we have been refining this tour for 17 years, with many of our guests returning again and again to experience the unique charms of the northern region of mainland japan. our focus is on the rare, hard-to-reach rural hot springs (onsen) of the northern mountains, the tohoku region’s akita and yamagata prefectures, as well as the japan alps region of nagano prefecture. we stay in famous old-style inns, simple country inns, and modern takes on both. aside from many fabulous baths, we have befriended local farmers that invite us to pound rice with them, we always sample the very special local mountain cuisine, and each village greets us with an unforgettable and heartwarming northern welcome. oh, and yes: we visit the famous bathing snow monkeys, too!

a quick overview of the october 2nd itinerary:

day 1, october 10: leave US

day 2, october 11: arrive NRT, overnight narita

day 3, october 12: free day to explore narita

day 4, october 13: travel north to akita’s nyuto

day 5, october 14: village pilgrimage of bathing

day 6, october 15: more time to wander nyuto

day 7, october 16: hidden onsen, to kakunodate

day 8, october 17: free day to explore this old samurai town, called the “kyoto of the north”

day 9, october 18: train to yamadera, then zao

day 10, october 19: free day to wander & bathe

day 11, october 20: caldera, sake factory, shabu

day 12, october 21: bullet train to the japan alps

day 13, october 22 nozawa onsen bathing days

day 14, october 23: day trip to bathe, forage

day 15, october 24: obuse to shibu onsen

day 16, october 25: bathing & snow monkeys

day 17, october 26: to narita, farewell dinner

day 18, october 27: shuttle to NRT, fly home

below you will find a comprehensive, day-by-day photo-blog style itinerary. you will hopefully get a real feel of the places we visit, the kind of lodging we have chosen, and a tempting view of some of the baths. to view chronologically, scroll to the bottom of list and begin with “day two” and go forward! this day-by-day itinerary may or may not be in the correct sequence for a given tour departure, but represents where we stay and all of the villages we visit.