Mindful Japan Tours
“The steps are there...you just gotta step ‘em.”
It’s been a while coming. Launched in early 2025, with a goal of helping people explore the heart of Japan, Mindful Japan Tours is the next step in the walking tour side of my operations.
Mindful Japan Tours provides guided walks here in mountainous Nagano Prefecture, just a couple-hour train ride from Tokyo.
These tours offer a chance for travelers to:
• Step back in time on the Kiso Valley's historic Nakasendo Trail
• Encounter glimpses of the sacred on the Ontake Pilgrimage Trail
• Explore the castle town of Matsumoto
• Walk the Zenkoji Kaido Trail with its Buddhist hermit heritage in the hills outside Matsumoto
• Discover the secrets of the Suwa region and its Onbashira festival, one of Japan’s greatest celebrations
All tours are private and customizable. They offer an immersive experience that bridges the ancient and the modern. Through slow travel, authentic encounters, and a focus on the local ecology and Japan’s spiritual traditions, I work to connect travelers with the region’s unique cultural and natural heritage.
Many of my tours incorporate periods of mindful walking for a fuller, more immediate experience of the landscapes we encounter. Some also include meditation at historic temples, shinrinyoku (forest bathing), and takigyo (waterfall meditation).
See the Mindful Japan Tours website for more details.
Walking the Nakasendo Trail