(SOLD OUT) Kumano Kodo Wellness Retreat: Hiking, Hot Springs & Rural Japan with YamaTrips

📅 Dates: November 30 – December 4, 2025 (5 days, 4 nights)
🗾 Areas: Mie, Wakayama
👥 Group Size: 8–10
📍 Meeting Point: JR Nagoya Station
🏁 End Point: Kansai International Airport / Shin-Osaka Station

🥾 Activity Level: 3 days of guided hikes. Trails are well-maintained and beginner-friendly, but a good level of physical fitness is recommended.
💰 Price: $2,980 USD (all accommodations, transportation, guided experiences, and meals included)
This special rate includes a 15% discount for early sign-ups.

🥾 Journey Through the Sacred Kumano Kodo

This journey takes you along Japan’s most sacred pilgrimage route—the Kumano Kodo, where travelers have walked for over 1,000 years in search of spiritual renewal.

We’ll explore the most beautiful and historic sections of the Kumano Kodo, walking through ancient cedar forests, remote mountain passes, and sacred shrines, covering trails in both Mie and Wakayama Prefectures. To ensure a well-paced yet rewarding experience, our hikes are split across three days. 

♨️ 100% Tattoo-Friendly Onsen

On this retreat, hot springs are more than just a treat—they’re a key part of restoration. You’ll soak in:

• A river hot spring (Kawayu Onsen) – where naturally heated water rises from beneath the stones, letting you soak in the open air as the river flows around you.

• An ocean-view open-air bath – located on a private island, where you can relax to the rhythm of the waves.

• Traditional ofuro from centuries past – letting you step into Japan’s deep-rooted bathing culture, once used by pilgrims to recover from their long journeys.

These mineral-rich waters help relax muscles, calm the mind, and offer a unique sense of place only found in Japan’s countryside.

🍽️ Savoring Japan’s Finest Local Food

Every meal is intentionally crafted—both delicious and nourishing. You’ll taste the best of each region, prepared with balance and care.

🥩 A5 Matsusaka Beef – Japan’s Finest Wagyu, Right from the Source

Among Japanese people, Matsusaka beef is often considered the best wagyu in the country—prized for its exceptional marbling, tenderness, and depth of flavor. We’ll enjoy it in the form of a sukiyaki dinner, as locals do—slowly simmered and deeply satisfying.

🐟 Fresh-Caught Seafood from the Kumano Coast

From sashimi to grilled fish, you’ll enjoy freshly caught seafood prepared in its most authentic setting—clean, simple, and full of flavor.

🥢 Farm-to-Table Local Dining

Enjoy seasonal, farm-to-table meals made with local vegetables and handmade dishes. These meals are not only healthy but reflect the harmony and rhythm of rural Japanese life.

🏡 Authentic Rural & Traditional Ryokan Stays

This retreat includes accommodations that support real rest. You’ll stay in:

• Countryside lodges where life moves slower, and nature is right outside your door.

• Traditional ryokan inns with wooden architecture, tatami floors, and peaceful onsen baths.

🧭Guided by Tony, Founder of YamaTrips

With Tony, you're not just exploring—you’re being welcomed into a side of Japan most travelers never get to see. He’s lived in Japan for over 16 years and has led more than 300 trips across the country—from remote trails to hidden temples and rural mountain villages.

Tony isn’t just a guide—he’s deeply connected to the people and places you'll encounter. He regularly works with local governments and tourism boards to support rural travel, and his close relationships with the communities we visit create a more authentic, respectful experience.

🗺️ Itinerary 

🗓️ Day 1: Arriving in Mie & Slowing Down into Rural Life

Our adventure begins at JR Nagoya Station, where we’ll meet and begin our journey together by private bus—the same comfortable chartered vehicle we’ll use throughout the entire trip. No trains, no transfers—just a smooth, connected experience from start to finish.

Our first stop is Taki Town, a peaceful rural area in Mie Prefecture surrounded by forested hills—and where your guide, Tony, lived for over four years. We’ll be welcomed with Ise tea and locally made shiitake crackers, a simple, grounding introduction to the region he knows deeply.

Lunch is at Seiwa-no-Sato Mameya, a countryside restaurant known for its beautifully prepared vegetarian dishes made from fresh, seasonal ingredients. It’s clean, nourishing food that reflects the rhythm of rural life.

We’ll check into Nippon-ichi Furusato Village, a traditional lodge rooted in Kumano Kodo culture. This peaceful place invites us to slow down and experience the old ways of Japanese travel.

In the afternoon, we’ll create our own wooden safety plaques, known as “ema,” in a hands-on pilgrimage workshop. These plaques are believed to offer protection and good luck—and will accompany us on our walk through the sacred trails.

We’ll also take part in a traditional travel cloak (Oizuru) workshop, with the chance to wear these garments throughout our hike. It’s a simple but powerful way to connect with the long line of pilgrims who’ve walked these same paths.

We’ll end the day with a Matsusaka beef sukiyaki dinner—a slow, shared meal of Japan’s most prized wagyu. Deeply satisfying, and the perfect way to settle into the journey.

🏡 Stay: Nippon-ichi Furusato Village

🗓️ Day 2: Hiking the Tsuzurato Pass & Experiencing Local Life

After a traditional breakfast, we begin our first guided walk along the Tsuzurato Pass—a serene 3.5-hour trail once used by monks and feudal lords. We’ll move at a mindful pace through cedar forests and stone paved paths. Halfway through, we’ll reach a coastal viewpoint where the trees part to reveal the Pacific Ocean. It’s a quiet, breathtaking moment—a chance to pause and reflect.

After the hike, we’re welcomed into a small fishing village for a fresh seafood lunch, prepared with the day’s local catch. Clean flavors, made with care.

The afternoon brings deeper connection: visits to farms and mushroom gardens, where we’ll learn from local producers about their relationship with the land. This is the heart of slow travel—listening, observing, and engaging with real life in the region.

In the evening, we return to the lodge and come together for a hands-on group dinner, using seasonal ingredients harvested earlier in the day. Cooking and eating together deepens the sense of community and calm that defines this journey.

🏡 Stay: Nippon-ichi Furusato Village

🗓️ Day 3: Hiking the Magose Pass & Soaking in a River Onsen

Today, we step into a more rugged and powerful part of the trail: the Magose Pass, a 6-hour stone-paved mountain route surrounded by towering cedar trees and crisp forest air.

The trail invites focus and presence—one foot in front of the other, with space for quiet thought. Near the summit, we reach a dramatic lookout with sweeping views of the Kumano coast—an energizing reward after the climb.

After the descent, we’ll visit Kawayu Onsen, one of Japan’s rarest hot springs—where mineral-rich water rises from beneath the riverbed itself. We’ll soak in the Senninburo, a wide, open-air bath carved directly into the river, where cool mountain water and natural heat meet in perfect balance.

This is wellness in its purest form: fresh air, warm water, tired legs, and a quiet mountain evening.

🏡 Stay: Fujiiya, Kawayu Onsen – featuring river-facing rooms and a tattoo-friendly large bath

🗓️ Day 4: The Final Ascent—Daimonzaka to Nachi Falls

This morning, we take our final sacred hike: the Daimonzaka steps, a moss-lined stone staircase ascending through a forest of towering trees.

At the top lies Kumano Nachi Taisha, a revered pilgrimage site, and just beyond it, Nachi Falls—Japan’s tallest waterfall. The sound of rushing water, the cool mist, and the scale of the falls create a powerful, centering experience. Many travelers call it the spiritual high point of the journey.

In the afternoon, we ferry to Kumano Bettei Nakanoshima, a luxury ryokan on a private island. With its ocean-view onsen and peaceful setting, it’s the perfect place to relax, process the journey, and rest deeply.

Dinner is a kaiseki meal featuring fresh Kumano seafood—artfully prepared, deeply nourishing, and filled with local flavor. As the sea breeze flows through the open-air bath and the stars come out, we soak, eat, and celebrate all we’ve experienced.

🏡 Stay: Kumano Bettei Nakanoshima – a private island ryokan with an ocean-view hot spring

🗓️ Day 5: Coastal Scenery, Souvenirs & Goodbyes

Our final day takes us along one of Japan’s most scenic coastal drives, with gentle stops for reflection and exploration.

We’ll visit the Hashiguiiwa Rocks, a surreal row of volcanic stone pillars stretching out into the sea, and Cape Shionomisaki, the southernmost point of Japan’s main island—where the wind, waves, and open ocean provide one last deep breath of nature.

Along the way, we stop at local roadside markets, where you can pick up regional goods, handmade snacks, and thoughtful souvenirs that carry the spirit of the trip home with you.

In the afternoon, we arrive at Kansai International Airport, where we say our farewells. You leave with full hearts, rested bodies, and a deeper connection to Japan, its nature, and yourself.

🏁 End Point: Kansai International Airport / Shin-Osaka Station

✅ What’s Included?

• Accommodation

• Transportation

• All Meals 

• Exclusive local experiences

• Tony as the YamaTrips guide throughout the trip

• YamaTrips Original Souvenir

❌ What’s Not Included:

• Personal snacks and drinks 

• Flights to Japan

• Travel Insurance

Note: While YamaTrips is responsible for designing, promoting, and conducting the trip, the official organizer and contractual point of contact is “IST.”

📌 How to Book

Please fill out the registration form.

We’ll get back to you with availability, trip details, and the next steps to secure your spot.

Send us a DM on Instagram at @yamatrips_japantours if you have any questions.