HIDDEN JAPAN

YOU might think hopping naked into traditional Japanese hot springs – or onsen – with your fellow hikers might be a challenge to your Australian sensibilities, however, you’ll find any modesty quickly fades away as the hot mineral waters ease your tired body. Great Walks was in Japan for a week exploring Kyushu, the most southern of the country’s four main islands and it was an education in a beautiful ancient culture as well as an exhilarating hiking experience. The onsen hot spring baths are just one of the daily rituals you get accustomed to. And don’t worry, onsens are male or female only, no mixed genders.

Bars, Buddhas & bushwalks

After a nine-hour flight from Sydney to Tokyo and another 90 minutes on a domestic flight to Kyushu we touched down in Oita. It’s a lovely city that’s easy to get around and has everything you need like bars, restaurants and supermarkets – and if you’re a punter check out the pachinko parlours