The Aesthetic pride and cultivation of rural Japan is the understated trait that adorns this country with such vehemence.  It is the underlying catalyst that drives travellers to seek it out.  With stunning countryside filled with expansive lakes, snow capped mountain ranges, thrashing waterfalls and exemplary natural beaches; this country is much more than just a frantic stop off in Tokyo. 
 
Shiretoko National Park
 
Covering most of the Shiretoko Peninsula, almost all of the rustic beauty in this countryside paradise is accessible only via boat or foot, making it a true excursion into the rural, devoid of urban infection.  Home to the brown bear populous in Japan and withholding the natural hot spring of Kamuiwaka falls, this park sets to awe and amaze. 
 
Prepare for the sight of snow capped mountains being split at the centre by a mirror of azure hue.  Exquisite symmetry stating bucolic poetry as the mountains gander at their reflection in the lake.  Traipse through the wild countryside of Japan and experience the untold majesty of this country’s rustic brilliance.  Get lost in a world of incandescent green, hike through ravines, traverse countless hillocks and explore rich forested terrain to discover the resplendence lying in wait.  The trekking, walking and climbing is part of the whole here and well worth the struggle to uncover such isolated splendour.  Flecked with Sakhalin Fir, Erman’s Birch, and Mongolian Oak, these dense forested areas embay a wealth of flora and fauna to be unearthed and admired. 
 
Ogasawara Islands
 
Ogasawara Islands is an archipelago of over 30 subtropical islands, only two of which are inhabited.  Nicknamed the Galapagos of the orient, this cluster of islands plays house to a cast of wildlife that has evolved in a number of unique ways as a result of seclusion, including the elusive Pipistrellus sturdeei bat which hasn’t been seen since 1915, proving this to be an intriguing trip for all animal enthusiasts.  As the inspiration behind the Orange Islands in the prolific Pokemon anime series, these Islands have been an item of reverence and adoration to the Japanese for generations, continuing to impress and affect today. 
 
Unveil crystalline coves, each marooned and derelict, culminating this isolated charm that abounds around these Islands.  The term “Private Beach” has never been more earnest than in describing these sandy crescent shaped sickles imposing themselves on the banks of the Earth.  They are countless and remote in ways that even the finest resorts cannot abide, asking only that you take a pew atop their warm yielding surface, to relax in peerless isolation. 
 
Shirakami – Sanchi Mountain Range – Aomori and Akita
 
One of the last natural Beech forests left in East Asia.  Shirakami-Sanchi Mountain Range is a series of peaks and gorges, with rivers bleeding from cascades and snaking through ravines.  Scaling the Mase Valley and Amnon falls, this vast primeval range is focal point for the rural wonders of Japan.  For keen climbers why not tackle the summits of Shirakami-dake and Tengu-dake mountains.  Or if you prefer a less arduous delve into nature, a gentle hike to Amnon Falls is the perfect approach to assimilating Japan’s pastoral grandeur. 
 
Gasp at the prowess of the Golden Eagle as it prowls for prey.  Observe the gait of the Asian Black Bear with its unique white chest and aggressive nature.  Listen to the Black Woodpeckers relentlessly pummelling tree trunks with their razor sharp beaks.  An unofficial sanctuary to rare and fascinating creatures deems this phenomenon of rustic wonder an indulgent philotherianistic affair. 
 
Nikko National Park
 
At Lake Chuzenji there is something to see or do all year round.  Watch the cherry blossoms unfurl during spring, blushing the terrain, imbuing it with colour and salient life.  In autumn witness the waning flora paint the mountainside vermillion, and in the bitter cusp of winter, embrace that virginal, celestial coat as it settles on the surrounding land.  This sacred lake precedes Mount Nantai as a breathtaking repayment to its creation, swooning all to tread its face. 
 
Coursing through the forests of Nikko National Park is a series of cascades and falls stemming from Lake Chuzenji called Kenon Falls.  Misao Fujimara, A Japanese Philosophy student and poet, carved his farewell poem into a tree trunk before leaping off at the zenith of Kenon falls.  This story, being sensationalised in contemporary news, became a subject of intrigue and compels all types to see for themselves the beauty that he finally succumbed to.  For a journey through picturesque landscapes there are few contentious alternatives, so pull on your boots and mull over the irrepressible craft of our glorious planet.

Share this article: