How active is it?
Every trip has a level from 1 to 5, set by its hardest day, not its average one. Here is what each level means in kilometres, hours and climbing, and a five-question match to find yours.
1
Easy
Up to 8 km a day on paths and paved lanes, 2 to 3 hours of walking, temple stairs the only climbs.
You walk most days and can climb a few flights of stairs without stopping.
2
Moderate
8 to 12 km a day, rolling hills and old stone roads, up to 4 hours and 400 m of climbing.
You can walk 5 miles on gentle hills and do it again the next morning.
3
Active
10 to 15 km a day, 4 to 7 hours, up to 1,100 m of climbing on uneven, often wet stone steps.
You can walk 8 miles with real hills, two days in a row, on a 12-week plan.
4
Strenuous
12 to 18 km a day on mountain trail, 6 to 8 hours, ladders and chains, huts up to 3,000 m.
You hike 10 miles with 3,000 feet of climbing and enjoy it.
5
Demanding
18 to 22 km days of 9 to 10 hours, steep roots and mud, a day pack with your own water and rain gear.
You do long mountain days now and want a hard one.
Your fitness match
Five questions about how you walk now. Answer for the person you are today, not the one you'll be after training; we'll tell you how far apart they are.
Question 1 of 5
How far have you walked in one go lately, without it being a big deal?
The hardest day on every trip
- Kyoto, Nara & KoyasanLevel 1 The 3 km up and down Fushimi Inari's gates: about 1,300 steps, at your own pace.
- Kiso Valley: the NakasendoLevel 2 Tsumago over the Torii pass to Narai: 9 km and 450 m up on a cobbled road through forest.
- Kumano Kodo & KyotoLevel 3 Ogumotori-goe: 14.5 km and 1,100 m of climbing on wet stone steps, 7 to 8 hours, a van at halfway.
- Shikoku: Iya ValleyLevel 3 Up from the Oku-Iya vine bridges to the ridge hamlets: 12 km and 800 m, steep at the start.
- Northern Alps hut to hutLevel 4 Karasawa to Hotaka-dake and back: 6 km but 600 m on ladders and chains at 3,000 m.
- YakushimaLevel 5 Jomon Sugi from Arakawa: 22 km, 10 hours, along an old logging rail line then steep roots, starting at 5 AM.
Twelve weeks to level 3
The plan we email 90 days before you leave, with a check-in from your guide at week six. Most walkers who follow it finish Ogumotori-goe.
- Weeks 1 to 4Walk 45 minutes four days a week, one of them on hills or stairs. Wear the boots you'll bring.
- Weeks 5 to 8One long walk each weekend, 6 then 8 miles, with your day pack. Add 20 minutes of stairs midweek.
- Weeks 9 to 11Back-to-back days: 8 miles on Saturday, 6 on Sunday, with hills. Practise going down slowly with poles.
- Week 12Ease off. Two short walks, a long bath, and your bag packed by Thursday.