HIKER’S EXPERIENCES
Please see short comments and reveiws from our guests who joined the tour. Guests feedback is very important for us to help improve our tours and services, as our top priority is to provide our guest the experience of a life time.
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REPORT
Japan Trip like a AHH-SO!
by Andrea Petzold who joind the tour 2015.
Our guest, also our friend Andrea wrote an article about the tour for the ACMG newsletter called The Arête. She would like to share her experience from the tour with everyone. It was her first time to visit Japan. Her unique perspective will help you find what it’s like hiking in Japan with Yamnuska guides.
- SLIDE SHOW
Unfiltered memories of Japan
by Hiro Shinozaki who is tour leader for the tour 2015.
Please enjoy real action shots and video from the tour in 2015.
It clearly shows how much fun it was and what they experienced throughout the tour. Hopefully this slideshow helps you learn more about the tour.
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Shinetsu Trail Tour in Japan, October 2015
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- BLOG
Japan Travel Journal.
In this blog, you can find lots of photos that were taken by our second guide Taichi Ishizuka. During the tour, he captured some amazing images with bright color of Shinetsu Trail.
Short comments from our guests
We always appreciate feedback from our guests. You will see why you want to join the tour with us!
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I thought there was excellent value for money, considering the quality of the guiding services, the hiking, the balance between hiking and sightseeing/cultural experiences, the transportation provided, the food, locations and quality of the hotels and rural inns. I also appreciate having someone make all these arrangements for a great introduction to Japan!
I think going with a group like this and sampling both hiking and sightseeing, sampling both urban and rural parts of Japan, gave me a much better introduction to the country than I could ever have arranged for myself. .
-Hugh Johnston
Prior to the trip, I thought it was an expensive tour. Still, I had been told that Japan was expensive. However, I think we got a lot of value for the trip in terms of cultural experiences on top of the hiking. I am thinking of the local guides and the information they shared, the onsens, the food experience, tea ceremonies, how the samurai ate on their trips, the kimonos, the transportation and the snow monkeys.
It was all in all a special experience that I am sure we could only have because it was arranged with the utmost consideration for a fun as well as an insightful experience. .
-Jette Finsborg
This is a beautiful trail and ridge walk. The Beech tree forests are such a treat to hike through.The fall colours were just spectacular and so very different from what we would traditionally see in a fall hike in the Rockies. The trail length and hiking time each day were perfect.
Our guide was fantastic, a true professional. Conscientious, prepared, calm and a lot of fun. He made everyone feel welcome, kept the tone positive and professional. We would highly recommend him as a guide to any of our colleagues or friends.
The hotsprings were the best part. The Onsen experience is a great mixture of the unknown, a cultural exploration and just pure comfortable relaxation. The hot pools are a great treat every night. The bathing system is such a good adventure. Please don't change that ever. Western showers are convenient but nothing compares to a great bath and hotspring.
-Egan Brockhoff and Melodie Chan
Before going, I definitely thought it was "pricy". Now I feel that I have received more than I gave. Absolute excellent value for $$.
-Lucille
I called this tour "Discover Japan" I relearned Japanese culture, history, food, and people who lives satoyama.
-Ruriko
I was impressed throughout by the professionalism of our guides Hiro and Taichi every step of the way.
The quality and variety of the food arranged for the duration of the trip surpassed all expectations.
- Barbara Tuepah -
The food was exceptional. More than once, many of us commented that this was as much of a Japanese culinary tour as it was a fantastic hiking experience.
- Terry Tuepah -
What a trip! Perfect blend of hiking as well as independent and guided exploration of Japanese culture. This trip exceeded my expectations (which were high anyway).
Mostly local Japanese cuisine which is exactly the way I wanted it. Being able to eat such unfamiliar foods when there is someone to explain what it is and how it fits in Japanese culture was one of the best parts of the trip.
- Curt Pitter -
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There was huge value in this trip of having a Japanese tour guide who knows the area so well, and local guides who took us to out-of-the-way places and explained what we saw and experienced.
The variety of accommodations and food and experiences was excellent. I loved being in the rural areas away from the tourist crowds. My experiences in Kyoto after the trip proved to me the value of the guided trip. I was appalled at the crowds at the Kyoto temples. Our tour experiences were WAY better!.
-Pat Kinnear
We have done several tours in the past and have never had such an attentive, friendly, professional and organized guide as we did with Hiro. Hiro was so respectful of everyone on the tour. Every detail was taken care of. We had the opportunity to really relax because we didn't have to worry about anything. He was also a lot of fun to be around
. We can't really say anything other than the food was amazing and a huge part of why we enjoyed the trip so much. We didn't expect the food to be that amazing the presentation was out of this world! It was great to have such variety as well.
-Jennifer Willans & Jason Innes
Never been anywhere so clean and tidy! Loved the Washlets!
We found the cultural experience amazing. The people, the food, the places we visited were all incredible. We found the hike challenging in part because of the mud which made the steep up and downs more difficult. Having a rest day before the final two difficult days was a must. Overall the pace was great, there was a great educational component, the guides were very helpful on difficult areas of the trail. The organization of the overall tour was second to none.
Realizing the high relative costs in Japan, we could not imagine getting a better value for money experience. With all of the food, accommodation and travel involved it was amazing.
-Kevin and Joy
I recognize that the food we had was of exceptional quality. It was beautifully prepared and the presentation was marvelous.
-Maryann
The trip was all that it promised to be and more.I felt that I had a true representation of Japanese cuisine.
It was always beautifully prepared and presented
- Frances Hunter -
It was a packed 11 days but I enjoyed every minute of it.
- Joyce Sakon -
Having Hiro and Taichi as guides in Japan was Magical!
- Kal Singh -
We really enjoyed such a great & wonderful trip, not only met our expectations but exceeded it exponentially!
- Gordon Antoniuk -
