KYOTO — Kyoto-based adventure operator Oku Japan, which offers a wide range of guided and self-guided walking & trekking itineraries, has a new addition to its lineup.

The four-day Nakasendo Minoji self-guided walking tour starts on the Mino Road, or Minoji, which is located further west than Oku’s classic Nakasendo Trail-based tours. Mino has a history of pottery-making that dates back 1,300 years, and ceramics from this region (mino ware) account for around 50% of all Japanese pottery still produced today.

Participants will enjoy hikes of two to seven hours in duration over the course of four days, traversing some of the trail’s more remote post towns, namely Okute and Oi in the mountains, and then on to Magome, perched on a steep slope, followed by Tsumago, one of the country’s best-preserved post towns. The journey concludes in Narai, one of the most prosperous towns in its time, located in Kiso Valley.

“Our goal with this new self-guided itinerary is to highlight a part of the Nakasendō that is far less traveled, less well-known, which we enrich further with cultural immersion through our fureai initiative,” says Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Oku Japan’s General Manager. “However, the Kiso Road is synonymous with the Nakasendō itself, so we wanted to ensure we included parts of the classic route too – offering the best of both worlds.”

The itinerary also features various ‘fureai’ points where guests can meet and learn from local business owners, residents, and other community members.

“The fureai experiences are meant to bring our guests together with members of the community to create small, meaningful interactions, for our guests and the local residents and business owners alike,” says Kawaguchi.

Considered an ‘active’ level tour, accommodations on this itinerary include onsen ryokans (hot spring inns) and minshukus (family-run guesthouses). Price per person starts at US$1,480. More information is at okujapan.com