🥾 Active nature · 110 destinations · 483 activities
Three quarters of Japan is mountainous and the trail network is excellent, but the season rules everything: many high routes only open from July to October and some areas are cut off by snow for half the year. Each destination here carries its physical difficulty and its operating months, which is what stops you arriving at a closed trailhead.
There are two routes and they should not be confused. The raised boardwalk of about eight hundred metres to the first lake is free, accessible and unrestricted, protected by an electric fence. The earth trail has three regimes: until 9 May a small fee with a compulsory ten-minute briefing; from 10 May to 31 July, at peak brown bear activity, a registered guide is compulsory in groups of ten maximum, with booking; and from 1 August to closing it reverts to the cheap regime with a briefing. Planning without knowing this ruins the day.
Shiretoko has Japan's highest brown bear density, with animals up to two metres and five hundred kilos. Never walk the forest alone: go in a group and make noise; avoid dawn and dusk, and take extra care in June and July and from September to November. Leave no food or rubbish. In an encounter do not run, you cannot outrun them: speak in a firm low voice and back away slowly without losing sight of the animal. And never feed them or stop the car to photograph them: bear jams habituate them and end in the animal being killed.
A free elevated boardwalk over wetlands and forest around the five lakes; the ground-level trail between the lakes requires a safety briefing or mandatory guide during brown bear season (roughly May-July).
Boats sail along the cliffs of the peninsula's west coast toward Cape Shiretoko, with chances to spot brown bears on shore, eagles and waterfalls like Kamuiwakka; operations vary by season.
This is the right format for walking in Shiretoko during bear season: guides with a protocol, a radio and real knowledge of the terrain.
From late April to mid-October, in the Nemuro Strait: orcas at their peak between late May and June, sperm whales in summer, dolphins and shearwaters. Insist on operators that keep their distance and do not cut across the animals' path or chase groups with calves; a failed sighting is a legitimate outcome, and anyone guaranteeing a sighting is the warning sign.
From 31 July to 4 August the Futarasan Chugushi shrine holds the Tohai Taisai, with more than twelve hundred years of history. These are the only nights of the year when the night ascent is allowed, registering at eleven at night, to see sunrise from 2,486 metres. It is an act of worship, not an excursion.
A signposted route of about four kilometres through the cedar forest linking Shinkyo bridge, Kanmangafuchi, the Takinoo and the tomb of the monk Shodo. This is how Nikko was travelled before the buses, and it removes ninety percent of the crowd.
Between mid-January and mid-February, some three weeks a year, Unryu Valley fills with curtains and columns of ice tens of metres high. Guided tours run from 9,500 to 14,000 yen with crampons and helmet, last about six hours, and there are areas closed to the general public.
Getting on the water first thing on a crater lake at 1,269 metres, with Nantai dropping straight down to the shore. Several local operators run departures from the south shore.
A stairway of 1,445 steps climbing a former ski run turned meadow, with views over the Kanto plain. In late June and early July it is covered in nikko-kisuge, the endemic yellow day lily. Free access.
The same marshland as the summer boardwalks, under snow and without a single person on it, with a white Nantai at the back. This is the Nikko almost no foreign visitor sees.
World-renowned powder snow across several interconnected ski resorts.
Niseko manages its backcountry with numbered gates opened or closed daily according to the avalanche bulletin. Using them is compulsory, never duck a rope, and helmet and transceiver are required; breaking the rules costs your pass and a minimum of 100,000 yen for rescue. The system exists because Niseko once had Japan's highest avalanche death toll.
A full-day hiking route up the cone-shaped volcano known as the 'Fuji of Hokkaido,' which has a crater at its summit.
The largest zip line in Asia, with three courses; the long line is 1,700 metres, the longest in Japan, and reaches 110 km/h. From late April to mid-October.
A hot-spring bath with views of Mount Yotei after a day on the slopes.
A complement to rafting: canyon descents and single inflatable kayaking on one of the cleanest rivers in Japan, from June to September.
Japan's only large system of coastal sand dunes.
The steady winds off the Sea of Japan and the soft sand make the dunes one of the safest places in Japan for a first flight. Half a day with an instructor.
A hall wedged into a rock ledge, reached by climbing over roots and chains, an hour from the city. This is not recreational hiking but an ascetic route with recorded deaths: climbing alone is forbidden, footwear is inspected, it closes in rain or snow and the last entry to the mountain is at three. It costs 400 yen for the temple plus 800 for the climb.
Riding the 30-degree slope on a board, beginner lesson included. From around age ten; there are sleds for younger children.
Water clear enough to see the bottom several metres down, with arches, sea caves and coves reachable only by paddle. It is in Iwami-cho, half an hour from the dunes.
Nineteen hectares beside the dunes with a play castle, a pirate ship, a monorail three metres up, a pool with a slide and pottery and carpentry workshops.
With the crater closed, this is the only way to see inside it: cameras fixed to the crater wall broadcast live to the screening room. It stands at Kusasenri.
There is a resident population of about 200 bottlenose dolphins in the Amakusa strait and operators advertise sighting rates of 98 percent, among the highest in Japan, though nothing is guaranteed. It lies two and a half hours away by car and combines with Sakitsu.
A nichiren temple on a hillside, reached by a monumental stairway leading to the tomb of the lord who built the castle, placed deliberately at the same height as the keep. It has a museum of his armour and receives almost no foreign tourists.
One of the largest active volcanic calderas in the world.
With the crater closed, the Kusasenri grassland, the Volcano Museum, the Daikanbo caldera viewpoint and the Komezuka cone remain accessible. Daikanbo is also the classic spot for the sea of clouds at sunrise, from October to December.
A forested gorge with trails past waterfalls and crystal-clear pools, just over an hour from the city.
Guided dives with local operators in the waters of Kerama Shoto National Park, with visibility up to 30 metres.
One of the best beaches in Japan for snorkeling, with a coral reef just metres from the shore.
Ama is where green turtles graze the seagrass bed, very close to shore. Keep your distance and never chase or touch them.
Boat tour to nearby uninhabited islets, such as Agenashiku, for snorkeling in nearly untouched waters.
A municipal campsite beside the beach, with very cheap pitches and tent rental. It is the cheapest way to sleep inside the national park and lets you see the sunrise and the stars without going anywhere.
Crossings through the coves and out to the nearby islets, recognised by the national park. It is the alternative to diving when the sea is calm and a good option for anyone who does not dive.
A wooden boat poled by three boatmen, 16 km from Kameoka to the Togetsukyo bridge in Arashiyama, about two hours depending on the flow. Adults 6,000 yen and children from age 4 to primary school 4,500; under a safety rule, children shorter than 80 cm are not accepted. Normal season from 10 March to 10 December with departures from 9:00 to 15:00, and from 11 December to 9 March only four fixed departures (10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 14:30) in covered, heated boats and with compulsory booking. On 28 March 2023 a boat capsized and two boatmen died; the service was suspended for three and a half months and resumed on 17 July 2023 after an inspection by the Ministry of Transport. It is cancelled in heavy rain or abnormal flow and closes from 29 December to 4 January.
A combined ticket to the three precincts (Todo, Saito and Yokawa) is 1,000 yen, plus 500 for the treasure hall, 9:00 to 16:00 all year. Allow 3 or 4 hours as a minimum; between Todo and Saito there is a pleasant forest path, and the shuttle bus between precincts costs 700 yen per trip or 1,200 for the day pass. Important notice: the Eizan cable car and the ropeway, the natural route from Demachiyanagi via Yase, close from early January to mid-March, as does the direct bus from Kyoto Station; in that period the only option left is the Sakamoto cable car on the Shiga side (870 yen per trip). The Konpon Chudo has emerged from a long restoration begun in 2016 and partial interior closures are planned for 2026-2027: confirm before going.
Narrow-gauge tourist train between Torokko Saga and Torokko Kameoka, 7.3 km in about 25 minutes along the Hozu ravine. One-way ticket 880 yen adult and 440 child (6-12), a flat fare whatever the section. All seats are reserved and online sales open one month before the date; the official English site says 00:00 Japan time, some Japanese guides say 10:00, so confirm it. Car 5, called The Rich, is completely open-sided, is not sold online but only on the day at the ticket window, umbrellas are not allowed inside, and if it rains there is no refund and no change of car: bring a rain jacket. It closes from 30 December to the end of February and has Wednesday rest days spread across the annual calendar, so check the year's calendar before counting on it.
Two separate axes. The Kamo route runs without traffic lights from Kamigamo to the centre on the riverside path, with the hanami of the Nakaragi-no-michi on the botanical garden bank. The Katsura route is the Kyoto-Yawata-Kizu cycle way: 45 kilometres of flat surface from the Togetsukyo bridge in Arashiyama to the Izumi bridge in Kizugawa, past the confluence of the Katsura, Uji and Kizu rivers at Yawata, with the Sakura Deai-kan as the midpoint. KCTP hires out bicycles from nine pick-up points, two to three minutes from Kyoto Station, 9:00 to 18:00 all year, and there is a daily parking pass for 200 yen valid at several temples. Local rule: on the riverbanks the pedestrian has priority, and in the centre there are zones where parking a bicycle is banned and it gets taken away.
1,000 yen, 9:00 to 16:00, and it has to be earned: from the river you climb hundreds of stone steps before reaching the first building, and there is no shortcut and no transport. It is the most visited of the three Takao temples and the site of kawarakenage: you buy clay discs and throw them into the void from the viewpoint over the Kiyotaki valley to be rid of bad luck. Autumn here usually arrives around mid-November, a week before the centre of Kyoto. Get there by JR bus from Kyoto station every 20 or 30 minutes, 230 yen and about 50 minutes, or on municipal bus 8, about 45 minutes.
About 3 km and two hours alongside the Kiyotaki river, with almost no change in elevation, between the three temples of Takao (Jingo-ji, Saimyo-ji, Kosan-ji) and the village of Kiyotaki. The Takao maples turn earlier than those in the centre, around the start of November, because of the altitude. You get there on the JR Bus Takao-Keihoku line from Kyoto station or from Shijo-Omiya, about 20 minutes and 230 yen from Shijo-Omiya. There are no toilets between the start and the finish. There are stretches of slippery rock, a bad business after rain. Coming back, Kyoto Bus number 94 from Kiyotaki to Arashiyama in 19 minutes, or 50 minutes on foot. Note: Jingo-ji sits at the top of a long, steep stairway up from the river.
A full-day hike to one of the oldest cedar trees in the world.
1,936 metres: the highest peak in Kyushu and in all of Japan south of Honshu. The classic route from Yodogawa is 13 kilometres across the Hananoego wetland and ridges of eroded granite, with a hut to split it over two days. The Ministry of the Environment rates it at the top difficulty level: experienced mountaineers only.
It crosses the only stretch of the World Heritage area that reaches down to the sea. Single lane, no verges, closed to large buses and passable only between 7 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon to protect the wildlife: the odds of meeting macaques and dwarf deer sitting on the asphalt are very high. Drive very slowly, and do not get out of the car or feed them.
A forest park with circular trails of varying lengths through thousand-year-old cedars and suspension bridges over the Anbo River.
The island sits in the Kuroshio current: coral, green turtles and lobsters with visibility beyond 20 metres. There are centres offering try-dives for beginners in Isso and Miyanoura.
In season (summer), loggerhead turtles nest on this protected beach at night.
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