Hiking
Trails, mountains, and outdoor adventures
23 spots
Shiraito Falls (Itoshima)
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
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
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
Hiratani Valley, in the mountains between Ureshino and Nagasaki, follows the upper Hiratani River through a narrow gorge…
Sefuri-san Mountain
Sefurisan (1,077m), on the border between Saga and Fukuoka prefectures, is the highest peak in northern Kyushu and carri…
Kumagawa River Rafting
The Kumagawa River, flowing through the mountains of southern Kumamoto, is called 'Japan's three fastest-flowing rivers'…
Kikuchi Valley
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
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
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
Yakushima is a subtropical island 60km off Kagoshima's coast, covered in primeval forest where Japanese cedars (杉, sugi)…
Ebino Kogen Plateau
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
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
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
The Yoshida Trail is the most popular of the four official Mt. Fuji climbing routes, accounting for over 60% of all summ…
Shosenkyo Gorge
Shosenkyo Gorge, carved by the Arakawa River through the granite mountains north of Kofu, stretches 5km through vertical…
Aokigahara Forest
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
Mount Hakusan (白山, 'White Mountain', 2,702m) is one of Japan's three sacred mountains alongside Mount Fuji and Mount Tat…
Nokogiriyama
Nokogiriyama (鋸山, 'Saw Mountain,' 329m) earned its name from the jagged cliff face created by 300 years of stone quarryi…
Mt. Daisen
Mt. Daisen (1,729m) rises in near-perfect symmetry above the western Tottori plains, earning the nickname 'Mount Fuji of…
Mount Ishizuchi
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
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…