Embrace Amazing Adventures in Japan

With the new year fast approaching, why not make it your resolution to try one of the many amazing adventures on offer in Japan in 2018? From island hopping on bikes across the Seto Inland sea, to exploring Japan’s largest limestone caves, or clambering over mountainous bridges built over 1,000 years ago, there are many adventures in Japan that are guaranteed to keep your adrenaline pumping!

Canyoning and water rafting in the Tokushima Prefecture

Iya Valley is a hotspot for adventurous travellers and it’s not difficult to see why. Activities on offer in the area include white water rafting and canyoning in Oboke Gorge and the Yoshino River, scaling the sheer cliffs of the Shikoku Mountains and walking across Kazurabashi Bridge, a famous 45m bridge made of mountain vines that crosses above the Iya River. The bridge was first established in the 1000’s during the Gempei War and is rebuilt every three years. Visitors can relax at the end of a day of adventure by bathing in one of the natural hot springs dotted across the valley.

Island hop on two wheels across Setouchi’s islands

The Shimanami Kaido is a spectacular 60km road and bridge network connecting Japan’s mainland to its fourth largest island, Shikoku. The route begins in Onomichi (Hiroshima Prefecture) and winds over the sea, through the mountains and mangroves, ending in Imabari (Ehime Prefecture) crossing six smaller islands, like stepping-stones across the Inland Sea. Earlier this year, Shimanami Kaido was named one of the world’s 50 most appealing cycling routes by Lonely Planet’s “Epic Bike Rides of the World”, and the route offers plenty of scenic photo opportunities and traditional experiences.

Soar across Japan’s inland sea, Hiroshima Prefecture, Ehime Prefecture, Kagawa Prefecture

For the first time, visitors to Japan can now fly in a sea plane. The Setouchi Seaplanes fly amphibious aircrafts between the Sanin and Sanyo regions in western Japan, making it easier than ever to explore remote islands in Setouchi while getting a privileged view of the calm waters of the inland sea and mountainous islands below. Flights cost 32,000￥ for 50 minutes.

Scale the world’s longest suspension bridge, Ehime

If it isn’t enough to walk across the world’s longest suspension bridge, thrill-seekers can now go to the very top. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which spans the Akashi Strait between Kobe and Awaji island offers a fantastic view from the top of a 300metre tall pillar. A lift carries people to the top of the bridge, where stunning views of Shodo Island and Osaka can be enjoyed. Two tours run daily and the costs are: adult 3,000￥, child 1,500￥.

Explore Japan’s longest limestone caves, Yamaguchi

One of Japan’s most unique natural sights is in Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park, Yamaghuci Prefecture. The park is home to Japan’s largest and longest limestone caves, complete with underground rivers which are open to visitors to explore. The caves are eight metres wide, twenty-four metres high and ten kilometres long so there is a lot to explore!  Just remember to bring a jacket – it gets nippy down there! Tickets are priced at 1,200￥.

Witness other-worldly whirlpools

The Naruto whirlpools occur along the Shikoku coast of the Naruto Strait, and are created by the large volumes of water moving between the Seto Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean between high and low tide. Visitors to Tokushima or Hyogo can brave the seas from the deck of a tide-watching boat which takes you right up to the whirlpools, or experience a bird’s eye view from the observatory of the Ōnaruto Bridge. Fares for the tide-watching boat are 1,800 for adults and 900 for children.

To find out more about adventure opportunities in Japan, or to learn more about any of these experiences, head to http://setouchitourism.or.jp