Kami spirits wander in Japan’s natural playgrounds

Mount Asahidake forms the tallest peak on the island of Hokkaido, where Daisetsuzen National Park ascends to a sacred place known to the indigenous Ainu people of northern Japan as the “Playground of the Gods.” Native mythology and cosmology blur into geology up here at almost 7,500 feet (2,300 meters) above sea level, where clouds of steam pour from vents in the still-active volcano. Capped by snow and ice for much of the year (with skiing and snowboarding on the mountain’s lower flanks) the upper slopes become most accessible via ropeway in summer, when the loop trail opens around the Sugatami Pond for spectacular walks through a surrounding landscape of alpine blooms. Even then, high arctic conditions prevail at this altitude and latitude: permafrost remains underfoot, temperatures remain similar to winter, and trekkers must submit a hiking plan to Hokkaido Prefectural Police.

The many natural features and beauty spots of Daisetsuzan National Park are accented by a scattering of man-made landmarks. The Taushubetsu River Bridge is a former railway traverse that now stands within Lake Nukabira, a body created by the building of a hydroelectric dam nearby. While snowmelt raises water levels through the summer season, those crumbling arches remain entirely submerged. But in the longer winter, the bridge emerges like a ghost as the surface liquid falls and freezes. There’s a lakeside lookout for surveying the ruin against the arctic sky and volcanic peaks, and when the ice grows thickest there are guided tours to observe the bridge more closely and sometimes even organized walks across the ice. Specific conditions create strange effects: Frost flowers across the frozen plane, and bubbles from gas emissions on the lake bed can be seen suspended underfoot.   

The indigenous Ainu people of northern Japan believe that the gods, or Kamuy, are manifested in many different forms and forces between the stars overhead—as pictured here above Lake Shikaribetsu—and the undertow beneath the waters. The surface of the lake is considered one of the clearest in Hokkaido, reflecting the constellations by night and a ring of mountains by day. In the depths swims the Miyabe char, a subspecies of trout endemic to this body of water, its numbers closely monitored for the purposes of catch-and-release fishing. Kayaking on the lake is among the many great pleasures of Daisetsuzan National Park, and a bright red torii gate marks out Benten Island—a small central landmass said to radiate a palpable spiritual energy.

Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine, in the vastness of Yakushima National Park, evokes the classic animated film Princess Mononoke by Japan’s beloved Studio Ghibli. Its lead artist is said to have drawn inspiration from the mossy rocks and ancient cedars for the movie’s richly imagined world of tension between human forces and woodland spirits. Fairy-like creatures, known as Kodama, are indeed key figures of the myths enveloping this forest gorge, which visitors can explore on hiking trails of varied lengths and difficulty levels. 

Yakushima Island is often claimed to be the wettest corner of Japan, its lustrous greenery nourished by ocean-borne rains, seasonal snowmelt, and the constant spray created by prolific waterfalls. The powerful 200 feet (60-meter) cascade at Senpiro Waterfall (pictured) takes its name from the monumental scale of the smooth granite slab it blasts through, which a local folk tale claims to be as broad as 1,000 people holding hands. Other nearby cascades with linked trails and lookout points include Trohki Waterfall, which plunges over the edge of the island and directly into the sea (and so can also be accessed by kayak for a closer view from the water). Oko Waterfall, meanwhile, drops from almost 300 feet (90 meters) to make rainbows where the sunlight strikes the foaming pool below.

Yakushima and its neighboring island of Kuchinoerabujima, as well as their shared surrounding waters, comprise not only a national park, but a unique biosphere reserve. Here, the temperate and the subtropical meet to create singular species, from Yakushika deer and Yakushima macaques to emblematic Yakusugi cedars that have flourished for 1,000 years, or far longer in some cases. The densest concentration of such trees forms an area known as Yakusugi Land, where wooden boardwalks lead the visitor to individual conifers so old as to bear their own names and legends: Buddha Sugi, Futago Sugi, Sennen Sugi. A longer trail winds up through that mystic forest to the strange granite monolith atop Mount Tachu, one of several peaks believed to be sanctuaries for the gods.   

Japan is very much a land of four seasons, and the changes in color, temperature, and atmosphere become especially profound at altitude across the Myoko-Togakushi Renzan National Park. Through the coldest months, the nationally renowned peak of Mount Myoko and the underlying Kurohime Plateau are covered in snow and ice, drawing visitors to ski and snowboard at specialist resorts. But all that blinding white eventually gives way to plant life, like the clusters of skunk cabbage that grow around Imori Pond. Later in the year, the plateau also becomes a popular spot for picnics against a fall backdrop, while hiking trails lead off toward the forested flanks of Mount Kurohime itself.

Mount Myoko is home to gods honored by followers of Shugendō, an ascetic practice drawn from conjoined forms of Buddhist mountain worship and ancient folk religion. In the past, pilgrims were permitted to climb the summit only one day a year, ascending in procession with prayer banners. Today, the sacred peak is more generally accessible to climbers, hikers, and skiers as well as traditional mystics, while the densely wooded lower slopes promise rest to all by way of a cluster, and culture, of natural hot springs. Seven bathing areas, fed by five different sources, manifest in three different colors. From the blackish waters of Ikenotaira to the milky white and mineral-rich pools of Tsubame (pictured), each onsen provides its own informal ritual of revival.

On a plateau at the eastern edge of Myoko-Togakushi Renzan National Park, Lake Nojiri has been a hub for human activity since before recorded time. Recent studies suggest this site was used by Paleolithic hunters, and the excavated fossils of a huge prehistoric deer and an extinct species of woolly mammoth are now on display at the nearby Nojiriko Naumann Elephant Museum. The presiding kami of the lake are duly honored on Biwa-jima Island, a small island given over to an atmospheric Shinto shrine.

According to the creation legend of the Ryukyu Islands, on one of their descents onto our plain, the deity Amamikyu trod upon the northern portion of Okinawa when making their way across these newly formed landmasses. The ground beneath their feet has long since sprouted dense, extensive woodlands in what is now Yambaru National Park, where more than 80 percent of the surface is covered with subtropical greenery. Cloud forest (pictured) reaches down from the upper ranges of the mountains with rare ferns and orchids, while one of Japan’s largest laurel forests envelops the lower elevations, and thickets of mangroves grow along the Gesashi River where it flows through tidal flats to the Pacific. While highly protected, some of these areas have been made more accessible with networks of hiking trails and wooden boardwalks.

Hiji Falls is the tallest of many cascades descending through Yambaru National Park. While easily reached on a gentle paved trail with popular camping facilities nearby, it’s also peaceful enough that the surrounding forest creates abundant habitats for rare mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, including the Okinawan long-tailed rat, Namiye’s frog, and Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle. Endangered birds like the Okinawa woodpecker nest in the holes of trees, and Yambaru is also home to the ever-elusive Okinawa rail, a species rarely sighted but sometimes heard on organized early morning walks. Taa Falls meanwhile, form a welcome environment for unusual ferns and dragonflies, with a swimmable pool below.

As of January 2025, Hiji Falls and the surrounding area may have restrictions on accessible facilities due to the impact of heavy rain. Visitors should check the latest status before visiting.

At its northern edge, Yambaru’s luminous forest greens drop away to deep blue sea at dramatic coastal boundaries like the soaring limestone cliffs of Kayauchi Banta (pictured)—which takes its name from shreds of thatch grass thrown over the edge by people and scattered by strong winds. Folk arts and traditions of villages in the region tend to express respect for divine spirits residing within the natural world. Shinugu in Ada, for example, celebrates the gods of mountains and sea with prayers and drums, while the annual Ungami Festival of Shioya Bay is rooted in the native Niraikanai belief that the gods deliver bounties to the island from their heavenly domain beyond the horizon.

This paid content article was created for the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. It does not necessarily reflect the views of National Geographic, National Geographic CreativeWorks, or their editorial staffs.