Hikyo: Japan's Hard-to-Reach Places
Hikyo (秘境) means a secluded place: somewhere getting there is part of the trip. These are shrines, hot springs, villages and islands with no train, a bus a few times a day, or a ferry that does not always dock. Most pages tell you how to get there and, just as important, how to get back.
Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Osorezan (Mount Osore)
One of Japan's three most sacred places, a volcanic landscape believed to be the gateway to the afterlife
Osorezan (Mount Osore) in Mutsu, Aomori is one of Japan's three most sacred places alongside Moun...
Ogasawara Islands
Remote UNESCO World Heritage subtropical islands roughly 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo, teeming...
Shiretoko Peninsula
Shiretoko Peninsula: Utoro, Rausu and a Cape No Road Reaches
A UNESCO World Heritage peninsula at the northeast tip of Hokkaido with two gateway towns: Utoro ...
Nyuto Onsen
A secluded collection of seven rustic hot spring inns deep in the mountains near Lake Tazawa, Nyu...
Oki Islands
UNESCO Global Geopark in the Sea of Japan
A remote archipelago designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark, featuring dramatic sea cliffs, unique...
Mitarai Valley
River Gorge with Waterfalls and Emerald Pools
A gorge in Tenkawa village with waterfalls, clear green pools and giant boulders, followed by a r...
Iya Kazurabashi
Vine Suspension Bridge in a Hidden Valley
A 45-meter vine bridge swaying above a turquoise river in one of Japan's three great secluded reg...
Takaragawa Onsen
Japan's Largest Open-Air Baths Along a Mountain River
Mixed-gender open-air baths along the Takara River in a mountain valley, among the largest in Jap...
Ryujin Onsen
Hot Spring Town Among Japan's Three Beauty Waters
A mountain hot spring town in the former Ryujin village of Tanabe, counted among Japan's three be...
Nagoro Scarecrow Village
Remote Iya Valley Hamlet Populated with Life-Size Scarecrows
A small mountain hamlet in the Iya Valley where hundreds of handmade life-size scarecrows are pla...
Doro-kyo Gorge
River Gorge with Sheer Cliffs on the Kitayama River
A steep-walled gorge on the Kitayama River in Yoshino-Kumano National Park, spanning the borders ...
Rishiri Island
Rishiri Island: A Ferry Ride to a 1,721 m Volcano in the Sea
A round volcanic island off Hokkaido's northwest coast that is almost all mountain: Mt Rishiri ri...
Oku-Iya Double Vine Bridges
Two Vine Bridges Deep in the Oku-Iya Valley
A pair of vine bridges over the Iya River in the remote Oku-Iya area, comprising a longer 'male' ...
Kawayu Onsen
Riverbed Hot Spring Where You Dig Your Own Bath in the Ōtō River
A riverside hot spring near Kumano Hongu where hot water wells up through the gravel of the Ōtō R...
Yunomine Onsen
Ancient Kumano Hot Spring and the World Heritage Tsuboyu Bath
A tiny, steam-wrapped hot-spring hamlet near Kumano Hongu, home to Tsuboyu, a rock-cut riverside ...