Riki's November 2019 Newsletter

Ookini! (Thank you!) Ookini (Thank you) to everyone who joined our Autumn season tours this year. I just returned safely to Australia and I'm happy that my customers have done likewise. My Spirit of Japan tour enjoyed great weather before things changed dramatically with Typhoon Hagibis in early October. Unfortunately, Jason had to cancel the Shinetsu Trail Full Trek while my group of Golden Alpine Trail travellers were battening down the hatches on Mt Madarao. Things cleared after that so we could continue with our travels, and my Deep North Autumn Walks tour also had some great blue sky weather (pictured right). Back in Australia, I am saddened to hear about all the bushfires. I hope everyone and their families are OK. Information night 12 Dec: Dewa Sanzan, the pigrimage trail less taken Jason & I will be hosting a talk at 6pm on December 12 at Trek & Travel in Sydney about our new hiking tour - the Dewa Sanzen Pilgrimage. Taking in the three sacred mountains of Dewa in north-western Tohoku, this 8 day tour is a fresh addition to our line-up for keen walkers. While Dewa Sanzen is less well known than the Kumanokodo or the Nakasendo, it has a long history steeped in Buddhism + Shintoism. The mountains lie in the pristine nature of the Asahi-Bandai National Park, and have been continually worshipped by yamabushi, the mountain ascetics, for hundreds of years as a place for spiritual rebirth. Come along to our feast for your imagination, supported by sake, sushi, and special guest (yamabushi), John McBride. Register your interest here or just show up!

Private group tours Do you have a small group of friends who would like to travel together in Japan? For 2020, we have some spare time available in nice travel season for groups of travellers with a common interest. These travel times include: - late April (ideal for sakura in the north) - early June (ideal for mountain trails) Get in touch with us if you would like to take one of these available times. Tour status for 2020 We still have availability for the following tours in 2020: - Earth & Fire ceramics tour in May - Dewa Sanzan Pilgrimage tour in Sep - Spirit of Japan tour in Sep - Shinetsu Trail Full Trek in Sep-Oct - Golden Alpine Trails tour in Oct - Deep North Autumn Walks in Oct-Nov All tours are limited to ten travellers, except our new Dewa Sanzan Pilgrimage tour, which will have a maximum of eight. If you have travelled with us before you can enjoy a 5% discount on any of these tours. We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully travelling with you soon!