A ride in a comfortable van and all highway tolls.
• A delicious picnic lunch provided by Kuma’s Kitchen of Osaka.
• A beverage with lunch (hot mulled wine in the cool months, refreshing wine coolers in the warm months).
• An 8-hour guided tour with an experienced guide who has been to this mountain many times every year.

Tour time:

• Starts at your accommodation in Osaka City at 9:00 AM
• Ends at your accommodation (or other choice of dropoff) at 5:00 PM.

Tour price: $485 (1-3), plus $35 per extra member
Maximum number of guests: 9

No payment required at this time. Osaka Day Tours will soon contact you and confirm tour date availability. If your chosen date is available, you will be able to lock in your tour at that time.

Walk in the Japanese Countryside

On your walk in the Japanese countryside, you’ll:

• Ride in comfort to the beginning of your walk and back to Osaka afterwards in an express train and a small local train that runs through the small towns along the base of the mountain range.
• Enjoy a gentle and leisurely walk through the Japanese countryside on remnants of the oldest road in Japan – the historic Shinkaido.
• See true rural life in Japan as you pass through farmlands and tiny rural villages, past temples, shrines, and ancient Emperors’ burial mounds.
• Pass through a town populated with locals in black happi coats and take in the view of their massive headquarters temple.
• Meet the crazy gaggle of chickens at one of Japan’s oldest shrines.
• Take a break with a hot beverage at a log house with sweeping views.
• Ensure you and your family’s good health with a special prayer plaque at the shrine.
• Browse the many small produce stands that you’ll find along the route.
• Enter the peaceful temple grounds of a small hillside temple and relax in the tranquil atmosphere.
• Enjoy either a specially prepared Kuma’s Kitchen picnic lunch beside an ancient Emperor’s burial mound or the local speciality in a small temple restaurant built in the 1700s.
• Visit the massive shrine in a sacred cedar forest on a sacred mountain, which is revered by sake brewers from all over Japan.
• Learn about different sake brews, the special narazuke pickles, and the significance of sugidama at Japan’s oldest existing sake brewery.

Note: About 5.5-6 hours of gentle walking with many breaks along the way. This is a leisurely walk that’s suitable for a large age range.

Accessibility: Although there are a few stairs along the route, guests in wheelchairs can be accommodated on this tour. It is advisable for a companion to join the tour to help navigate some stretches of trail.

What’s included in your all-inclusive tour?

• Train fare from Tsuruhashi Station meeting point in Osaka to the walk, and back to the meeting point in Osaka after the walk.
• Coffee, or beverage of your choice, at a log house restaurant overlooking the Nara Valley.
• Entry fee to a mountainside temple grounds.
• Lunch: Either a delicious picnic lunch provided by Kuma’s Kitchen of Osaka or a local somen noodle lunch in a rustic temple restaurant.
• A beverage with lunch (hot mulled wine in the cool months, refreshing wine coolers in the warm months).
• Original Kuma’s Kitchen energy bars for snacks along the trail.
• A Shinto prayer table (ema) for you to ensure good health for you and your family.

Tour time:

• Starts at meeting point in Osaka City at 9:00 AM
• Ends at meeting point in Osaka City at 5:00 PM

Tour price: $395 (1-3), plus $45 per extra member
Maximum number of members: 6

No payment required at this time. Osaka Day Tours will soon contact you and confirm tour date availability. If your chosen date is available, you will be able to lock in your tour at that time.

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All prices are in US Dollars. Tour prices shown on the website are subject to change due to fluctuations in exchange rate and costs. However, your price is guaranteed as soon you have booked and paid for your tour.