Japanese Nature

73% of Japan is forested mountain — most travellers see only the cities. Here is the nature that's actually accessible without a guide.

73% of Japan is forested mountain — most travellers see only the cities. Here is the nature that's actually accessible without a guide.

Japan is one of the most mountainous countries on Earth — three-quarters of its land area is forested terrain, much of it volcanic, much of it national park. The cities sit in a thin coastal belt; everything else is mountains, valleys, gorges, hot springs, and beaches. The transit network reaches deeper into nature than most countries do, which means you can do a serious mountain day-trip from Tokyo or Kyoto without a car.

The four flagship national parks

  • Daisetsuzan (Hokkaido) — Japan's largest national park, alpine plateau in the centre of Hokkaido. Asahidake ropeway, hot-spring villages, koyo first in Japan in late September.
  • Kamikochi (Chubu) — alpine valley in the Northern Alps, accessible 15 April – 15 November. Wooden suspension bridges, river walks, no cars allowed.
  • Yakushima (Kyushu) — UNESCO sub-tropical rainforest island. Jomon-sugi cedar (~3,000 years old), Mononoke-no-Mori inspired by Studio Ghibli.
  • Iriomote (Okinawa) — wild jungle island, mangrove rivers, the only place to see the endangered Iriomote cat.

Day-trippable nature from major cities

  • From Tokyo — Mt. Takao (¥440 round-trip, 1 hr from Shinjuku), Hakone (Owakudani volcano), Nikko (Kegon waterfall + Lake Chuzenji).
  • From Kyoto — Arashiyama bamboo grove + Sagano scenic railway, Kibune mountain stream restaurants.
  • From Osaka — Koyasan (sacred Buddhist mountain), Mt. Yoshino (cherry blossom mountain).
  • From Hiroshima — Sandankyo Gorge, Miyajima Mt. Misen.
  • From Sapporo — Jozankei onsen valley, Lake Shikotsu.

Hiking infrastructure

Trails are well-marked, mountain huts are clean and run on a reservation system (¥9,000–12,000/night with two meals). Mt. Fuji's official climbing season is 1 July – 10 September; outside that the trails are closed and dangerous. Multi-day hiking on the Kumano Kodo (Wakayama) and Nakasendo (Chubu) routes is foreigner-friendly with English signage.

Beaches

Okinawa has the tropical beaches (Miyako, Ishigaki). Mainland Japan has decent surfing and Pacific beaches (Shonan, Chiba), and the Sea of Japan side (Niigata, Tottori) has the empty endless beaches Japanese travellers go to.

Volcanic / hot-spring landscapes

Aso (Kyushu) — drivable caldera 25 km across. Sakurajima (Kagoshima) — active volcano on a city's doorstep. Owakudani (Hakone) — sulphurous valley you can ride a ropeway over. Daisetsuzan (Hokkaido) — alpine hot-springs above the tree line.

Top Picks

The best hikes in Japan, sorted by difficulty
Practical Guide

The best hikes in Japan, sorted by difficulty

Four honest tiers, from half-day walks near Tokyo to multi-day pilgrim routes. Pick by fitness and season, not by whatever a generic list puts first.

Hakone day trip from Tokyo: the reverse-loop plan
Destination

Hakone day trip from Tokyo: the reverse-loop plan

Plan a Hakone day trip from Tokyo: ~80 min from Shinjuku, the Freepass math, and why running the sightseeing loop backwards beats the tour-bus crowds.

Amanohashidate
Destination

Amanohashidate

A 3.6-km pine-lined sandbar across Miyazu Bay, one of Nihon Sankei. Cross by foot or bike, then view it upside-down from Kasamatsu Park.

Minoh Falls
Destination

Minoh Falls

A 33-metre waterfall at the end of a 3 km forest trail, 25 minutes from Umeda on the Hankyu line. Busiest in mid-November, quietest in February.

Takachiho
City Guide

Takachiho

Rowboats under Manai Falls, the cave where Amaterasu hid, and a nightly masked dance acting out Shinto myth. Three hours inland from Kumamoto.

All Japanese Nature Articles

The best hikes in Japan, sorted by difficulty
Practical Guide

The best hikes in Japan, sorted by difficulty

Four honest tiers, from half-day walks near Tokyo to multi-day pilgrim routes. Pick by fitness and season, not by whatever a generic list puts first.

Hakone day trip from Tokyo: the reverse-loop plan
Destination

Hakone day trip from Tokyo: the reverse-loop plan

Plan a Hakone day trip from Tokyo: ~80 min from Shinjuku, the Freepass math, and why running the sightseeing loop backwards beats the tour-bus crowds.

Amanohashidate
Destination

Amanohashidate

A 3.6-km pine-lined sandbar across Miyazu Bay, one of Nihon Sankei. Cross by foot or bike, then view it upside-down from Kasamatsu Park.

Minoh Falls
Destination

Minoh Falls

A 33-metre waterfall at the end of a 3 km forest trail, 25 minutes from Umeda on the Hankyu line. Busiest in mid-November, quietest in February.

Takachiho
City Guide

Takachiho

Rowboats under Manai Falls, the cave where Amaterasu hid, and a nightly masked dance acting out Shinto myth. Three hours inland from Kumamoto.

Takachiho Gorge
Destination

Takachiho Gorge

Glide a rowboat past Manai Falls in Miyazaki's volcanic Takachiho Gorge. How to get there from Kumamoto, what to expect, and when to skip the queue.

Aoyama Cemetery
Destination

Aoyama Cemetery

Tokyo's 1872 public cemetery: an 800m cherry-tree avenue in late March, Hachiko's owner buried here, and locals eating lunch among the graves. Free entry.

Kiyosumi Garden
Destination

Kiyosumi Garden

Iwasaki-family Edo garden in east Tokyo: three ponds, stepping stones of hand-quarried rock, a 200-year pine, and almost no foreign visitors for ¥150.

Meguro River Sakura
Destination

Meguro River Sakura

Nakameguro's 4km canal lined with 800 cherry trees, lanterns lit 18:00-22:00 at peak bloom. The densest tunnel is the 800m south of Naka-Meguro Station.

Mt Mitake
Destination

Mt Mitake

Two hours from Shinjuku: a cable car to 831m, then Musashi-Mitake shrine, the Rock Garden waterfall loop, and an optional push to Mt Otake at 1,266m.

Imperial Palace East Gardens
Destination

Imperial Palace East Gardens

Free entry to Edo Castle's former inner citadel: the 1638 donjon base, Ninomaru stroll garden and 100-guard guardhouse. Closed Mondays and Fridays.

Inokashira Park
Destination

Inokashira Park

38-hectare lake park behind Kichijoji Station: 250 cherry trees over the water, swan boats at ¥800, and the Ghibli Museum in the southwest corner.

Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Garden
Destination

Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Garden

A 4-hectare Edo garden built in 1678, a 10-minute walk from Hama-rikyu. Same shaped pines and stone arrangements, a fraction of the visitors.

Mt Takao
Destination

Mt Takao

One hour from Shinjuku on the Keio Line: 599m, eight trails from paved to back-country, Yakuoin Temple halfway up, and Mt Fuji on clear winter days.

Rikugien Garden
Destination

Rikugien Garden

Tokyo's 1702 stroll garden: 88 features named after classical poems, a weeping cherry in early April and illuminated maples in mid-November. Entry ¥300.

Ueno Park
Destination

Ueno Park

53 hectares holding the Tokyo National Museum, the zoo, a sakura tunnel and a lotus pond temple. The park is free; each museum charges its own entry.

Yoyogi Park
Destination

Yoyogi Park

54 hectares west of Meiji-jingu. Sunday drum circles and buskers from 13:00, 600+ sakura trees, alcohol allowed. More relaxed than Ueno or Shinjuku Gyoen.

Hama-rikyu Garden
Destination

Hama-rikyu Garden

A 25-hectare Edo stroll garden ringed by Shiodome towers: tidal ponds, a 300-year pine and matcha at the island tea house. Reachable by ferry from Asakusa.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Destination

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

58 hectares, 1,100 cherry trees, three landscape styles and a strict no-alcohol policy. Five minutes from Shinjuku Station, ¥500 entry.

Japanese Nature
Interest Hub

Japanese Nature

Three-quarters of Japan is forested mountain. The transit network reaches deep enough for a serious day-trip from Tokyo or Kyoto without a car.