Every walking route in Japan, mapped

357 self-guided routes · 27 cities · 2042 stops · about 170 hours of walking

Each pin is where a walk starts. They are real routes, walked and written stop by stop, not a list of landmarks — which is why there are 357 of them and not ten thousand. Click a pin to see how long the walk is and where it goes.

If you would rather be told what to do

• Three days in Tokyo on foot — 20 of these walks, in the order they sit
• Three days in Kyoto on foot — 19 of these walks, in the order they sit
• Three days in Osaka on foot — 19 of these walks, in the order they sit

Every route, city by city

Beppu 10 walks

• Beppu: The Town Built on Boiling Water — 6 stops, about 29 min, Station, the hells, the steam district, the old bath house and the mountain
• Kunisaki: The Stone Buddhas and the Shrine That Chose an Emperor — 6 stops, about 28 min, The head shrine of Hachiman, then the temple circuit of the peninsula
• Buried in Hot Sand: How Beppu Actually Bathes — 6 stops, about 40 min, Takegawara bathhouse, the eight springs, a neighbourhood bath, the steam district, and how to do all of it correctly
• Yufuin: The Town That Refused the Developers — 6 stops, about 37 min, The station, the mountain, the steaming lake, the fight of 1970, and what success has cost
• Usuki: Sixty Buddhas in a Cliff, and the Christian King of Bungo — 6 stops, about 36 min, The cliff carvings, the missing head, the castle town, the Christian daimyo, and the soy sauce
• Taketa: A Ruined Castle, a Song Everyone Knows, and Water That Fizzes — 6 stops, about 35 min, The castle walls, the song, the tunnelled town, a chapel cut into rock, and the fizzing springs
• The Tunnel a Monk Dug, and the Man on the Banknote: Nakatsu and the Yabakei Gorge — 6 stops, about 33 min, About 3 km of walking split between the gorge and the town, with a drive or bus ride between them
• Hita: The Shogun's Own Town, a School That Ignored Your Rank, and a Kiln With No Electricity In It — 6 stops, about 31 min, About 3 km in the town, plus a drive up into the hills to the kilns
• Kitsuki: The Castle Town Built in a Sandwich — 6 stops, about 26 min, About 3 km, with two short climbs
• Kujū: A Thousand Years of Grassland That Only Exists Because People Set Fire to It — 6 stops, about 28 min, About 5 km of level highland walking, plus the drive up

Fukuoka 10 walks

• Hakata Old Town: Temples of the Merchant City — 5 stops, about 29 min, 2 km temple walk
• Kushida Shrine & the Hakata Gion Yamakasa — 5 stops, about 29 min, 1.5 km around the old town
• Nakasu, the Yatai & Canal City: Fukuoka After Dark — 5 stops, about 35 min, 2 km riverside evening walk
• Fukuoka Castle & Ohori Park — 5 stops, about 28 min, 3 km castle and lakeside walk
• Momochi Seaside & Fukuoka Tower — 5 stops, about 29 min, 2.5 km seaside walk
• Dazaifu: The Distant Court & the God of Learning — 5 stops, about 29 min, 3 km, shrine, museum and old temples
• Yanagawa: The City of Water — 5 stops, about 29 min, 2 km plus a canal boat ride
• Itoshima: The Coast of the Ancient Kingdom — 5 stops, about 28 min, coast and country, best by car
• Munakata & Okinoshima: The Island of the Gods — 5 stops, about 29 min, shrine grounds plus an optional island ferry
• Shikanoshima: The Island of the Gold Seal — 5 stops, about 29 min, island loop, best by bike or car

Hakodate 10 walks

• Hakodate: The Star Fort and the Republic That Lasted Five Months — 6 stops, about 30 min, Waterfront, the foreign slopes, the star fort and the mountain
• The Frontier: Matsumae, the Trade Monopoly and the Ainu — 6 stops, about 29 min, Down the peninsula to the only castle in Hokkaido, and the herring coast
• The Port That Faced Outward: Hakodate's Foreign Hill — 6 stops, about 38 min, The morning market, the slopes of Motomachi, the churches, the public hall, the warehouses and the mountain
• Squid, Kelp and a Warming Strait: The Sea That Made Hakodate — 6 stops, about 39 min, The strait, the kelp beds, the squid fleet, the warming water and the market at the end of it
• Esashi: The Richest Town in the North, and the Fish That Stopped Coming — 6 stops, about 36 min, The herring coast, the merchant street, a wrecked flagship, the collapse, and the song
• Ōnuma: A Lake Made of a Mountain That Fell Over — 6 stops, about 33 min, The lakes, the collapse that made them, the islands, the resort years and the frozen winter
• Nine Thousand Years Before the Fort: The Jōmon Coast East of Hakodate — 6 stops, about 30 min, About 2 km of easy walking at the sites, plus a long coastal drive between them
• Tōya and Usu: The Eruption Nobody Died In, and the Volcano a Postmaster Bought — 6 stops, about 31 min, About 3 km of walking on the crater trails, plus the drive up from the coast
• Okushiri: Three Minutes, and the Island That Was Rebuilt Around Them — 6 stops, about 29 min, About 3 km at the memorial sites, plus a drive round the island
• The Trappists: French Monks, an Avenue of Trees, and How Hokkaido Learned to Make Butter — 6 stops, about 27 min, About 3 km, including a long avenue and a hill

Hakone 10 walks

• Hakone: The Checkpoint, the Lake and the Volcano — 6 stops, about 30 min, Yumoto to Ōwakudani · train, bus, boat and ropeway
• Hakone's Other Valley: Sculpture, Monet and the Orient Express — 6 stops, about 27 min, Gōra, the sculpture park, two collections, a railway carriage and a grand hotel
• The Lake, the Shrine and the Dragon: Hakone's Sacred Water — 6 stops, about 38 min, Moto-Hakone pier, the cedar avenue, the lake torii, Hakone shrine, the dragon and the mountain
• Seventeen Springs: Hakone's Hot Water and How to Sleep In It — 6 stops, about 39 min, Yumoto, the seventeen waters, the old high road, the steam valley, and a night in an inn
• Odawara: The City Inside a Wall, and the Siege That Ended an Era — 6 stops, about 37 min, The castle, the great wall, the siege of 1590, the post town, and the sea below it
• Atami: The Resort That Died and Came Back — 6 stops, about 38 min, The hot sea, the shrine where a shogun met his wife, the villas, the crash and the comeback, and a tree older than the town
• Over the Pass: Mishima, Numazu and the Water That Comes Out of Fuji — 6 stops, about 34 min, About 4 km of walking spread across three towns, with two short train rides between them
• Shimoda: Where Japan Actually Opened, and the Consul Nobody Wanted — 6 stops, about 32 min, About 3 km, flat, entirely within the old town
• Manazuru: A Forest Planted to Catch Fish, and a Town That Wrote Sixty-Nine Rules to Save Itself — 6 stops, about 29 min, About 4 km, with one steady climb through the forest
• Izu Ōshima: Three Million Camellias, a Desert, and the Night the Whole Island Left — 6 stops, about 27 min, About 5 km at the crater and the ash desert, plus a bus or car round the island

Himeji 14 walks

• Himeji Castle: The White Heron — 6 stops, about 35 min, Castle complex · gate to keep
• Kōko-en & the Castle Town — 5 stops, about 26 min, 1.5 km walk
• Engyō-ji: The Temple in the Clouds — 6 stops, about 26 min, Mountain temple · ropeway to the three halls
• Nada no Kenka: The Fighting Festival — 5 stops, about 26 min, Shrine and hill · festival is 14–15 October
• Akō: Castle of the Forty-Seven Rōnin — 5 stops, about 26 min, 2 km · a day trip west of Himeji
• Takeda: The Castle in the Sky — 5 stops, about 26 min, A mountain climb · north of Himeji
• Kinosaki: Seven Baths by the Willow Canal — 5 stops, about 26 min, A hot-spring town on the north coast
• Tatsuno: Light Soy & Red Dragonflies — 5 stops, about 26 min, A quiet castle town west of Himeji
• Izushi: The Little Plates of Soba — 5 stops, about 26 min, A small castle town in northern Hyōgo
• Akashi: The Line That Sets the Clocks — 6 stops, about 28 min, 3 km plus coast, Akashi
• Shōdoshima: Olives, Soy Sauce and the Inland Sea — 6 stops, about 28 min, by car, ~40 km circuit
• Naoshima: An Island Rebuilt Out of Art — 6 stops, about 29 min, by ferry and island bus
• Awaji: The First Island — 6 stops, about 29 min, by car, ~60 km north to south
• Sasayama: Black Beans and Boar — 5 stops, about 27 min, A castle town in the Tamba hills

Hiroshima 10 walks

• The Peace Memorial: Park & Museum — 6 stops, about 24 min, Memorial park · dome to museum
• Itsukushima: The Shrine on the Sea — 6 stops, about 24 min, Miyajima island · shore & shrine
• The Phoenix City: Castle, Garden & Okonomiyaki — 5 stops, about 20 min, 3 km walk
• Mount Misen: The Mountain Above the Shrine — 6 stops, about 23 min, Ropeway plus ~1.5 km of mountain path
• Tomonoura: The Port That Waited for the Tide — 5 stops, about 20 min, 2 km around the old harbour
• The Carp Castle & the Garrison City — 5 stops, about 20 min, 2 km · castle grounds
• Onomichi: Temples, Cats and Slopes — 5 stops, about 19 min, A hillside town of steps · east Hiroshima
• Ōkunoshima: Rabbits and Poison Gas — 5 stops, about 20 min, A small island · reached by ferry
• Kure: The Battleship City — 5 stops, about 20 min, A naval port · south-east of Hiroshima
• Cycling the Shimanami Kaidō — 5 stops, about 20 min, An island-hopping cycle route

Ise 10 walks

• Ise Jingū: The Shrine That Is Torn Down Every Twenty Years — 6 stops, about 29 min, Outer Shrine, Inner Shrine, the old pilgrim street and the coast
• The Diving Women and the Invented Pearl — 6 stops, about 28 min, Toba bay, a diving village, a pearl island and the Shima coast
• The Road to Ise: When Five Million People Walked Out of Their Jobs — 6 stops, about 38 min, Futami and the wedded rocks, the river crossing, the pilgrim road, and the approach street to the shrine
• The Drowned Coast: Ago Bay and the Shrine's Own Farms — 6 stops, about 39 min, Ago Bay from above, the farmed sea, the port at Toba, the shrine's own fields, and what to eat
• Matsusaka: Fixed Prices, Forty Years of Footnotes, and the Best Beef in Japan — 6 stops, about 39 min, The castle walls, the merchants who went to Edo, a scholar's study, and the cattle
• Iga: The Actual Ninja, and the Poet Who Left — 6 stops, about 38 min, The basin, the league that governed it, the ninja house, the castle walls and the poet's town
• The Iseji: The Pilgrim Road From Ise to Kumano — 6 stops, about 31 min, The route, why they walked it, the stone passes, the coast, and the shrines at the end
• Kuwana and the Three Rivers: Villages Inside Rings, and the River Job That Broke the Men Sent to Do It — 6 stops, about 32 min, About 3 km of flat walking, with a car or train between the delta sites
• Yokkaichi: The City That Could Not Breathe, and the Factories It Now Sells Tickets to Look At — 6 stops, about 30 min, About 3 km, flat, split between the waterfront and the affected district
• Suzuka: The Racetrack a Motorcycle Company Built to Test Its Own Machines — 6 stops, about 28 min, About 3 km around the circuit complex, plus the town

Kagoshima 10 walks

• Kagoshima: The Volcano, the Rebels and the Boys Sent to Britain — 6 stops, about 29 min, The bay, the lords' garden, the ironworks, the hill and the airfield
• Yakushima: The Island of Rain and Very Old Trees — 6 stops, about 29 min, Port, cedar forest, the old stumps, the great tree and the moss gorge
• The Volcano Across the Water: Living Four Kilometres From an Eruption — 6 stops, about 39 min, The ferry crossing, the buried gate, the ash, the lava fields and the caldera under the bay
• Chiran: A Samurai Street, a Tea Valley and an Airfield — 6 stops, about 38 min, The samurai lane, the tea terraces, the airfield, the letters, and the mountain they saw last
• Kirishima: Where Heaven Touched Down, and Japan's First Honeymoon — 6 stops, about 39 min, The volcanic range, the descent myth, the shrine, the 2011 eruption, and Ryōma's honeymoon
• Amami Ōshima: The Islands That Paid for Japan's Modernisation — 6 stops, about 36 min, The island, the sugar regime, the forest, the mud-dyed silk, the songs, and the eight extra years
• Tanegashima: Where the Guns Arrived, and Where the Rockets Leave — 6 stops, about 37 min, The flat island, the two guns, what they did to Japan, the launch site, and the crop that came the same way
• Izumi: Ten Thousand Cranes in One Field, and Why That Is a Problem — 6 stops, about 29 min, About 3 km, flat, split between the paddies and the old samurai district
• Miyama: The Korean Village That Stayed Korean for Three Hundred Years — 6 stops, about 28 min, About 2 km on quiet lanes between the kilns
• Koshikishima: The Islands Where a God Comes Into the House on New Year's Eve to Frighten the Children — 6 stops, about 27 min, About 3 km at the viewpoints, plus ferries and a long island road

Kamakura 10 walks

• The Great Buddha of Kamakura — 6 stops, about 34 min, Kōtoku-in courtyard
• Hase-dera: Temple of the Great Kannon — 6 stops, about 34 min, Hillside temple · garden to terrace
• Old Kamakura: Station to Shrine — 6 stops, about 32 min, 1.5 km walk
• Kita-Kamakura: The Zen Valley — 6 stops, about 31 min, 2 km walk
• The Eastern Valleys: Bamboo & the Oldest Temple — 5 stops, about 29 min, 2 km walk
• Enoshima: The Dragon and the Goddess — 5 stops, about 29 min, 2.5 km island walk
• The First Shogun's Capital — 5 stops, about 29 min, 3 km, some hill climbing
• The Western Hills: Money & Foxes — 5 stops, about 29 min, 3 km with real hills and steps
• The Kamakura Shore — 5 stops, about 29 min, 3 km along the coast, plus the Enoden
• Nichiren's Kamakura — 5 stops, about 28 min, 2.5 km, plus a short train hop

Kanazawa 10 walks

• Kenroku-en: The Garden of Six Virtues — 6 stops, about 35 min, Garden circuit
• Higashi Chaya: The Teahouse Quarter — 5 stops, about 29 min, 1.5 km walk
• Castle, Market & the Samurai Lanes — 4 stops, about 29 min, 2.5 km walk
• Myōryū-ji: The Ninja Temple — 6 stops, about 28 min, Guided interior · book ahead
• The 21st Century Museum: A Circle With No Front — 6 stops, about 28 min, Indoor · circular museum & lawn
• Gold Leaf, Silk & the Crafts of Kaga — 5 stops, about 28 min, 2 km · Higashiyama to Nagamachi
• Kanazawa Castle & Oyama Shrine — 5 stops, about 28 min, Castle grounds & the shrine next door
• The Southern Bank: Temples & the Other Teahouses — 5 stops, about 28 min, 2.5 km across the Sai river
• The Kaga Hot Springs — 5 stops, about 28 min, Onsen towns & a cliff temple · use a car or tour
• Shirakawa-gō: The Thatched Village — 5 stops, about 30 min, A mountain village · day trip by bus

Kobe 10 walks

• Kitano: The Foreign Hill — 5 stops, about 32 min, 1.5 km hillside walk
• The Port & the Earthquake — 5 stops, about 34 min, 3 km walk
• Nada: The Sake Coast — 5 stops, about 26 min, 2.5 km between breweries
• Mount Rokkō & the Ten-Million-Dollar View — 5 stops, about 26 min, Walk, ropeway and cable car · half a day
• The Akashi Strait Bridge — 5 stops, about 26 min, Shore, bridge walkway and Awaji · half a day
• Suma: The Beach of the Heike — 5 stops, about 26 min, 2.5 km · beach and temple
• Kobe Beef: The Most Famous Meat on Earth — 5 stops, about 33 min, Steakhouses & the city centre
• Nankinmachi & the Heart of Kobe — 5 stops, about 26 min, 2 km through the city centre
• Takarazuka: The All-Female Stage — 5 stops, about 27 min, A theatre town north of Kobe
• Arima: The Oldest Hot Spring — 5 stops, about 27 min, An old hot-spring town behind Mount Rokkō

Kumamoto 10 walks

• Kumamoto: The Castle That Would Not Fall, and the Earthquake That Took It — 6 stops, about 29 min, Castle, restoration route, the lords' garden, the city and the volcano
• Minamata: The Bay, the Company and Sixty Years of Not Being Believed — 6 stops, about 30 min, The town, the bay, the museum and the memorial
• Fifty Thousand People Inside a Volcano: The Aso Caldera — 6 stops, about 39 min, The caldera rim, the eruption that made it, the live crater, the burning grasslands and the shrine that fell down
• Amakusa: The Islands That Rose, and the Faith That Went Underground — 6 stops, about 40 min, The bridges, the printing press, the rebellion, the hidden village and the sea
• Hitoyoshi: Seven Hundred Years of One Family, and a Religion in the Caves — 6 stops, about 37 min, The river valley, the family that never left, the hidden believers, the shrine, the distilleries and the flood
• Yamaga: A Kabuki Theatre, Lanterns Made of Nothing but Paper, and Painted Tombs — 6 stops, about 34 min, The bathhouse, the theatre, the paper lanterns, the dance, and the tombs in the hills
• Yatsushiro: The Floor of Japan, a Sea of Ghost Lights, and a God That Came by Turtle — 6 stops, about 31 min, About 3 km, flat, spread across the town and the surrounding fields
• Kikuchi: A Gorge Full of Cold Water, and a Family the State Turned Into a Lesson — 6 stops, about 29 min, About 4 km, mostly a level riverside path in the gorge, plus a short walk in the town
• Misumi West Port: A World Heritage Harbour That Failed Almost Immediately — 6 stops, about 28 min, About 2 km along the quay and the old town, plus the coast road
• Tsūjun: The Aqueduct That Fires Water Across a Gorge, and the Three Hundred Stone Bridges Around It — 6 stops, about 28 min, About 2 km at the bridge, plus a drive between the valleys

Kyoto 35 walks

• Fushimi Inari: The Mountain of a Thousand Gates — 6 stops, about 24 min, 3 km uphill
• Higashiyama: The Old Streets to Kiyomizu-dera — 6 stops, about 25 min, 2.5 km
• Arashiyama: Bamboo, Temples & the River — 6 stops, about 24 min, 3 km
• Gion: The Geisha District — 6 stops, about 25 min, 2 km
• Kinkaku-ji: The Golden Pavilion — 6 stops, about 23 min, Garden · one-way loop
• Ryōan-ji: The Zen Rock Garden — 6 stops, about 24 min, Temple & gardens
• Inside Nijō Castle — 6 stops, about 24 min, Palace · floor plan
• Sanjūsangen-dō: The Hall of a Thousand Kannon — 6 stops, about 23 min, One long hall
• Ginkaku-ji: The Silver Pavilion — 6 stops, about 23 min, Garden · one-way loop
• Tō-ji: Pagoda & the 3-D Mandala — 6 stops, about 24 min, Temple grounds · site map
• Nanzen-ji: Gate, Garden & Aqueduct — 6 stops, about 23 min, Temple grounds · site map
• Uji: Tea, the Phoenix Hall and the End of Genji — 6 stops, about 23 min, 3 km, Uji
• Nishijin: The Loom District — 6 stops, about 24 min, 3 km, northwest Kyoto
• Fushimi: Soft Water, Sake and the Night They Came for Ryōma — 6 stops, about 24 min, 3 km, Fushimi
• Kurama and Kibune: Over the Mountain — 6 stops, about 24 min, 4 km, steep, over a ridge
• Heian Shrine & the Sacred Garden — 6 stops, about 23 min, Shrine & garden · site map
• Mount Hiei: The Seminary of Japanese Buddhism, the Army It Kept, and the Day It Was Burned — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 4 km between the temple areas, with steps and slopes
• The Kamo Delta: The River an Emperor Could Not Control, and the Forest That Keeps Growing Back — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 3 km, flat, along riverbanks and through an old forest
• The Merchants' Kyoto: Nishiki Market, the Eel's Bed Houses, and the City the Temples Did Not Build — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 3 km, entirely flat, on city streets and two covered arcades
• The Decade Kyoto Was Occupied: Bullet Holes, a Canal Full of Hiding Places, and the Fire Nobody Mentions — 6 stops, about 25 min, About 3.5 km, flat, through a park and down a canal street
• What Kyoto Is Allowed to Look Like: A Tower Everyone Hated and a Station Everyone Fought Over — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 3.5 km, flat, with some stairs and escalators inside the station
• Yoshida Hill: The Student City, a Family That Franchised a Religion, and a Buddha With an Enormous Head — 6 stops, about 25 min, About 3 km, with a genuine hill in the middle and steps at the end
• Ōhara: The Valley People Came To When They Had Lost, and Where Buddhist Chant Was Put in Order — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 3 km across a valley, on lanes and field paths, with slopes at both ends
• Takao: A Crop That Takes Forty Years, Cartoon Rabbits From the Twelfth Century, and Discs Thrown Off a Cliff — 6 stops, about 25 min, About 5 km, a real hill walk with long flights of steps and a rough gorge path
• Saga-Toriimoto: Eight Thousand Nameless Stones, Twelve Hundred Carved by Amateurs, and a Statue With Silk Organs Inside It — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 3 km, downhill the whole way, on a narrow lane and village streets
• Katsura: The Building the West Decided Was Modern, and What It Actually Is — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 3 km, flat, along a river and through quiet outer-city streets
• Uzumasa: Where Japan Made Its Samurai Films, and the Trades That Are Going Down With Them — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 3 km, flat, through suburban back streets and a temple compound
• Kamigamo: A Street Where Every House Has Its Own Bridge, and Two Cones of Sand That Explain a Mountain — 6 stops, about 23 min, About 3 km, flat, across an open shrine precinct and along a stream-side lane
• The Botanical Garden That Was Taken Away, and What It Costs to Grow One Back — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 3 km, flat, on wide made-up paths through a large garden
• Chion-in: A Bell of Seventy Tonnes, Seventeen Men to Ring It, and the Sound Kyoto Sets Its Year By — 6 stops, about 25 min, About 2.5 km, with two long flights of stone steps and a hill
• Kissaten, the City That Drinks More Coffee Than Tea — 6 stops, about 23 min, 1.6 km · about 100 min if you sit down twice
• Obanzai, or How the City Actually Eats at Home — 6 stops, about 24 min, 3.1 km
• Pontochō and Kiyamachi — 6 stops, about 24 min, 1.3 km
• Ramen, the Opposite of What You Expect — 6 stops, about 23 min, 2.8 km · almost all of it straight north up one road
• Sweets and the Demachi Street — 6 stops, about 23 min, 2.2 km

Matsumoto 10 walks

• The Black Castle — 6 stops, about 32 min, 2 km, moat and keep
• Kaichi School: The Building That Guessed at the West — 6 stops, about 27 min, 1 km, school and grounds
• Nakamachi and the Frog Road — 6 stops, about 30 min, 2 km, both streets
• The Springs Under the City — 6 stops, about 28 min, 3 km, the well circuit
• Yayoi Kusama's Home Town — 6 stops, about 27 min, 2 km, museum and city art
• The Festival Seiji Ozawa Built — 6 stops, about 29 min, 1.5 km, concert hall and city
• Mingei: The Beauty of Ordinary Things — 6 stops, about 30 min, 2 km, museum and craft shops
• Azumino: The Wasabi Plain — 6 stops, about 29 min, 3 km, farm and plain
• Utsukushigahara: Sculpture on a Grass Plateau — 6 stops, about 28 min, 3 km on the plateau
• Soba, Miso and Horse: Eating in Shinshū — 6 stops, about 28 min, 2 km, city eating

Mount Fuji 10 walks

• The Postcard: Chūreitō Pagoda and Fujiyoshida — 6 stops, about 30 min, 2 km with 398 steps
• Climbing It: The Yoshida Trail — 6 stops, about 31 min, trailhead briefing, Subaru Line 5th Station
• The Volcano: 1707 and What Comes Next — 6 stops, about 29 min, viewpoints and driving, southeast flank
• The Mountain as a God — 6 stops, about 28 min, shrines at Fujinomiya and Fujiyoshida
• Thirty-Six Views: How Fuji Became an Image — 6 stops, about 28 min, lakeside and viewpoints, Kawaguchiko
• The Five Lakes — 6 stops, about 29 min, by car, ~50 km circuit
• Aokigahara: The Forest That Grew on Lava — 6 stops, about 29 min, marked trails and caves, ~4 km
• Where the Water Comes Out — 6 stops, about 29 min, springs and falls, by car
• The Eastern Side: Gotemba, Hakone's Edge and the Grasslands — 6 stops, about 28 min, by car, eastern foothills
• When to Come and Where to Stand — 6 stops, about 28 min, planning guide, whole region

Nagano 10 walks

• Nagano: The Temple With No Sect, and the Statue No One Has Seen — 6 stops, about 30 min, Temple approach, the dark passage, the mountain shrine, the monkeys and the Olympic city
• The Other Highway: Walking the Nakasendō Through the Kiso Valley — 6 stops, about 30 min, Magome over the pass to Tsumago, and north to Narai
• The Monkeys That Learned to Take Baths — 6 stops, about 40 min, The valley path, the monkey park, the hot spring village, and the snow country around it
• The Door of Heaven: Togakushi's Cedars, Shrines and Noodles — 6 stops, about 40 min, The cedar avenue, the rock-door myth, the five shrines, the ninja question and the noodles
• Matsushiro: The Tunnels Under the Mountain — 6 stops, about 37 min, The tunnel mouth, the plan, the people who dug it, the castle town above, and the earthquakes
• Obuse: Where Hokusai Went at Eighty-Three — 6 stops, about 38 min, The town, the old man who kept walking, the ceilings he painted, the man who invited him, and how a village saved itself
• Suwa: Riding Logs Down a Mountain, Six Centuries of Ice Records, and the Lake That Stopped Freezing — 6 stops, about 32 min, About 4 km, mostly flat around the lake, with a bus or short train ride to the shrines
• Snow Country: Nozawa's Fire Festival, Thirteen Free Baths, and Paper Bleached on a Snowfield — 6 stops, about 30 min, About 3 km in the village, plus a short train ride down to the river town
• Ueda: The Small Castle That Beat the Tokugawa Twice, and the Family That Split Itself in Half to Survive — 6 stops, about 30 min, About 3 km in the town, plus a short branch-line ride out to the hot spring
• Karuizawa: A Dead Post Town That Missionaries Turned Into a Resort, Under a Volcano That Helped Cause a Famine — 6 stops, about 29 min, About 4 km in the town, plus a drive up to the lava field

Nagasaki 10 walks

• The Second City: Peace Park & Hypocenter — 6 stops, about 33 min, 2 km walk
• Glover Garden & the Foreign Quarter — 6 stops, about 30 min, Hillside garden · church to terrace
• Dejima, Chinatown & the Bridges — 6 stops, about 30 min, 3 km walk
• Gunkanjima: The Battleship Island — 5 stops, about 28 min, Boat tour · landing weather-dependent
• Sotome: The Coast of the Hidden Christians — 5 stops, about 29 min, Coastal villages · bus or car from Nagasaki
• Suwa Shrine & the Kunchi Festival — 5 stops, about 28 min, Shrine year-round · festival 7–9 October
• Mount Inasa & the Harbour of Cranes — 5 stops, about 28 min, Ropeway & viewpoints · best after dark
• Shimabara & Unzen: Rebellion and Fire — 5 stops, about 28 min, Castle town & volcano · a full day by car
• Hirado: The First Trading Port — 5 stops, about 28 min, A small castle port town at Kyushu's edge
• The Chinese City: Ming Temples & Lanterns — 5 stops, about 28 min, 2.5 km among the Chinese temples

Nagoya 10 walks

• Nagoya Castle & the Golden Dolphins — 5 stops, about 31 min, 2 km around the castle grounds
• Atsuta Jingū: The Shrine of the Sacred Sword — 5 stops, about 30 min, 1.5 km through the shrine forest
• Ōsu: Temple Town and Electric Bazaar — 5 stops, about 27 min, 2 km through the covered arcades
• The Tokugawa Treasures & the Lord's Garden — 5 stops, about 29 min, 1.5 km, museum and garden
• Sakae, the Tower and the Hundred-Metre Roads — 5 stops, about 27 min, 2 km, above and below ground
• Nagoya-meshi: The City That Eats Differently — 5 stops, about 29 min, 2 km, eating as you go
• The Three Unifiers: Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, Ieyasu — 5 stops, about 28 min, by train and bus across the region
• From Looms to Cars: How Toyota Happened — 5 stops, about 29 min, 1.5 km, museum halls
• Inuyama: The Oldest Keep and the Cormorant River — 5 stops, about 28 min, 2.5 km, castle town and riverside
• Arimatsu, Tokoname & the Craft Towns — 5 stops, about 29 min, by train, three towns

Nara 14 walks

• Tōdai-ji: The Great Buddha Hall — 8 stops, about 26 min, Temple complex · gate to hall
• Kasuga Taisha: Shrine of Ten Thousand Lanterns — 6 stops, about 32 min, Forest shrine · lantern paths
• Kōfuku-ji: The Five-Storey Pagoda — 6 stops, about 32 min, Temple grounds · halls & pond
• Nara Park: Among the Sacred Deer — 5 stops, about 30 min, 2.5 km walk
• Naramachi: The Old Merchant Quarter — 5 stops, about 29 min, 2 km walk
• Nigatsu-dō: The Balcony Above Nara — 5 stops, about 30 min, 1.5 km uphill walk
• Nishinokyō: The Two Great Temples — 6 stops, about 31 min, Two temples · pagoda to golden hall
• Heijō Palace: The Vanished Capital — 5 stops, about 30 min, 2 km across the palace field
• Hōryū-ji: The Oldest Wood in the World — 6 stops, about 35 min, Two precincts · about 1 km of grounds
• Asuka: Where Japan Began — 6 stops, about 29 min, 8 km by bicycle
• Yoshino: Cherry Mountain and the Ascetics — 6 stops, about 26 min, 4 km uphill
• Ōmiwa and the Oldest Road — 6 stops, about 28 min, 6 km along the Yamanobe path
• Soot, Glue and the First Clear Sake — 6 stops, about 28 min, 3 km plus a bus
• Gardens, Treasures & the Silk Road Storehouse — 5 stops, about 30 min, 2.5 km · gardens to the mountain

Nikkō 10 walks

• Nikkō Tōshō-gū: The Shogun in Gold — 6 stops, about 33 min, Shrine complex · avenue to tomb
• The Sacred Precinct: Bridge, Temple & the Quiet Mausoleum — 6 stops, about 31 min, 2 km walk
• Kanmangafuchi: The Jizō Abyss — 5 stops, about 28 min, 1.5 km riverside loop
• Lake Chūzenji & the Kegon Falls — 6 stops, about 29 min, Bus and short walks · a full half-day
• How the World Discovered Nikkō — 5 stops, about 28 min, 2 km through Nikkō town
• Oku-Nikkō: The High Marsh & the Hot Lake — 5 stops, about 28 min, High country · bus & the marsh boardwalk
• Kirifuri: Falls and the Flower Highland — 5 stops, about 28 min, Waterfall & a highland meadow
• Ashio: The Mine That Poisoned a River — 5 stops, about 29 min, A former mining valley · sombre history
• Kinugawa: The Onsen Gorge — 5 stops, about 29 min, A river-gorge resort near Nikkō
• The Old Path to Takinoo Shrine — 5 stops, about 29 min, A quiet forest pilgrim trail

Okinawa 10 walks

• Shuri Castle & the Kingdom That Was Not Japan — 6 stops, about 35 min, 2 km, castle grounds
• The Battle: Eighty-Two Days in 1945 — 6 stops, about 31 min, 2 km, memorial park and museum
• The Bases: Twenty-Seven Years and Counting — 6 stops, about 33 min, by car and viewpoint
• Naha: Kokusai-dōri and the Market — 6 stops, about 35 min, 3 km, central Naha
• Pork, Bitter Melon and the Longevity Question — 6 stops, about 32 min, eating route, central Naha
• The North: Churaumi, Nakijin and the Coral Sea — 6 stops, about 32 min, by car, Motobu peninsula
• Sacred Groves and the Women Who Ran Them — 6 stops, about 34 min, 2 km plus driving, Nanjō
• Where Karate Comes From — 6 stops, about 32 min, 2 km, Naha and Shuri
• Yanbaru: The Forest at the Top of the Island — 6 stops, about 31 min, by car with short walks, northern Okinawa
• Bingata, Lacquer and the Drums of Eisa — 6 stops, about 33 min, 3 km, Shuri and Naha

Osaka 35 walks

• Dōtonbori & Namba: The Neon Kitchen — 6 stops, about 29 min, 2 km
• Inside Osaka Castle — 6 stops, about 30 min, Castle grounds · site map
• Shinsekai & Tsūtenkaku: The New World — 6 stops, about 26 min, 2 km
• Sumiyoshi Taisha: The Sea-Gods Shrine — 6 stops, about 27 min, Shrine grounds · site map
• Shitennō-ji: The Oldest Temple — 6 stops, about 29 min, Temple grounds · site map
• Umeda & the Sky Building — 6 stops, about 27 min, 3 km
• Nakanoshima: The River Island — 6 stops, about 26 min, 2.5 km
• Tenmangū & Tenjinbashisuji — 6 stops, about 26 min, 3 km
• Kuromon & the Kitchen Streets — 5 stops, about 27 min, 1.5 km walk
• Sakai: Tombs, Knives and the Merchant Republic — 6 stops, about 27 min, 4 km, Sakai
• Puppets and Punchlines: The Osaka Stage — 6 stops, about 26 min, 3 km, Namba and Nipponbashi
• The Tower of the Sun: Expo '70 and What Survived — 6 stops, about 27 min, 3 km, Expo Commemoration Park
• Tennōji: A Very Tall Building and a Buddha Made of People — 6 stops, about 28 min, 3 km, southern Osaka
• Midōsuji & Shinsaibashi: The Grand Boulevard — 5 stops, about 26 min, 2 km walk
• Kansai Airport: The Island That Will Not Stop Sinking — 6 stops, about 29 min, Nothing to walk. Listen on the train in, or at the gate
• Tsuruhashi and Ikuno: The Market That Was Never Cleared, and the Community That Was Never Meant to Stay — 6 stops, about 31 min, About 3 km, flat, through covered market alleys and residential back streets
• The Ridge: Osaka's Only High Ground, and the Few Streets That Did Not Burn — 6 stops, about 30 min, About 3.5 km, north to south along a low ridge, with stone steps near the end
• The River and the Mint: Where Modern Japan Made Its First Coin, and the City That Turned Black Making Everything Else — 6 stops, about 29 min, About 3 km, flat, along both banks of the river
• Senba: Four Hundred Years of Selling to Other Shops, a Paper Tiger, and a Mile of Shops Inside a Motorway — 6 stops, about 29 min, About 3 km, entirely flat, on a grid of office streets
• Kyōbashi and the Arsenal: Sixty Hectares That Made Guns, Then Made Nothing, Then Made Novels — 6 stops, about 28 min, About 3 km, flat, through office towers and under railway arches
• Tempōzan: The Lowest Mountain in Japan, a Free Ferry That Counts as a Road, and a Port You Are Not Meant to Look At — 6 stops, about 29 min, About 3 km, completely flat, along the waterfront, with one short ferry crossing
• Dolls, Fireworks, Radios and Anime: A Kilometre of Osaka Where the Trade Changes Every Few Blocks — 6 stops, about 27 min, About 2.5 km, flat, straight down a north-south corridor of shopping streets
• Minoo: A Wilderness Thirty Minutes From the Subway, the Monkeys We Taught to Steal, and a Snack Made of Leaves — 6 stops, about 29 min, About 4 km there and back, on a made-up path climbing gently through a gorge
• Senri: Japan's First New Town, the Flat That Changed How People Lived, and What Happens When Everybody Ages at Once — 6 stops, about 28 min, About 3 km, over low hills, on wide planted footpaths separated from the roads
• The Yodogawa Levee: A Flood Defence With Sixty Baseball Pitches on It — 6 stops, about 30 min, About 4 km, flat, along the top of an embankment and across the grass below it
• Tekijuku: The Attic Where Modern Japan Was Taught, and the One Dictionary Everybody Queued For — 6 stops, about 28 min, About 2.5 km, flat, through the office streets of the old merchant quarter
• Higashi Osaka: Six Thousand Factories, Nobody Making a Finished Thing, and the Satellite They Built to Prove It — 6 stops, about 28 min, Factory back streets · about 3 km · flat
• The House That Lent to Lords: Osaka Credit, and What Happens When Your Debtor Cannot Be Sued — 6 stops, about 27 min, Old money quarter · about 2 km · flat
• The Policeman Who Burned His Own City: Ōshio Heihachiro, a Famine, and the Doctrine That Knowing Is Not Enough — 6 stops, about 26 min, Tenma to the old grid · about 1.6 km · flat
• Under the Approach: The Airport Lawsuit That Lost in Court and Won Everything Else — 6 stops, about 27 min, Under the flight path · about 2.2 km · flat
• Pressed Sushi: The Older Kind — 6 stops, about 23 min, 5 km, about 2.5 hours
• Fukushima and Kitashinchi — 6 stops, about 24 min, 2.5 km, about 80 min
• Hōzenji Yokochō and the Old Lanes of Minami — 6 stops, about 23 min, 400 m, mostly standing still
• Konamon: The Flour Food City — 6 stops, about 24 min, 4 km plus three short subway rides
• Spice Curry: The Dish This City Invented Last Week — 6 stops, about 24 min, 4.5 km plus a short subway ride

Sapporo 14 walks

• Odori Park & the Planned City — 5 stops, about 30 min, 2.5 km through the city centre
• Hokkaido University: The Frontier College — 5 stops, about 31 min, 3 km around the campus
• Sapporo Beer & the Red Star — 5 stops, about 28 min, 1.5 km around the old brewery
• Susukino & the Food City — 5 stops, about 30 min, 2 km through the nightlife district
• The Snow Festival & the Winter City — 5 stops, about 28 min, snow festival sites and viewpoints
• Hokkaido Shrine & Maruyama — 5 stops, about 31 min, 3 km, shrine, park and forest
• Moerenuma Park: A Sculpture the Size of a Landscape — 5 stops, about 29 min, park loop, best by bike
• The Ainu and the Making of Hokkaido — 5 stops, about 32 min, a reflective walk, and the road to Upopoy
• Otaru: The Herring Port & the Gas-Lit Canal — 5 stops, about 30 min, 2.5 km through the old town
• Volcano Country: Tōya, Usu and the Hells of Noboribetsu — 6 stops, about 29 min, by car, Shikotsu-Tōya National Park
• Furano and Biei: The Painted Hills — 6 stops, about 28 min, by car, central Hokkaido
• Niseko: Fifteen Metres of Snow — 6 stops, about 27 min, by car or bus, Niseko
• Shiretoko: Drift Ice and Brown Bears — 6 stops, about 28 min, by car, Shiretoko Peninsula
• The Mountains of Sapporo: Moiwa's Sea of Light & the Jōzankei Hot Springs — 5 stops, about 31 min, by ropeway, bus and car into the mountains

Sendai 10 walks

• Date Masamune & the Castle With No Keep — 5 stops, about 28 min, 2 km on Aoba hill
• Zuihōden: The Mausoleum in the Cedars — 5 stops, about 29 min, 1.5 km, steps and forest paths
• Matsushima: Islands, Pines and the Wave That Spared Them — 6 stops, about 29 min, 3 km, waterfront, temple and islands
• Ōsaki Hachimangū & the Naked Pilgrimage — 5 stops, about 28 min, 1.5 km, shrine grounds and steps
• Tanabata: Three Days of Paper and a Story About Stars — 6 stops, about 28 min, 2 km through the arcades
• Beef Tongue, Bean Paste and the Sea — 6 stops, about 28 min, 2 km, station district and arcades
• The Coast: Arahama and the Eleventh of March — 6 stops, about 28 min, 2 km, memorial site and shore
• The Samurai Who Sailed to Rome — 5 stops, about 27 min, 1.5 km, museum and city sites
• Akiu: Hot Springs, a Gorge and a Waterfall — 5 stops, about 27 min, by bus and on foot, valley and falls
• Jōzenji-dōri & the City of Trees — 6 stops, about 31 min, 2 km along the avenue

Takayama 10 walks

• Sanmachi: The Merchant Streets — 6 stops, about 29 min, 2 km through the old town
• Takayama Jinya: The Shogun's Office — 6 stops, about 28 min, 1 km, the compound
• The Festival Floats and the Puppets on Strings — 6 stops, about 30 min, 2 km, shrine and float halls
• The Carpenters Who Were Sent as Tax — 6 stops, about 28 min, 2 km, temple and craft sites
• Hida Folk Village: Houses Moved Off the Mountain — 6 stops, about 30 min, 2 km around the site
• Shirakawa-gō: The Village in the Snow — 6 stops, about 30 min, 3 km, village and viewpoint
• Hida Beef, Leaf-Grilled Miso and Mountain Food — 6 stops, about 28 min, 1.5 km, old town eating
• The Morning Markets — 6 stops, about 27 min, 2 km, both markets
• The Temple Walk on the Eastern Hill — 6 stops, about 28 min, 3.5 km, hillside path
• Into the Northern Alps — 6 stops, about 30 min, by bus, then valley walking

Tokyo 35 walks

• Old Tokyo: An Asakusa Walking Tour — 7 stops, about 29 min, 1.5 km
• Meiji Jingū & Harajuku: Forest, Shrine, and the Birth of Cool — 6 stops, about 25 min, 2 km
• Ueno: Bronze Buddhas, a Lost Battle, and the Black-Market Street — 6 stops, about 24 min, 2 km
• Shibuya: The Busiest Crossing on Earth — and the Bars Behind It — 6 stops, about 24 min, 1.8 km
• Shinjuku: Skyscrapers by Day, Lantern Alleys by Night — 6 stops, about 25 min, 2.2 km
• The Imperial Palace & Tokyo Station: The Quiet Center — 6 stops, about 25 min, 2.5 km
• Yanaka: The Tokyo That Survived — 6 stops, about 25 min, 1.8 km
• Ginza: Tokyo's Elegant Heart — 6 stops, about 26 min, 2 km
• Tsukiji: A Food Walk Through the Outer Market — 6 stops, about 25 min, 1.2 km
• Akihabara: Electric Town & the Otaku Universe — 6 stops, about 25 min, 1.5 km
• Odaiba: The Future on the Water — 6 stops, about 24 min, 2.5 km
• Inside the Tokyo National Museum — 6 stops, about 25 min, Honkan · 2 floors
• Inside the Kyū Iwasaki-tei Mansion — 6 stops, about 23 min, Estate · 3 buildings
• Inside Sensō-ji: The Main Hall — 6 stops, about 24 min, Hondō · one hall
• The Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum — 6 stops, about 24 min, Open-air park · ~30 buildings
• Up the Tokyo Skytree — 6 stops, about 24 min, Tower · 350m & 450m decks
• Nihonbashi: The Zero Milestone — 6 stops, about 24 min, 2.5 km, central Tokyo
• Ryōgoku: Sumo, Fire and the East Bank — 6 stops, about 24 min, 2.5 km, Sumida
• Jimbōchō: The Book Town — 6 stops, about 25 min, 2 km, Chiyoda
• Kagurazaka: The Hill With Two Accents — 6 stops, about 24 min, 2.5 km on a slope
• A Walk Through Shinjuku Gyoen — 6 stops, about 24 min, Garden · ~58 hectares
• Mount Takao: The Most Climbed Mountain on Earth Is Fifty Minutes From Shinjuku — 6 stops, about 24 min, Between 3 and 8 km depending on the trail, with about 400 metres of climb
• Ochanomizu: A Valley Cut by Hand, a Rebel's Head, and a Bridge Named for Two Sages — 6 stops, about 25 min, About 2.5 km, with some steps
• Shinagawa: Forty-Seven Graves, the Gate Out of Edo, and a Railway Built in the Sea — 6 stops, about 25 min, About 4 km, flat, along the old highway and up to the temple
• Shimokitazawa: The Town That Argued With a Road and Won — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 2.5 km, flat, almost entirely on lanes too narrow for cars
• Fukagawa: A Poet's Banana Tree, Mitsubishi's Collected Stones, and the Night the Low City Burned — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 3.5 km, entirely flat, along canals and back streets
• Tsukishima and Tsukuda: Fishermen From Osaka, an Island Made From Dredged Mud, and Seventy Griddles — 6 stops, about 25 min, About 3 km, completely flat, along a boat basin and a street of small restaurants
• Nakameguro and Daikanyama: A Concrete River, Eight Hundred Cherry Trees, and Twenty-Five Years of One Architect — 6 stops, about 24 min, About 3 km, one gentle hill, along a river and up through back streets
• Koenji: A Dance Borrowed From Shikoku, Four Covered Arcades, and the Recycle Shop That Started a Protest — 6 stops, about 26 min, About 2.5 km, flat, mostly under cover in the arcades
• Roppongi and Azabu-Juban: Warlords, Then Soldiers, Then Seventeen Years of Buying a Hill — 6 stops, about 25 min, About 3 km with two real hills, from a ridge down into a valley and back up
• Ebisu: The District a Beer Named — 6 stops, about 23 min, 2.2 km, flat
• Kanda — The Old Eating Houses — 6 stops, about 24 min, 1.4 km, flat
• Kappabashi Kitchen Town — 6 stops, about 23 min, 2 km, flat
• Sunamachi Ginza, the Side Dish Street — 6 stops, about 23 min, 1.4 km there and back
• Toyosu Market — 6 stops, about 23 min, 1.5 km, mostly indoors

Yokohama 10 walks

• Minato Mirai: The Harbor of the Future — 6 stops, about 35 min, 3 km waterfront walk
• Chinatown & the Bluff — 5 stops, about 29 min, 2.5 km walk
• Sankei-en: The Silk Baron's Garden — 6 stops, about 29 min, Garden circuit
• Noge: Yokohama After Dark — 5 stops, about 28 min, 1.5 km · best after 5pm
• Yamate: The Hill of Foreign Houses — 5 stops, about 29 min, 2.5 km, uphill at the start
• The City That Invented Your Dinner — 5 stops, about 29 min, 2 km, plus two museum detours
• Sōji-ji: The Zen Headquarters — 5 stops, about 28 min, A working monastery in Tsurumi
• Kanazawa Hakkei: The Eight Views — 5 stops, about 28 min, 2.5 km in southern Yokohama
• The Old Tōkaidō — 5 stops, about 29 min, Historic highway sites across the city
• Negishi: Where Japan Learned to Race — 5 stops, about 28 min, A hilltop park in southern Yokohama