Get to Know Okumikawa and Countryside Japan
You can find out more about transport to Okumikawa here.
Our custom day tours can help you discover more of the beautiful sights and attractions in this quiet but very accessible part of Japan, with exclusive experiences. Half-day tours (4 hours) start from ¥15,000, full-day (8 hours) from ¥30,000.
We work with you to organise transport, itineraries, meals, and experiences to create your own special tour, tailored to your interests.
This area is next to the popular Tokaido Shinkansen line, so a half-day tour is perfect when travelling between Osaka/Kyoto and Tokyo.
Below we highlight just some of the sights in the area we can show you around like a local. Feel free to contact us and let us know what you'd like to see or ask any questions!
Experiences and Workshops
Add an experience to your tour and get immersed in Japanese countryside life. Below we list just some of the experiences available in our area, with more available here. Feel free to ask us for English support for experiences where English isn't offered!
Learn to cook our local speciality Japanese food
Grilled over charcoal, 'gohei mochi' is a delicious savoury and sweet miso flavoured treat that we love to make with guests at our beautiful property in the mountains.
Gohei mochi is a speciality of Central Japan, with a wide range of variations, and we love to teach our village's unique recipe!
Japanese Green Tea Ceremony
Do you like Japanese green tea? Green tea ceremonies are elegant and precise, but unlike similar matcha ceremonies, it's easy for visitors to join.
Enjoy the range of flavours from this more rare part of tea culture!
Join us for some green tea at our beautiful home, or out in nature!
Atera Village life walk
Want to know more about life in a small Japanese mountain village, or living in an old Japanese home (called a kominka)?
While strolling around our house and property, we can tell you all about the lifestyle and unique culture. This is particularly useful if you're considering moving to the Japanese countryside someday.
Our valley is famously beautiful, peaceful and dramatic, so our guests often love to spend time here.
Maru-kai Natural Dye Workshops
Have a go at making your own unique patterns on a scarf, eco bag, tea towel, kitchen towel, etc. using local natural dyes!
The workshops use seasonal natural plants like chestnut, indigo, and fermented persimmon.
Hiking trails
From October to June we can take you along the beautiful and atmospheric hiking trails that this area offers. Our guided hikes can range from easy, wide tracks, to longer hikes along more wild, ancient tracks.
Mt. Horaiji Summit Loop
Above the stone steps and main temple hall of Mt Horaiji, a loop track covers the rocky and rugged parts of the mountain near the summit, and the forest that clings to the ridges.
The loop takes about 2.5-3 hours and includes a number of scenic lookouts as it crosses the unique geology of volcanic rock and ash. Depending on the day, there's also a great place for coffee and an ice cream (or 2).
Mt. Horaiji Stone Steps
A highlight of our area and a key part of many of our tours, these beautiful and historic hand-carved stone steps are over 800 years old. Legend says they were donated to the temple as thanks for keeping an important samurai safe while his family were being hunted (can't kill anything on Mt. Horaiji!).
The steps climb the mountain through mossy and green forest, with the temple's main gate nestled within the trees along the way. We like to take a less-travelled path through the temple grounds full of statues and history that splits from the main steps path.
Tokai Shizen Hodo (Tokai Nature Trail)
The Tokai shizen Hodo is a hiking track from Osaka to Tokyo that conveniently passes through our area! The roughly 30km section of track in this area follows ancient walking routes and is notoriously tough if attempted in 1 or 2 days.
We have a range of custom routes that use parts of the trail in smaller and more relaxed hikes through beautiful scenery and rich forest, with stops for coffee and lunch along the way!
Chiiwa Valley
The Chiiwa valley has some amazing sights within a short hike including the famous cat-shaped cave, the "heaven gate" natural bridge, and the main pool with crystal-like water. The volcanic ash rock of the area gives it a special atmosphere that contrasts the wild and natural forest.
The rugged track at Chiiwa gives you views of the beautiful creek running between massive boulders, the wide range of plant life, and the cliffs that give the area its name.
Ask us about our cycling route to Chiiwa along the picturesque Ure River!
Waterfalls
Our area is famous for its clean mountain water and beautiful waterfalls. Of the waterfalls below, 3/4 are considered 'power spots' by many people - a place where they feel some kind of healing power or energy. True or not, they are very relaxing places to visit, with a special atmosphere.
Some waterfalls are difficult for visitors to reach because of landslides in the past, but on our custom tours you can visit these more difficult-to-see sights.
Atera Nanataki
As part of Japan's top 100 waterfalls, these falls have been protected as an official Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument for nearly 100 years.
The falls have a total height of 62m, with most of this visible from the bottom and a viewing platform that lets you get very close to the highest drop.
A man described as "the Merlin of Japan" discovered and named the falls over 1000 years ago when he came here to meditate.
Hyakken-daki
A famous place for fans of 'power spots,' this waterfall lies right on a major fault line, with a roughly 40m clear drop into a mysterious pool. The falls are so nestled in the forest that it's difficult to capture the size and power in a photo.
Even though the falls are not easy to drive to, this place is very popular, with die-hard fans!
The falls cut down through sharp cliffs that contrast the forest around it, with a crystal clear brook at the bottom.
Futta Nanataki
The beauty and atmosphere of this waterfall+shrine+temple combination is difficult to catch on camera!
Hidden in the forest, this waterfall has 7 rocky falls of crystal clear water, with a unique shrine/temple combination that is a remnant of Japan's spirituality before the Meiji Restoration. It's truly a hidden gem.
Chiiwa Valley
The falls at Chiiwa are spread up and down the creek, but the highlight is the beautiful main pool where water bubbles into the crystal-like water. In warmer months, the creek is famous for cooling off by paddling or swimming. We can also organise "Shower Climbing" (like Canyoning) experiences in these warm months!
Amazing food
The standards of people in this area are very high when it comes to restaurants, they expect great service, great value, and high quality food.
On our custom tours we fit in visits to these restaurants where possible to share the charming countryside taste of Okumikawa.
Kadoya Meat-specialist Restaurant
A true gem of the area, this restaurant's friendly owner/chef takes his selection of meat and dishes very seriously. The food at this restaurant is so good it has changed our standards forever.
The chef loves to focus on local ingredients and it really makes each dish special! He also loves to use deer and wild boar in seasonal dishes - a must try.
Horaikan Cafe
Horaikan Cafe is like a trip back in time to the 1920's in Japan, where Japanese tradition was starting to blend with Western styles. The staff here wear period-accurate clothes, and the cafe itself is in a 1920's bank building, the first bank in a large area around at the time! The building is like a museum, filled with amazing antiques.
The coffee at Horaikan is their speciality, siphon coffee in a variety of blends and single-origins. The cake is perfect to pair with the coffee, with everything served on incredibly intricate vintage ceramics.
Maruyama-sou
This third-generation, family-run kiosk is a great place for snacks, drinks and ice cream on Mt. Horaiji, not far from the shrine and main temple building.
An icecream during a hike is always nice!
Serve Island (therapy dog cafe)
This is not your normal Japanese dog cafe!
Run by a a very friendly and passionate dog charity advocate, the therapy dogs here are retired guide dogs, guide dogs who didn't pass the test (but are still very cute of course), or rescues from breeders.
Here you can play with the dogs and enjoy some playful chaos with a coffee and cake.
Mokkulu Michi-no-eki
This information centre/local shop/restaurant is a collection of all things local and special to the area. From the kiosk you can try local snacks, and from the restaurant inside you can try more local meals. Mokkullu even serves bear curry using bear meat from Nagano on the border to the North.
Attractions
While there are many other sights, these are the highlights that we think any visitor to the area should see if they have the time!
The Abandoned Okusa Train Station
Long ago a train line ran through the valleys around Mt. Horaiji, deep into the mountains nearby. Some of the tunnels and train stations from this old train line are still accessible and the atmosphere is incredible! This particular station is picturesque and was featured in the first shot of the first major advertisement for the Ghibli park in Nagoya.
Yuyaonsen Area
Yuyaonsen (literally 'hot water valley hot spring') is the village next to Mt. Horaiji, with the ancient hot spring discovered by the same hermit monk that started the temple on Mt. Horaiji over 1,300 years ago.
The Yuyaonsen area has hot spring ryokan (inns) along the river, where the crystal clear water cascades down waterfalls and rapids. Looking out at the river from a hot spring is very relaxing!
Mochizuki Highway
This charming (and very narrow) road is one of the historical ways of getting around the area, from the time before cars. The road runs along the train line through forest and tiny tunnels, with impressive views of the river.
We love to include this ride and a hike of Chiiwa in our tours!
Damine Castle
(Pictured is the amazing view from Damine.)
This reconstructed wooden castle is perched on the side of a plateau on the side of a river valley, with amazing views of the rugged remnants of a volcano from 15 million years ago. The castle features a small museum and a feudal period lookout tower.
On the other side of the small plateau is a temple with a very old collection of kabuki-related artwork, and statues for more gods than you normally see at one temple!
Historical sights
If you're a fan of Japanese history, this area has some important and incredible stories to offer. Being in Central Japan, and in the centre between two major sides during the wars roughly 500 years ago, many important people in Japanese history battled on the mountains and fields around this area.
Nagashino Castle and Battlefield
In 1575, this castle perched where two large rivers meet was the target of a huge siege by 15,000 samurai. One of the most heroic and impressive feats of the Warring States Period came from the defenders trying to save their castle, and in the museum on the site you can see the story and artefacts from the time.
If you're interested in Japanese samurai history, let us take you through the incredible story of our city's hero, Torii Suneemon.
Shitaragahara Battlefield
After Nagashino Castle was besieged, the call for help from Torii Suneemon brought the three most important samurai in Japan's history to this battlefield where they decimated a powerful and feared army in the first 'modern' battle in Japan's history, with the use of new tactics.
On the site of the battlefield you can see recreations of the cavalry-blocking fences, and feel the scale of the battle.
Interested? Get in touch!
Terms and Tour Details
See our policies for tours and details on inclusions on our tour policies and conditions page.