themselves in thick woodland and verdant valleys, is Okuno-in. This vast wooded cemetery exudes an almost primeval atmosphere with its tall cedars, moss-covered stone stupas and small jizo statues dressed in vivid red bibs. At its eastern end, the cemetery gives way to a richly decorated hall lit by 10,000 constantly burning oil lanterns, the Hall of Lanterns, behind which, almost hidden in a cloud of incense and dense woodland, is Daishi’s understated and off-limits mausoleum. Whether you are religious or not, the incense and droning chants of visiting pilgrims coming through the ancient wood create a powerful, electrifying energy.
Okuno-in is one of several reasons Koya-san received World Heritage status in 2004. On the other side of Koya-san, the Shingon sect’s main temple, the Kongobu-ji, is another. Although not the most eye-catching of structures, it boasts a must-see collection of 16th-century screen paintings and one of the country’s largest landscaped rock gardens, which, much like the one at Ryoan-ji in Kyoto (page 50), offers visitors a cryptic arrangement of rocks and raked gravel.
Rounding off the Koya-san experience is the accommodation. Approximately 50 of the monasteries offer shukubo (temple accommodation; see page 83), which typically features a Spartan and tranquil tatami mat guest room, a multicourse vegetarian dinner and the chance to join the monks and pilgrims for early morning prayers. If you are lucky, that will include being able to observe the morning fire ceremonies, during which a lone monk burns 108 small pieces of wood representative of the 108 defilements that must be overcome before reaching enlightenment. Accompanied by pulsating chanting and leaping flames, it’s a spectacular way to start the day.
Getting There From Namba Station in Osaka, take the Nankai Line to Gokurakubashi Station (70–100 minutes; sometimes requiring a change at Hashimoto Station). From there it’s a 5-minute cable car ride up to Koya-san. Contact Koya-san Tourist Association: eng.shukubo.net
16 Yakushima Island, Kyushu
A richly diverse ecosystem and World Heritage Site
If you are like the tens of thousands of Tokyoites who reach for face masks and antihistamines every spring, when cedar pollen floods in from the western hills, Yakushima may not be the most suitable of destinations. The small circular island, 30 kilometers (17 miles) in diameter and 1,000 kilometers (almost 600 miles) southwest of Tokyo, is famed for its giant, ancient cedars.
Dubbed the “Alps on the Ocean” for its 40 or so craggy peaks that reach upward of 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), providing the slopes on which the mighty cedars grow, Yakushima came to international attention when it was granted World Heritage status in 1993 because of its unique flora and fauna. That designation was made primarily because of the several thousand-year-old Yaku-sugi cedars (the eldest of which are claimed by some to be the oldest in the world at an estimated 7,200 years), but also for a rich diversity that includes the Yakushima rhododendron, which speckles the island pink, white and red in June.
Although it attracts Japanese tourists, Yakushima has so far remained off the beaten path for international travelers, which is remarkable given its stunning primeval beauty. The cedars tower above dense foliage that carpets an undulating sea of granite-rich mountains. Hiking trails cut across Tolkien-like mountain streams in subtropical rainforest that perspires a deep mossy aroma. Away from the interior, the rainforest gives way to a coastline of pristine beaches and offshore diving spots.
The island is a naturalist’s dream, but it’s not always easy on travelers. The heat and humidity can be oppressive, especially in July and August, while the island attracts so much rain–some 10 meters (33 feet) a year on average in the interior–that the 14,000 inhabitants wryly claim it to be the only place on earth to get 35 days of rain a month. But don’t let that put you off. Yakushima will leave you wet but awestruck too.
Getting There There are daily flights to Yakushima’s small airport from Kagaoshima and from Itami in Osaka. The island can also be reached from Kagoshima, 60 kilometers (33 miles) away, by hydrofoil (2 hours) and ferry (4 hours). Contact Kagoshima Prefectural Visitors Bureau: kagoshima-kankou.com
17 Niseko Ski Resort, Hokkaido
Japan’s northern island has the world’s best snow
The small ski resort town of Niseko in southwestern Hokkaido, in Japan’s far north, lays claim to the finest powder snow in the world and volcanic alpine vistas to match; the 1,898-meter (6,227-foot)-high Mount Yotei, often likened to Mount Fuji for its symmetry, stands out among the clouds opposite the main slopes. The name Niseko is derived from the ethnic Ainu language of Hokkaido and is short for Niseko Annupura, which translates as the rather long-winded but apt “mountain with a river, which runs around the bottom of a sheer cliff.”
After a 1970s boom that saw the area establish itself as a favorite among Japanese skiers, Niseko went into gradual decline, and the once fashionable hotels showed their age as skiers headed to newer destinations. In recent years, however, Niseko has risen again and it now boasts four interconnected resorts–Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri–that are up to international standards and finally do justice to the quality of the area’s snow. In the process, Niseko has also become one of the most foreigner-friendly destinations in the country, in large part thanks to an influx of Australian property developers and tourists from Southeast Asia and China. Almost all the hotels, restaurants and ski schools offer English service, still something of a rarity in Japan outside major urban centers and major destinations like Kyoto.
The area also offers diversity. Away from the resorts in Niseko there are prime backcountry powder and ample opportunities for ice climbing, telemark skiing and snowboarding through virgin snow. And when the ski season draws to a close in April (it starts in late November), the snow makes way for a summer season of whitewater rafting, mountain biking, hiking, golfing and kayaking. Add to that the year-round mineral-rich hot springs, perfect for soaking away your exertions, and it’s no wonder Niseko is going through a renaissance.
Getting There From Sapporo Station, take the JR Kaisoku Airport (Rapid Service) to Otaru Station (45 minutes), then the JR Hakodate Line to Niseko Station (1 hour 40 minutes). Alternatively, buses run direct from Sapporo (approximately 3 hours). Numerous daily flights connect Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport with Tokyo, Osaka and other major cities. Contact Niseko Promotion Board: nisekotourism.com/en
18 The Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa
Pristine nature and distinctive Ryukyuan culture
The Yaeyama Islands are as remote a place as you can find in Japan. At the southernmost and westernmost extremity of the country, this group of 10 islands is closer to Taiwan than to the main island of Okinawa, 450 kilometers (280 miles) to the northeast. Tokyo is 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) away. Given the geography, the islands have historically been so detached from Japan’s major islands that some of the islanders here speak a local Ryukyuan language, with Japanese as their second tongue. Spend a few days here and you begin to wonder if you’re still in Japan.
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