A horn’s bellow broke the pitter-patter on the emerald maples, alders, and oaks. Our Yamabushi guide blew the conch, signaling the rainy morning’s ceremonious start at the cardinal Zuishin Gate. We were about to hike to the summit of Mount Haguro, one of three sacred peaks comprising the Dewa Sanzan.
The timeworn pathway threads dense old-growth cedar and pine speckled with altars. There are dozens of inscribed stone steles, sub-shrines, and a climb of 2,446 stone steps.
Designated a Japan Heritage site within Bandai-Asahi National Park, the pilgrimage is one of Japan’s oldest locations of mountain worship. Located 288 miles north of Tokyo, Tohoku attracts only 2% of the country’s millions of international travelers, reports Japan’s National Tourism Organization.
While the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train makes access fast, Tohoku is expansive. This rural region is divided north–south by the Ōu Mountains. My travel group and I rode the train from Tokyo to Fukushima Station in one and a half hours. Though, travel between trailheads requires a bit more planning than urban treks.
However, if you are inspired by living ancient culture, preserved historic sites, and remote wilderness, this is the region for you. From the mountains to the rocky coast, it offers diverse topography and lesser-known treks.
Read on to learn more about hiking Mount Haguro, Mount Yudono, Volcano Trail (to Mount Issaikyo), and segments of the Michinoku Coastal Trail.
Read about my go-to hybrid travel backpack for this international trip: Osprey Fairview 40 Travel Pack Review.
Mount Haguro & Yudono Waterfall
Commencing at Zuishin Gate, my Haguro pilgrimage began with a descent through gigantic old-growth cedars. Reaching 1,359 feet high, Mount Haguro forms the Dewa Sanzan alongside its sister peaks, Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono. It’s a half-day, beginner-friendly trek.
Our Yamabushi guide — who wore a traditional white robe, tokin cap, and patterned yuigesa stole — was a practitioner of Shugendō. The syncretic spiritual tradition combines elements of Buddhism, Shinto, and Taoism.
At the movement’s peak, several million Japanese pilgrims sought these hillsides annually, supported by 300 pilgrim lodges. That ended during the Meiji Restoration in the late 18060s, when the government forcibly separated Buddhism from Shinto.
Today, thousands of pilgrims still seek the journey. and 23 historical lodges remain in operation.
According to the Shugendō belief, we were descending into the basin of judgment, also known as Jigokudani or Hell’s Valley. Despite the ominous name, the forest felt very peaceful.
As the fern-bordered route leveled out, the path continued past Massha sub-shrines. Hikers crossed the crimson Shinkyo Bridge over the rushing Harai River, near the thundering Suga Falls.
The hike continued to the forest’s eldest tree: Jijisugi, a gargantuan 1,000-year-old cedar. With thick, multitoned bark, it’s known as Grandpa Cedar. Within view stood the Gojūtonō, a designated National Treasure of Japan.
Standing nearly 95 feet tall, the five-story structure is the oldest wooden pagoda in the region. It was built more than 6 centuries ago. The resilient architecture is designed to withstand earthquakes and heavy rainfall.
From there, we ascended the bulk of the 2,446 stone steps through the dense canopy. At the summit stood the massive Sanjingosaiden Shrine, which was reconstructed in 1818 by 90,554 carpenters and craftsmen. Adjacent was the Saikan pilgrim lodge, where our group enjoyed a traditional Shojin Ryori meal with locally foraged mountain vegetables.
That afternoon, our group took a shuttle to the base of 4,922-foot Mount Yudono. Alongside Yamabushi ascetics, we hiked to a sacred waterfall. There we observed takigyo, a ritual plunge representing a spiritual rebirth and soul cleanse. Several hikers in our group elected to participate in the cold plunge, stepping beneath the freezing falls.
Albeit a short one-mile loop, this canyoning-style experience is hands-on and technical. The initial descent includes steep, rocky, and root-filled portions. The trail leads to the banks of Sennin Stream, followed by rock-hopping and wading through the cold water.
To complete the loop, the route features an exposed ladder climb and an undulating root-laden path through the woods. Hikers with a fear of heights should consider inquiring with the guides about returning the way you came.
Trekkers can stay at Shukubo, a temple monastery house, the night before the ancient pilgrimage trek on Mount Haguro. Simple and basic, the overnight stay includes shared accommodation and a floor cot.
Note that the Mount Haguro pilgrimage and Yudono waterfall hike could both be completed as an out-and-back.
- Style: One-way (Haguro); loop (Yudono waterfall)
- Distance: 3.3 miles RT (Haguro); 1.2 miles RT (Yudono waterfall)
- Elevation gain: 896 feet (Haguro); 788 feet (Yudono waterfall)
- Duration: 2 hours (Haguro); 1 hour, 20 minutes (Yudono waterfall)
- Map: Bandai-Asahi National Park
- Prefecture: Yamagata
- Season: June–October
- Accommodation: 300-year-old Shukubo Daishinbo pilgrim lodge with shared commodities (0.3-mile walk from Haguro’s Zuishin Gate)
- Guide: DEGAM Tsuruoka Tourism Bureau
Read about my choice of carry-on luggage for this international trip: Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled Duffel 40L Review.
Volcano Trail
In Bandai-Asahi National Park — the second-largest national park in Japan — Volcano Trail is an intermediate-level out-and-back day hike to the top of Mount Issaikyo. The name, which means the set of Buddhist scriptures, refers to a legend of sacred scrolls that were buried near the summit by samurai warrior Abe no Sadato circa 1062 CE.
From the summit’s northern edge, you can peer down at Goshikinuma, a cobalt blue volcanic lake in Mount Azuma, colloquially known as the Witch’s Eye.
The zone is speckled with steaming fumaroles, sulfur vents, craters. and more than 300 swamps and lakes created through phreatic eruptions.
From the trailhead, hot gas actively escaped from a vent on the southeast slope of 6,677-foot Mount Azuma, the highest point in the peak’s namesake volcanic cluster formed over hundreds of thousands of years.
A mixed route, the trail includes volcanic rocky singletrack, timber stairs on steep slopes, and an elevated boardwalk through the high-altitude Jododaira marshland. The hike is mostly sun-exposed as it climbs through sub-alpine shrubs and cotton-grass.
The surrounding forest — which spectacularly turns red and orange in the autumn — ascends through mixed evergreen, beech, oak, alder, maples, birch, and five-needle white pine.
The lattermost is a famous species, called the Azuma Goyomatsu, featuring wildly bent branches and twisted trunks that are shaped by the wind, serving as inspiration for bonsai cultivation, a traditional Japanese art form of shaping miniature trees.
Though, wild harvesting is illegal in the national park. Today, Azuma Goyomatsu bonsai are grown ethically in private nurseries.
Nearly halfway, hikers pass the Sugadaira Evacuation Hut and toilet. It’s a great spot to eat a snack and use the trail’s only facilities before finishing the climb. A great lunch spot is at Jododaira Rest House, at the base of the hike.
The trailhead is also home to the Jododaira Visitor Center with a topographical diorama, educational displays, and map of the Azuma Mountains.
The summit can be windy and chilly in the fall, so pack insulation and rain layers. I hiked here in September on a sunny, humid, 70-degree day with a breeze. The average temperature range in the fall is 64 to 79 degrees.
- Style: Out and back
- Distance: 3.7 miles RT
- Elevation gain: 1,145 feet
- Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Map: Bandai-Asahi National Park
- Prefecture: Fukushima
- Season: June–October
- Accommodation: Hotel Sansuiso (45-min. drive from TH)
- Guide: Tohoku Local Secret Tours
Read about my favorite women’s travel pants worn for this international trip: Best Travel Pants for Women of 2026.
Michinoku Coastal Trail
Along Japan’s Pacific coastline, the Michinoku Coastal Trail (MCT) is a major draw for trekkers exploring the Tohoku region. Developed starting in 2019 into a continuous 637-mile route, the trail traces the dynamic eastern shore.
Sections parallel the Pacific, weave from white sand beaches to dense pine forests, navigate coastal tunnels equipped with ropes and ladders, and climb towering promontories for bird’s-eye ocean views. I hiked two sections along the Sanriku Coast within Sanriku Fukko National Park.
In the coastal city of Hachinohe, I started at the MCT’s northern terminus at the hilltop Kabushima Shrine, where hikers traditionally pause to pray or meditate for a safe journey. East of the shrine lies Kabushima Promenade Park, where an official trailhead kiosk provides route maps and trail information.
The 4.9-mile segment I hiked was relatively flat and well graded, with just 59 feet of elevation gain. The easygoing path wove across sidewalks, sand, crushed gravel, wooden boardwalks, and dirt singletrack. Most of the route offered wide-open views of the rocky shoreline and thick groves of Japanese red pine.
Lined with bluebells, wild chervil, rose hips, sunflowers, and Japanese pampas grass, the landscape felt untouched.
The trail passed a pristine ivory crescent beach stretching three-quarters of a mile, as well as the Tanesashi Natural Lawn — a rolling, manicured expanse with camping — before ending at the Tanesashi Coast Information Center.
This mostly unshaded stretch gets plenty of direct sun, but restrooms and public water fountains intermittently line the route for water bottle refills.
Furthermore, tap water throughout the park is clean and safe to drink, though checking local trail advisories before setting out is always wise.
Afterward, another section I hiked that same day began at Kitayama Beach, located between the cities of Kuji and Miyako.
The route navigated cliffside ladder sections and a series of rock tunnels — hand-chiseled and dynamited 70 years ago — threading past rocky coves and steep switchbacks before ending at the Tsukuehama Fisherman’s Huts, a historic collection of 22 traditional wooden fisherman’s huts located in Tanohata Village. The site is still actively used by fishermen today.
Rebuilt following the 2011 tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as after the 1958 Sanriku tsunami, the huts serve as a hub for gear storage, net repairs, trip preparation, and processing seaweed. In 2006, the cluster was nationally designated as one of Japan’s 100 historical and cultural assets of fishing villages.
Offering experiential learning, visitors can also book guided tours led by fishermen, sea salt–making workshops, and seafood cooking classes.
- Style: One-way
- Distance: 4.9 miles RT (Kabushima Shrine to Tanesashi Coast Information Center); 1.2 miles RT (Kitayama Beach to Tsukuehama Fisherman’s Huts)
- Elevation gain: 59 feet (Kabushima Shrine to Tanesashi Coast Information Center); 788 feet (Kitayama Beach to Tsukuehama Fisherman’s Huts)
- Duration: 2 hours (Kabushima Shrine to Tanesashi Coast Information Center); 1 hour, 45 min (Kitayama Beach to Tsukuehama Fisherman’s Huts)
- Map: Michinoku Coastal Trail Association
- Prefecture: Aomori (MCT continues through Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima)
- Season: April/May, Sep/Oct
- Accommodation: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Hachinohe (15-minute drive; 1 hour, 38-minute walk to Kabushima Shrine TH); Jodogahama Park Hotel Miyako (1-hour drive south of Tsukuehama Fisherman’s Huts)
- Guide: Northern Japan Horizons, Tanohata Experience Village
