Japan

Starting at the Fushimi Inari-taisha, the head shrine of the Inari, the hike to the top of Mount Inari is a refreshing yet surprisingly demanding hike within Kyoto, Japan. The Torii gates, thousands upon thousands of them in a row, provide a gorgeous setting for a hike. The gates, which have varying hues of vibrant orange and bright red, line your route as you hike to the peak.Located just sout...

Stepping into the bamboo forest in Arashiyama, Japan is a surreal moment. Thousands upon thousands of bamboo trees line a trail which cuts right through the center of the forest. With 30 yards of bamboo on either side of you, the bamboo seems to engulf the sound, light, and your surroundings - transporting you to a place a serenity and an almost zen-like state as you explore it. Located in Aras...

This is a short hike in the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park to see the Snow Monkeys - they're actually Japanese Macaques, native to northern Japan. The 1.6km (one-way) track leads gradually uphill in a forest before opening out in the valley, where a river runs below.Spend a good amount of time watching the monkeys, who just sit in the hot springs and occasionally pick bugs out of the hair of other...

Exploring this classic Five-Storied Pagoda overlooking Fujiyoshida City and Mount Fuji does take some effort due to its distance from major metropolitan areas of Japan. Yet exploring the pagoda is a great day trip from Tokyo. There are a variety of ways to get there, each with different costs, timing, and predictability. Rail (~2 hours):  Starting from Shinjuku station, take the JR Chuo Express...

Tucked away in the north of Japan, this quiet town is a perfect slice of Japanese tranquility and history. The samurai town boasts beautifully preserved residences dating back to the 17th Century, six of which are open to the public. The largest of the houses is the Aoyagi residence (青柳家), which includes a small museum and extensive collections and displays of artifacts from the house and local...

Mt. Buko is about two hours drive from Tokyo. Alternatively, you could take the train to Chichibu's Yokoze Station 横瀬駅 and take a longer walk to the foot of the mountain (we drove from Tokyo). From the Mt. Buko parking lot the route is very simple and easy to follow. There is a well-marked map at the trail head that is in Japnese, but it is pretty easy to make sense of. Your starting elevation ...

The Kumano Kodo's Nakahechi route is the most common way to travel. It follows the original Imperial Route as the best marked of all the variations. It also never wanders too far from civilization allowing frequent snack and drink stops, and lodgings the whole length of the route.  Getting There To get to the start of the route from Kyoto or Osaka, take the JR West to Kuroshio and get off at Ki...

Starting from the Kudoyama Train station, you walk just under 2k through town to begin the trail at the Jison-in Ji (慈尊院). The Jison-in temple is a great place to pick up a map of the trail which is available in several different languages. The first 1/3 of the trail is quite steep and you make rapid elevation gains at first through persimmon and citrus orchards. After that, the trail meanders ...

This place is absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! From Kyoto, you want to jump on the JR train line towards the ancient capital of Japan, Nara. You will only ride the train for about 10 - 15 minutes before you get off at the Fushimiinari stop. From the train station, you will walk directly across the street towards one of the large orange toriis. From this point, follow the path as it leads you back into...