Hiking in Japan

The Kumano Kodo is a network of pilgrimage routes to the three grand shrines of Kumano, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and twinned with Spain’s Camino de Santiago. The classic stretch is the Nakahechi, about 38 km from Takijiri-oji to Kumano Hongu Taisha over two or three days, through cedar forest, moss-covered stone steps and small Oji shrines. You sleep in family-run minshuku in hamlets like Chikatsuyu, with dinner and breakfast included, and send your bag ahead. Book rooms months ahead for spring and autumn, as villages have only a handful of beds.

The Nakasendo is gentler. Its best-preserved section runs 8 km between the post towns of Magome and Tsumago in the Kiso Valley, about three hours on stone paving and forest path with a teahouse halfway. Walk Magome to Tsumago for the mostly downhill direction, and use the luggage service between the two tourist offices.

For a real commitment, the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage circles Shikoku for about 1,200 km. Walking it whole takes most people six to eight weeks, but many do one prefecture at a time.

Mount Fuji is a climb rather than a hike: loose volcanic scree, no shade and thin air at 3,776 m. Four trails start from the fifth stations, and the Yoshida Trail from the Yamanashi side is the most popular. In 2026 the Yoshida and Subashiri trails opened on 1 July and the Gotemba and Fujinomiya trails on 10 July; all close on 10 September. Every climber pays a 4,000 yen (about $27) fee, Yoshida climbers book a slot in advance on the official site, and anyone heading up between 2pm and 3am must have a mountain hut booking, which stops overnight “bullet” climbs. Most people climb in the afternoon, sleep a few hours in a hut around the eighth station, and reach the summit for sunrise. Outside the season the huts are shut and the mountain is a winter climb for the experienced only. Rules are tightening each year, so check the official climbing site before you go.

The Northern Alps are Japan’s best mountain walking. Start at Kamikochi, a 1,500 m valley closed to private cars and reached by bus from Matsumoto or Takayama, open from mid-April to mid-November. Flat riverside trails make an easy day walk to Myojin Pond and Tokusawa; from there the routes climb to the spire of Yarigatake (3,180 m) and the Hotaka peaks, Japan’s third-highest summit at 3,190 m, linked by the exposed Daikiretto ridge for experienced scramblers only. A Kamikochi, Yarigatake and back loop takes three or four days.

Further north, the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route lifts you by bus and cable car to Murodo at about 2,450 m, a half-day climb below the summit of Mount Tate. Hakuba has its own ridges and a snow gully walk at Hakuba Daisekkei.

Huts are the system here. A night with dinner and breakfast now costs about 14,000 to 16,000 yen (about $95 to $110), cash only at many, and most now want a reservation. Peak weekends in August and the autumn colour weeks are packed.

Daisetsuzan is Japan’s largest national park and its wildest walking. The Asahidake ropeway lifts you to about 1,600 m, a short walk from steaming vents and a climb to Hokkaido’s highest summit (2,291 m). The Grand Traverse south to Tokachidake takes five to seven days, using unstaffed huts and campsites, carrying all your food, in brown bear country. Snow lingers into July, and autumn colours arrive in mid-September, the earliest in Japan.

Off the north coast, Rishiri is a single volcanic cone (1,721 m) climbed in one long day, and neighbouring Rebun has easy coastal walks through alpine flowers in June and July. In Shiretoko, trails close when bears are active nearby; see our national parks guide for access.

Yakushima, a subtropical island south of Kagoshima, is covered in moss forest and ancient yakusugi cedars. The famous hike to the Jomon Sugi cedar is about 22 km return and takes nine or ten hours, starting at dawn; from March to November private cars are banned at the trailhead and you ride the shuttle bus from the Yakusugi Museum. Hikers pay a mountain conservation fee. Shorter Shiratani Unsuikyo gorge has the forest that inspired Princess Mononoke, in two to four hours. It rains on Yakushima most days, so pack waterproofs.

On Kyushu itself, the volcanic summits of Mount Aso and Kirishima have short crater walks, though access closes whenever volcanic gas levels rise.

From Tokyo, Mount Takao (599 m) is 50 minutes from Shinjuku on the Keio Line, with paved and forest trails to the top and a temple on the way. It is busy on weekends, so continue along the ridge toward Shiroyama for quieter paths. Mount Mitake has a shrine village, a rock garden walk and a cable car. Closer to Fuji, Hakone has old highway paving stones between the lakes.

From Kyoto, walk over Mount Kurama from Kurama temple to the river restaurants of Kibune in about two hours, or climb Mount Hiei to Enryaku-ji. Dewa Sanzan in Yamagata pairs the 2,446 stone steps of Mount Haguro with Gassan, open only in summer.

• June to mid-July: rainy season everywhere except Hokkaido. Low trails are fine; the Alps are wet and still snowy.
• Late July to August: the best alpine conditions and the busiest huts, especially during Obon in mid-August. Afternoon thunderstorms are common, so start early.
• September to mid-October: autumn colours sweep down from Hokkaido and the Alps. Typhoons can close routes for days.
• November to May: pilgrim trails, coastal walks and low hills. High mountains are winter mountaineering terrain.

• Huts: about 14,000 to 16,000 yen with two meals in the Alps; camping at huts costs a few thousand yen.
• Fees: national parks are free to enter. Mount Fuji and Yakushima charge conservation fees.
• Climbing plans: file a climbing plan (tozan todoke) online or at the trailhead box; it is compulsory on some Alps routes.
• Bears: bear attacks hit a record in 2025, with 13 deaths, mostly in Tohoku and Hokkaido. Carry a bell, talk on blind corners, avoid dawn and dusk, and check local closures.
• Insurance: mountain rescue by helicopter can be billed to you, so carry cover that includes hiking.
• Getting there: see our getting around guide for passes and buses, and the East Asia trekking guide for routes across the region.