The group leader was very good and we were able to experience all the places well with little explanations/suggestions, which was exactly the right thing for me. If you expect to get every detail of every place like a museum tour, you may want to choose another option. However, after we had explored independently, the guide was able to answer most of the questions that arose.
Exceeded our expectations The travel itinerary exceeded our expectations and provided a wonderful and informative snapshot of Japan life, history, culture and beauty. Day one was very wet and windy and the move to the national museum was a master stroke. I believe the National Museum should be added to the schedule and a couple of hours allocated for this tour. The exposure to a range of Japanese food at the lunches will be long remembered. It was unfortunate that both out tour leader and tour guide were subjected to some unjustified criticism by members of the party, who had either not read the tour program and its inclusions or had forgotten what they had read. Both leaders handled the situations in a calm professional manner and are to be commended.
Backroad Japan was a great trip and really tested my fitness, or lack of it. The inns we stayed at were amazing as was the food. I particularly liked using the onsens at the end of the day. The trip is more moderate to challenging in some parts due to steep hills. The only aspect that caught us all by surprise was the heat and high humidity. It's not normally so hot or humid but you can't predict this sort of weather months out. This made trekking all the more challenging and onerous some days, so I happily passed on going on a trek when in Osaka. If you stay on after the tour, I recommend spending 2 nights in Hiroshima as there is so much to see and do. I made a day trip of it, but it took13 hours in all and I didn't get done all that I wanted to.