Hiking
Trails, mountains, and outdoor adventures
24 spots
Kirishima Onsen Village
The Kirishima volcanic plateau sits at 600–1,700 meters elevation, where two dozen active and dormant volcanoes have sha…
Shiraito Falls — Itoshima's Hidden Waterfall
High on the granite flanks of Mt. Raizan (955m), Shiraito Falls drops 24 meters in a single white ribbon into a deep eme…
Amago Falls — Kyushu's Hidden Autumn Canyon
In the mountain river valleys of Asakura, the Amago River has carved a narrow gorge where the water drops through a seri…
Homan-zan Jinguji — Mountain Shrine-Temple Hybrid
Homan-zan (829m) has been sacred simultaneously to both Buddhism and Shinto since the 8th century — a mountain deity-hab…
Higashimatsuura Peninsula Cycling Route
The Higashimatsuura Peninsula, north of Karatsu, is a 40km circuit of dramatic coastal scenery accessible by bicycle — r…
Hiratani Valley — Pristine Mountain Stream Walk
Hiratani Valley, in the mountains between Ureshino and Nagasaki, follows the upper Hiratani River through a narrow gorge…
Sefuri-san Mountain — Hidden Beech Forest Summit
Sefurisan (1,077m), on the border between Saga and Fukuoka prefectures, is the highest peak in northern Kyushu and carri…
Kumagawa River Rafting — Fastest River in Japan
The Kumagawa River, flowing through the mountains of southern Kumamoto, is called 'Japan's three fastest-flowing rivers'…
Kikuchi Valley — Forest Bathing Gorge
Kikuchi Valley is a 4km walking trail following the Kikuchi River through a gorge of broadleaf forest, designated as one…
Beppu Ropeway to Mt. Tsurumi — 360° Panorama
Mt. Tsurumi (1,375m) overlooks Beppu from the west, and the Beppu Ropeway ascends 800 meters in 10 minutes to an observa…
Mt. Yufu Hiking — Twin Peaks Above Yufuin
Mt. Yufu (1,584m) dominates Yufuin's skyline with its distinctive twin peaks (東峰 East Peak 1,583m and 西峰 West Peak 1,584…
Yakushima Ancient Cedar Forest — Mononoke Inspiration
Yakushima is a subtropical island 60km off Kagoshima's coast, covered in primeval forest where Japanese cedars (杉, sugi)…
Ebino Kogen Plateau — Crater Lake Circuit
Ebino Kogen (えびの高原, 1,200m elevation) is a volcanic highland plateau in the Kirishima range, featuring a collection of c…
Minoo Park — Urban Waterfall & Maple Autumn Colors
Minoo Park (箕面公園) is a forested valley 30 minutes from central Osaka, famous for Minoo Falls (33m waterfall) and autumn…
Day Trip to Mount Koya — Sacred Mountain Temple Complex (90 min)
The cable car climbing Mount Koya tilts at 26 degrees — steep enough that my feet pressed hard against the floor as we a…
Mt. Fuji Yoshida Trail — Climbing Japan's Sacred Peak
The Yoshida Trail is the most popular of the four official Mt. Fuji climbing routes, accounting for over 60% of all summ…
Shosenkyo Gorge — Granite Walls and Waterfalls
Shosenkyo Gorge, carved by the Arakawa River through the granite mountains north of Kofu, stretches 5km through vertical…
Aokigahara Forest — Sea of Trees at Fuji's Base
Aokigahara, also known as the 'Sea of Trees' (樹海, Jukai), is a dense virgin forest that spreads across 30 square kilomet…
Mount Hakusan White Mountain — Sacred Alpine Hiking
Mount Hakusan (白山, 'White Mountain', 2,702m) is one of Japan's three sacred mountains alongside Mount Fuji and Mount Tat…
Nokogiriyama — Mountain of Stone & Giant Buddha
Nokogiriyama (鋸山, 'Saw Mountain,' 329m) earned its name from the jagged cliff face created by 300 years of stone quarryi…
Mt. Daisen — Sacred Mountain of Western Japan
Mt. Daisen (1,729m) rises in near-perfect symmetry above the western Tottori plains, earning the nickname 'Mount Fuji of…
Mount Ishizuchi — Shikoku's Highest Sacred Peak
Mount Ishizuchi (石鎚山, 1,982m) is the highest peak in western Japan and one of Japan's seven sacred mountains, a Shugendo…
Mt. Tsurugi — Shikoku's Second Highest Peak
Mt. Tsurugi (剣山, 'Sword Mountain,' 1,955m) is Shikoku's second-highest peak, featuring alpine meadows, dwarf bamboo slop…
Michinoku Coastal Trail
The Michinoku Coastal Trail stretches over 1,000 kilometers along the Pacific coast from Aomori Prefecture through Iwate…