Three side trips from Nagoya japan-guide.com

Conveniently located at the heart of Japan's largest island of Honshu, the city of Nagoya is not only a lively and fascinating place in its own right, but makes an ideal base from where you can explore some of the most spectacular destinations in central Japan. With easy access from Chubu Sentra Airport in just 30 minutes by train, it's also the ideal place to start or finish your trip. So join us as we explore three of the best side trips from Nagoya. Rising majestically over the northern Japanese Alps, Mount Ontake is Japan's second tallest volcano and considered one of its most sacred mountains. Located at the foot of the mountain and the last rest stop on one of its two pilgrim trails, the village of Ōtaki is a place steeped in the tradition of shugendo or mountain worship, where practitioners have come for centuries to richly purify themselves before making the final challenging climb to the summit. For visitors interested in learning more about this area's fascinating traditions, the perfect place to stay is the Kuramisawa Ryokan, a family-run guest house with a connection to shugendo spanning generations. Here guests can enjoy beautifully prepared shojin ryori, vegetarian buddhist cuisine, and even take part in waterfall meditation. Located in Gifu Prefecture on the western edge of the Japanese Alps, Takayama is an attractive city with a rural atmosphere famous since ancient times for its carpentry and well known today for its many beautifully preserved historic wooden buildings. Many of these can be seen on an easy stroll through the city's old town, starting with Takayama Jinya, a former government office dating from the feudal age, continuing along Sannomachidori where shops, museums, and sake breweries can be found, and ending with the Hachiman Shrine, home to one of Japan's most spectacular festivals. Located an hour's drive east of Takayama, the Goshikigahara Forest is a vast and beautiful area of wilderness, a landscape of primeval forest, open wetland, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. A paradise for nature lovers and hikers alike, the forest supports an impressive array of animal and plant life, but due to its protected status can only be entered with a local guide. About an hour's drive to the south of Takayama in Gero City, the town of Hida Osaka is surrounded by deep forests known for containing more waterfalls than anywhere else in Japan, more than 200 of which are over five meters in height. Formed around 54,000 years ago by lava flows from nearby Mount Ontake, the area's unique geography and diversity of plant life make it an ideal destination for hikers. Visitors can choose from 12 different walking courses, from short scenic strolls to challenging full-day hikes. A sleepy seaport town on the coast of rural Mie Prefecture, Kumano City is known for beautiful mountain scenery, rugged coastal landscapes, and its position on the ancient pilgrim trail connecting the Kumano Shrines with the Ise Shrines. At the northeastern edge of town, a set of old stone steps lead into the forest, marking the start of one section of the ancient pilgrim trails. Known as the Matsumoto Pass, the trail is about a kilometer long and includes some beautiful views of Shichirimihama Beach. In the mountains to the west of the city, the Maruyama Senmaida is one of the largest and most spectacular rice terraces in all of Japan. With well over a thousand tiny rice paddies of all shapes and sizes cut into a steep hillside, each one perfectly angled to get every last bit of sunlight. Due to its difficult terrain, every aspect of planting and harvesting is still done by hand. Located to the south of the city, across from a long stretch of beautiful pebble beach, is Hanano Iwaya, one of Japan's oldest and most unique shrines. Said to be the burial place of the goddess Izanami who created the world, the site is centered on a towering 45-meter rock, shaped by the ocean wind and revered since prehistoric times. A short walk north of the city center stands the Onigajo, or Ogre's Castle, one of several impressive rock formations dotting the coastline. Originally formed from volcanic ash, ocean waves gradually eroded its soft rock face into a towering and otherworldly structure, extending for over a kilometer around a small cape. Departing from the nearby Matsuzaki Port, the Tategasaki Sightseeing Boat Tour offers some breathtaking views of the Mie Coast to the north of central Kumano City, including a series of spectacular cliff faces. Two of the most famous spots to look out for are the Blue Cave and Tategasaki, a huge rock structure of almost perfectly vertical columns. This was a guide to just three of the many destinations that can be easily reached from Nagoya. We hope this proves useful for planning your next trip to central Japan. For more information about Nagoya or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com, your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide first-hand from Japan. Thanks for watching. Be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell for more videos about Japan. Happy travels!