Nature &
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A wild monkey family bathing in a hot spring during the winter and are enjoying a hot bath.

Hot spring Ryokan inspired Hayao Miyazaki

Nature and Outdoor

Table of Contents

Page notes: “For outdoor sports, please see my "Sports/Motorsports" section.”

National Parks

Japan offers a range of landscapes and views throughout the changing seasons and geographies. Depending on where you are and when you travel, you can see everything from emerald-green oceans to snow-capped mountains. The nation’s 34 National Parks can all take your breath away.

Check out the National Parks of Japan and the Ministry of the Environment website to discover the beauty of the country’s natural surroundings.

National Parks

Japanese Zen gardens

Japanese Garden, Zen Gardens

Influenced by Buddhist and Shinto philosophies, a Japanese garden symbolizes tranquility. Plants, rocks, water, and seasonal floral blossoms are used as elements to create a Zen environment. I truly believe it's simply spectacular. In this map by Oniwa, you will find 1400 traditional gardens available to tourists throughout Japan. You can browse 20,0000 photos with more information about the gardens and their home pages.

Japanese Garden Map

From Wisteria to Hydrangeas, Japan is home to beautiful flowers in every season. Even if you miss magnificent Cherry blossoms, you can always find a place to enjoy beautiful flowers. Live Japan has a well-developed list of the 20 most beautiful flowers in Japan with details about when and where to see them.

Flower gardens

Fruit picking

Fruit Picking

Fruit picking is one of the most popular family activities in Japan. Enjoy super sweet and juicy fruits and the great outdoors by picking fruit the Japanese way. The most popular fruits to pick are strawberries, cherries, peaches, apples, grapes, pears, and oranges.

Japan Fruits/The Way of Japan

Hot springs

Hot Springs/Onsen

There are some pretty impressive statistics on hot springs, or ”Onsen” in Japan. There are approximately 3000 hot spring resorts and over 20,000 hot spring facilities throughout the country. Over 130 million people visit them every year.

I personally believe that going to an Onsen resort is one of the best ways to experience Japan. Each hot spring has different mineral content and has unique efficacy. Japanese people especially enjoy outdoor Onsen in mountain regions or by the sea. According to Nippon Onsen Research Institute, the top 10 areas for Onsen are Hokkaido, Shizuoka, Nagano, Oita, Kagoshima, Aomori, Gunma, Kumamoto, Fukushima, and Niigata prefectures.

Recommended Resources

JW-Web Magazine can tell you some of the most famous Onsen.
Tofugu can give you the names of places called "hitou," which are not so well-known, hidden-gem onsen if you want to stay away from the crowd.
IMPORTANT TRAVEL TIP: When planning your onsen trip, please see my “Art & Design" section if you have a tattoo.
- Tattoo Friendly shows you many places that are tattoo-friendly.
- The Real Japan has an informative article about finding tattoo-friendly Onsen.

Guided & Group Tours

If you like the convenience of joining a tour or economizing with package deals, you can search your destinations or activities in the following travel companies. They are the most prominent and reputable companies in Japan. They have English web pages.

Recommended Resources

Wild animals

Animals

Wild Animals

There are many wild animals indigenous to Japan. If you'd like to interact with animals without trekking deep into the forest, there are several easy ways to do so. I highly recommend snow monkeys in Nagano and deer in Nara or Hiroshima. You can also find islands of rabbits or cats.

Recommended Resources:

JW-Magazine
Matcha
Here is a list of wild animals you may encounter outside of cities in Unmissable Japan
Learn more about Japanese wildlife with Travel Triangle

Japanese dogs

Japanese Dogs

Japanese dogs like Shiba and Akita have been gaining popularity outside Japan in recent years. If you’d like to, you can meet these dogs in their homeland and natural habitat while traveling in Japan.

Akita

Meet Akita Dogs in Akita
You can also stay in a hotel where Akita dogs greet you at the Royal Hotel Odate
Furusawa Onsen

Kishu

You can meet Kishu Dogs in Wakayama. If you are not be familiar with Kishu dogs, they are medium-size dogs who were used for hunting wild animals in the Kishu region, known today as Wakayama and Mie. You can visit the Wakayamajo Park Zoon

Animal Cafes

Animal Cafés

You'll find different types of animal cafes around Japan: Owl cafés, Shiba dog cafés, cat cafés, hedgehog cafés, reptile cafés, and more. Below I have focused on "hogo" animal cafes. These cafés have a critical mission: to help animals get rescued and find their permanent homes. If you can stop by and support their operations, the proceeds will help to sustain the facilities.

Cat Cafés

Café Love-Lab
The first Hogo Neko Café is located in Fukushima. It opened in October 2014. They have been able to facilitate over 1000 cats to be fostered or adopted, and they are working to keep a 100% foster/adoption rate. Their mission is: no cats left behind. Some cats have disabilities, such as Anzu with cerebral paralysis and Merumo who is a two-legged kitty due to abuse she received. Love-Lab helps them to live comfortably, but the end goal is to find them all a permanent home.

Cat Café Orphanage: Neko no Ma in Kamakura, Kanagawa generally has around ten cats living at times. They live in a comfortable space under medical supervision by a local vet. Since early 2020, they have fostered/adopted over 100 cats. The café is near the Great Buddha. Be sure to stop by if you visit the beautiful Kamakura.

Neko Café Nyankuru has several location in and around Tokyo:
- Kawasaki,
- Kamakura
- Sakuragi-Cho
- Kamata

Neco (Neko) Republic has several businesses in Tokyo, Osaka (https://www.neco-republic.jp/necoyokujo/en/) in other cities: cafés, restaurants, shops, and a hotel to help rescue cats. They are a tiny country for cat lovers. This "cat country" issues you a cute little passport and a "Thank you" letter to enter the cafes. You'll receive a visa to stay in the restaurant.
- They have cafés in:
  - Gifu Prefecture
  - Ochanomizu, Tokyo
  - Ikebukuro, Tokyo
  - Nishikasai, Tokyo
  - in Hiroshima.
- In Osaka, the Neko Republic location is a Cat Spa & Café as well as a hotel and restaurant in Osaka
- You can also check out the Sabi Shokudo restaurant in Gifu.
- The shop, Neco Repa is in Kuramae, Tokyo.
For more ethical cat cafes, check out Tokyo Weekender and Japan Wonder
Travel Blog

Dog Cafés

Check out Guardian in Kobe City Tokyo Weekend for ethical dog cafes and other animal cafes.

Animal shelters & Zoos

Shelter & Zoos

Below I’ve listed animal educational facilities, shelters, and zoo whose missions are to rescue animals.

Oouchiyama Zoo Is a private zoo in Mie Prefecture. There are 70 different kinds of animals. Half of the 400 animals here are rescued.

The Nogeyama Zoo in Yokohama City, Kanagawa opened its doors in April 1951. Over 50,000,000 visitors have since come to enjoy the park. They've made history by breeding rare animals in Japan. One of their critical missions is to rescue injured or sick wild animals.

The Kushiro City Zoo in Hokkaido has brought 50-100 injured or sick wild animals to this zoo to be rescued. Many of them are owls, eagles, hawks, and falcons. They have also recovered seals nd a few other types of mammals.

Tokiwa Park Zoo in Yamaguchi rescue injured and sick wild animals. They have local animals such as Japanese macaques and owls.

Adventure World in Wakayama is a large zoo with an aquarium and a theme park combined. They are one of the most popular destinations in the region. The best attraction is the Giant Pandas. Their primary mission is to study and breed this rare animal, so they don't heavily advertise their panda tour.