Highly revered in the Shugendo tradition of asceticism, the arduous trek to the top of Mount Mitoku in Tottori has been followed by pilgrims for centuries. Rewarded by the sight of the stunning Nagereido temple, hewn into the rockface and perched on stilts, they also seek to purify the six roots of perception, a process known as Rokkon Shojo. Training the ears, eyes, nose, tongue, body, and mind, the journey rewards self-discipline with natural harmonization and deep spiritual power.

Strewn with temples, the trail is known for root-covered paths and steep climbs, with occasional chains to help climbers along the way. With monks as guides, slowly but surely you ascend the mountainside, conquering the root-strewn slope known as kazurazaka and pulling yourself up the rocky-incline known as kusarizaka with the help of rusty chain links. Feeling triumphant but exhausted, you will reach Monjudo—a temple offering haunting views across the valley from its sheer-drop veranda.

Centuries ago, the founder of Shugendo—En no Gyoja—had thrown three lotus petals into the sky to seek out new spiritual lands. As legend has it, they landed in Nara, Ehime, and here on Mt. Mitoku—claiming them as spiritual homes for the gods.

Next, you we come across Shorodo temple, home to a three-ton bell with mysterious origins. Rung to calm the spirit and purify your ears, how the bell was dragged up to its location remains unknown.

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Mountainous Kumano is the holy ground of Japan and pilgrims have been trekking there for centuries. Shrines, mist, forests and waterfalls combine to create an entrancing hike.

Kumano is the traditional name for the southern part of Japan’s Kii peninsula. It contains pilgrimage routes dating back more than a millennium. The first pilgrims were adherents of Shinto who traveled to worship beside the natural wonders of the sacred Kii mountains. Later pilgrims followed an amalgam of Shinto and Buddhism.

The Kumano Kodo has a low profile outside Japan; the Camino de Santiago in north-west Spain is much better known, but that is changing: more visitors are coming to walk it, Unesco has designated it a world heritage site and it has been twinned with the Camino de Santiago.

There are a variety of routes to choose from and treks often take between three and six days. Go for three days on the Nakahechi route, the most popular of the six main historic trails. The most demanding is the 80km Omine-Okugakemichi route: suitable only for expert hikers with mountaineering experience. Another route is a total of 15km through a wide range of terrain, some of it quite challenging. It is a pick-and-mix experience; you can walk as little or as much as you like, because buses run between many points on the trail network. Guides are available but most trekkers are self-guided.

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An exceptional country, in its own and in others’ view, Japan has throughout history been isolated, an island nation out on the periphery of Asia. Heavily influenced by China for centuries, it withdrew from the world from the 16th to the mid 19th Centuries, its ports closed to (almost all) foreigners.

This isolation has produced a unique and fascinating culture and an idiosyncratic and much-admired aesthetic: its temples and gardens, its ceramics and art, its poetry and its cuisine are loved and venerated around the world. These can be hard to reconcile with the aggressive militarism of the early C20 and its horrendous conduct during WW2, which is still remembered around Asia.

With a population of 126m crammed into the coastal strips of what is a mainly mountainous landscape, there is a huge contrast between Japan’s image of crowded megalopolis, with the often dreary monotony of its suburbs, and the remote beauty of its mountains, its icon Mount Fuji the most famous specimen of a violently shaped landscape.

Japan’s Alps rival those of Europe and its islands and quiet backwaters are of a different world. It extends for around 3,000km, from the sub-arctic north of Hokkaido to the sub-tropics of Okinawa, with a huge variety of biozones and vegetation and animal life as a result, from bear to various species of deer to the endemic serow to more than 500 species of bird.

Japan’s geology, and indeed its existence, result from its sitting astride the junctions between no less than four tectonic plates on the Pacific Ring of Fire, hence its earthquakes, tsunamis (a Japanese word of course), dramatic, rugged mountains and plethora of volcanoes.

What isn’t widely known is that Japan has some of the world’s best walks, hikes and treks. Walking, hiking and trekking options are so varied that everyone’s taste and energy levels can be met.

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The Aokigahara forest, as this tangle of woods is called, was born on 12 square miles of lava from an eruption in the year 864, the biggest in 3,500 years. The event left Japan’s rulers awe-struck and its countrymen inspired to worship the volcano as a god. A walk into this isolated place, where nature’s power to rebound from cataclysm is so clearly on display, can be intensely spiritual.

Perhaps because of that, the woods inspire an almost reverential fear in Japan and, increasingly, beyond it. In the past year alone, three North American movies have opened with plots based on the woods’ reputation as a suicide destination and warren of paranormal activity: “The Sea of Trees” with Matthew McConaughey, “The Forest” and “The People Garden.” Those films come six years after “Suicide Forest,” a Vice documentary that has gotten more than 15 million views on YouTube and has furthered the idea that the forest is a place where people end their lives.

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Stretching 4.7 kilometers along the Mukogawa river, the railway tracks were abandoned in 1986 after the opening of a nearby tunnel. The rails were removed, but the wooden ties, the old tunnel and the steel bridge remain on the tracks.

Many an adventuresome hiker has made their way through the dark tunnel with a flashlight to enjoy the picturesque views of the defunct tracks running along a valley abundant with natural scenery. On holidays, the area is often crowded with hikers.

The railroad ties, weather-beaten steel bridge, bat-dwelling tunnel and the dilapidated tracks will remain intact. But city officials urge hikers to keep safety in mind.

“The fundamental principle is that hikers will be responsible for their own safety when using the trail,” said an official from the city government’s policy bureau. “We want them to understand that and enjoy hiking.”

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But there’s a part of the country where visiting shrines is as much about the journey as the destination.

The Kumano Kodo is Japan’s answer to Spain’s Camino de Santiago. It’s a network of trails leading to temples and shrines through the forested hills of the Wakayama district, south of Osaka, that has been a pilgrimage route for more than 1,000 years.

Japanese followers of Shintoism make the pilgrimage to seek healing and salvation by getting in touch with their spirituality. It shares with the Camino de Santiago the distinction of being one of the only two such routes in the world to make the UNESCO World Heritage list. Even if your reason for trekking the Kumano Kodo is more about tourism than spiritualism, its rewards are many.

Some trails run through rural villages and include rest stops where you can grab a drink and chat with other travellers. Others delve deep into the forest, where you’re more likely to hear bird calls than the footsteps of other visitors.

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From epic climbs up active volcanoes to temple odysseys through the mists of time, Japan is full of fantastic walking trails and some of the world’s most impressive mountains.

Here are the top 15 routes, plus a few tips, for the ultimate hiking holiday in Japan…

If you have a Japan Rail Pass, you’ll find it even harder to resist these hikes near Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. Only have a day–or even just a half-day–to spare? You can still get your hike in.

These hiking routes make it convenient to explore Japan’s natural surroundings. No long drives to get out to the countryside, no great changes in altitude, and there’s always a good view waiting at the top. The trails are sign-posted, well-maintained, and many pass through historic districts and are tailored for sight-seeing by foot.

You’ll find eating establishments, public toilets, lockers and even hot springs along the way on some of them. In short, Japan is a day-hikers dream. And if you like to run, these hiking courses make great running trails too.

You’ll want to be prepared to hike up a bit of vertical on these trails, but that’s all part of what hiking is all about.

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Mount Ontake unleashed a huge cloud of ash on Saturday morning that billowed down the mountainside and engulfed hikers in its path. Forty-five people remained trapped in several cottages on the mountain, and at least 23 other people are missing, local authorities said Sunday.

The exact number of people unaccounted for was unclear, as officials were uncertain how many had already made it off the mountain. Authorities said there were 200 – 250 hikers in the area at the time of the eruption.

More than 350 rescue workers – a mix of police, firefighters and military personnel – began climbing two separate routes up the mountain on Sunday morning, authorities in the nearby village of Otaki said.

More than 25 people were reported to have been injured, 10 of them seriously, according to the government of Nagano prefecture, where the volcano is situated. Among the climbers trapped in the cottages, at least 11 were injured, officials in Otaki said. They had observed 17-20 inches (40-50 centimeters) of volcanic ash covering the ground in some areas.

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Rescuers find more than 30 hikers in ‘cardiac arrest’ on Japan’s Mt Ontake after sudden volcanic eruption

More than 30 hikers have been found in cardiac arrest near the peak of an erupting volcano in Japan, police say, using a term usually applied before doctors are able to certify death.

Rescue workers found the hikers near the summit of 3,067-metre Mount Ontake, which erupted about noon on Saturday (local time).

“We have confirmed that more than 30 individuals in cardiac arrest have been found near the summit,” a Nagano prefecture police spokesman told the AFP news agency without elaborating further.

Rescuers were planning to bring four people down the mountain by later tonight, Jiji Press said citing police sources.

In Japan, the term “cardiac arrest” is used by emergency services for people without vital signs.

More than 500 Japanese military and police set out earlier today to search the peak of the volcano which is popular with hikers.

About 250 people, including children, were stranded on the peak after it erupted without warning, sending ash pouring down the slope for more than three kilometres.