14/04/2026
There is a Japan most visitors never reach.
Not the famous queues of Kyoto's Gion district, but the narrow Naramachi backstreets of Nara, where traditional merchant houses still line the lanes much as they did centuries ago. Not the tourist trail, but Fushimi, Kyoto's 'Sake Paradise', where we visit the original brewery buildings of the Gekkeikan Okura Museum and taste sake drawn from the same underground springs that have supplied this craft for generations.
And then the Kiso Valley: wooden post towns on the old Nakasendo trade route, wooded mountain slopes, and a quietness that feels entirely earned.
As one guest put it after our inaugural tour: "Kudu has done it again - devised a brilliant trip to a popular destination that finds the best and most interesting places and somehow manages to avoid the worst of the crowds. Which in Japan is quite an achievement."
Our October 2026 departure is now full. Due to exceptional demand, we’ve added a second date - 3 to 18 November 2026 – so do get in touch with us to enquire or to book > https://www.kudutravel.com/tours/japan-walking-tour