Good area for hiking in May
 

We will be visiting Japan for 3 weeks in May for the first time and beside visiting the cultural highlights we would also like to experience some of the countryside while hiking. We will fly into/out of Narita and then travel around Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, Hiroshima, Takayama by Rail Pass. So we will be flexible to go to some other area.

Now it is too early in the year for Mt. Fuji and most of the walks in the central Alps round Kamikochi will likely still have too much snow and ice, also. Anyway, we could probably find similar hiking in the European Alps. So we are thinking about hiking in one of the volcanic areas. From guide books there are some interesting ones near Aso and on northern Honshu. Any ideas for day to multi-day hikes are welcome. I've got the Lonely Planet Walking guide but most of the hikes suggested there require camping gear.

Are there mountain huts for accomodation in any of these areas? We don't want to carry around camping gear for three weeks when using it only for a few nights.

Thanks for any suggestions,
Michael

It sounds like you are looking for serious mountain hiking, but I have to say that for a short trip it seems a bit of a waste to spend it looking at, well, nothing but trees similar to what you would see elsewhere.

My personal suggestion would be to look into some of the older pilgrimage routes. Kumanokodo is probably the most well known, and has some absolutely beautiful stretches. It presents not just nature but a good slice of history and tradition along with it. As it was a route for those on pilgrimage, it is split into manageable chunks for single day hikes. The photos up on Wikipedia present it as a long road, but that`s a very small part. The majority of it is following small trails through the mountains.

If you are experienced and know how to keep from getting lost - Aokigahara is also a beautiful place to hike and one of the few locations you will find in central Japan that is pretty much untouched by man.

I think if you go toward the end of May, Kamikochi should be ok to hike. I went not much later, in June, and the only snow was high in the mountains, far away from the hiking area which is in a valley between the mountains. But ask around while you're in Takayama.

You can hike to the top of the mountain on Miyajima Island, off the coast of Hiroshima. That only takes a few hours going up, but it's a pretty steep climb. You can also hike up the pilgrimage trail to Koyasan instead of taking the gondola up, if you are going there.

Yes, we are looking for some serious hiking. But it doesn't need to be in very high mountains. That's why we are thinking about not going to the Japanese Alps but maybe some volcanic area which we cannot find everywhere else.
That sounds like an interesting idea. I'll explore that a bit more. Are there temples or other accomodation along the way? Nowaday pilgrims seem to use coaches...

My navigation is fine although I would have to get a Japanese map and having to use Kanji on there will be tricky as I don't speak Japanese...

Thanks for the suggestions.
Michael

That would be an awesome hike! Considering I was too hot and too much of a weenie at the time, I didn't hike it... I took the wire-car :D Although hiking it would be amazing. (Though beware of the monkeys)

It's a lot steeper and harder than the pleasant little sign at the beginning suggests, LOL! I did it in winter and ended up catching a cold from it. I ended up taking the cable car back down. It would have been smarter to take the cable car up and hike down, but I felt a sense of accomplishment for making it to the top.

I would suggest you to visit Mt. Aso - It is the biggest active volcano in Japan and you can hike it up. It is between Kumamoto and Beppu city (2hr by JR train from Beppu / 1hr from Kumamoto).

If you were looking for relaxation after the hike I would suggest Beppu City -
the most famous onsen city in Japan (mud baths, steam baths, sand baths, onsens) and wild onsens in mountains above the city.
Beppu, Ōita - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is a Monkey Park between Beppu City with about 1000 wild Japanese makaks. The park is about 30 minutes by bus from Beppu.
Beppu Travel: Takasakiyama Monkey Park

HAPPY NEKO - Budget accommodation in Beppu, Japan