A few rather popular activities here in Japan during summer are hiking, beach surfing and picnics. I present a summer’s day in Zushi, Kanagawa, consisting of a relaxing and scenic hike at Mount Takatori (with different start and end points), finished off with a stroll in the beach.

Sado is a peaceful island situated off the coast of Niigata Prefecture. It is accessible by ferries running every hour or so between Niigata and Ryotsu Ports. If you are not worried about missing the only ferry of the day, you can also jump on in Naoetsu and get off in the little town of Ogi.

If you happen to be in Hiroshima City for visiting the Peace Memorial or shopping at Hondori, there are four perfect hiking trails to unwind yourself and stride your way to the mountain top from where you can check out the city view or nearby islands. Pack your bags, water and wear your boots, let’s go visit these spots as locals do.

Sumatakyo Valley is a rural area of Japan a few hours west of Tokyo and has so much to do off the beaten path. As you travel Japan, especially when you are in more rural areas, we highly recommend asking around for advice. That is how we found so many unique experiences on our 50-day runAway Japan adventure.

An often-missed sight is Mount Shosha, located 6km away up north from Himeji Castle. Mount Shosha is located in Shoshazan Engyo-ji, a national heritage site famous for its scenes from the 2003 movie "The Last Samurai".

Surrounding Kobe city is the abundant mountain terrains of Rokko-san (Mount Rokko). There are many hiking trails available at Mount Rokko and some range from three to seven hours depending on difficulty level and speed (stamina).

The third tallest peaks of Japan named the Hotake Mountain are situated near the Takayama area of Gifu prefecture. It is a snow covered region attracting a lot of tourists in the spring and early summer season. One of the biggest ropeways of Asia is situated in these mountain ranges which takes us to the top of the Hotake Mountain with an altitude of 2156 meters.

Let me share with you why this place makes for a great snow sports holiday for all, and more! The huge resort area actually takes in four major parks and three smaller areas, with over 60 courses ranging from 900 m to 8,500 m: something for boarders, skiers and snow-scooters of all levels and ages!

Daisekirinzan ( 大石林山) is an incredible natural wonder of Okinawa. Located in the island's remote north, the “Big Stone Woods Mountain”, as its name is translated, is a 200-million-year-old limestone “forest”, with bizarre rock formations and beautiful scenery.

Tateyama is a famous symbol of Toyama, and one of the three most sacred mountains of Japan. The picturesque landscape of the Tateyama range in the Northern Japan Alps draws people for many reasons - hiking in summer, snow sports in winter, onsens, food, local festivals.

A stroll through Mt. Atago in Kyoto gives travelers a refreshing and relaxing stroll through spectacular nature and the Japanese spiritual mindset.

Japan has hundreds of resorts scattered throughout the country and most international snow lovers have heard the legends of the powder snow in Hokkaido’s popular resort of Niseko. Yet powder lovers need not travel to the northern island in order to get their dream Japan ski holiday. The following are 4 great ski experiences in Honshu, Japan’s main island.