Japan
Harmony, resilience and uniqueness: explore the many sides of Japan sustainably.
From Tokyo skyline to remote rural regions, JAPAN has so much to offer for travelers. The history of this nation made this destination, its culture and traditions so unique. With 70% of its territory covered by mountains and forest, the archipelago offers a diversity of landscapes which makes it perfect for NATURE-BASED TOURISM and ecotourism.
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Explore the options for a responsible trip
GOOD PLACES TO VISIT
Discover impact-driven destinations that were certified or recognized by their efforts
GOOD BUSINESSES
Discover accommodations, restaurants, shops and attractions that are commited to responsible development
Historic and cultural heritage
In addition to the beaches, take the opportunity to visit the Casa de Taipa Museum and the Church of São Miguel do Arcanjo.
PROMO CODE:
Historic and cultural heritage
In addition to the beaches, take the opportunity to visit the Casa de Taipa Museum and the Church of São Miguel do Arcanjo.
PROMO CODE:
Historic and cultural heritage
In addition to the beaches, take the opportunity to visit the Casa de Taipa Museum and the Church of São Miguel do Arcanjo.
PROMO CODE:
Historic and cultural heritage
In addition to the beaches, take the opportunity to visit the Casa de Taipa Museum and the Church of São Miguel do Arcanjo.
PROMO CODE:
GOOD PRACTICE STORIES
Get inspired with stories from places and people that are acting for a fair and responsible tourism
Hakone
Hakone Town is located within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park in Japan. It is a popular hot spring resort and tourist destination known for its historic and natural sites. Hakone can be reached in just one hour from Tokyo and has been welcoming approximately 20 million tourists annually from the metropolitan area and abroad. However, due to its mountainous terrain with significant elevation differences, numerous slopes, stairs, and steps, Hakone has not been a travel-friendly destination for people with limited mobility. In response, the town and Hakone DMO have aimed to create a “welcoming tourist destination” where anyone can travel comfortably and to promote universal tourism and accessibility.
Kamaishi
Kamaishi City established the “Memory Keeper of the Great Earthquake Disaster System” in 2019. A certification system for guiding personnel who pass on the events of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 011 and the lessons learned from the disaster to future generations. However, the system faced a challenge due to the passage of 12 years since the disaster. As the memoeries of the disaster faded away, it became difficult to secure human resources to engage the system and maintain their motivation. A local DMO, Kamaishi DMC, has secured financial resources through “training programs” involving local businesses in tsunami disaster prevention and selling those training programs to large corporations. This has allowed local human resources to be hired for the long term.
KNOW THEIR STORY
Marugame City
Marugame Uchiwa, a traditional craft that has been handed down for 400 years in the castle town of Marugame Castle, is facing a critical situation: the industry is shrinking amid a shortage of successors, with no way to pass on the traditional techniques. The main solution, initiated by the government, is the establishment of a successor training course and the introduction of the Marugame Uchiwa New Meister System. The successor training course is designed to pass on the techniques of Marugame Uchiwa production, and those who have contributed to the industry for more than three years after graduating from the course will be judged and awarded the title of Marugame Uchiwa New Meister. As a result, 31 Marugame Uchiwa New Meisters were born, who are passionate about passing on the art of Marugame Uchiwa.
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Miyazu City
Known as one of Japan’s “ancient cloths,” wisteria weaving dates back to the Jomon Period (14,000 to 300 BC), and was thought to have died out with industrialization. Unbeknownst to the world, there was a single village located in the mountains of northern Kyoto (Tango region) where a handful of women have kept this ancient art alive by passing it down from mothers to daughters across generations. Thanks to the “Tango Wisteria Weaving Preservation Society” the “Tango wisteria weaving” was designated as an Intangible Cultural Property, and been preserved through exhibitions, workshops and touristic tours organized by the local DMO with a focus on local community, local economy, and environment, and includes wisteria weaving experiences and cultural history tours in the area featuring local artisans.
Miyoshi City
The Iya Vine Bridge or Iya Kazura Bridge, one of the three strangest bridges in Japan and designated as a National Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property, is a suspension bridge made of Japanese holly vine, 45m long, 2m wide, and 14m above the surface of the water, which used to be the only means of transportation across the deep mountain valley to the other side of the river, but now it is an important tourist resource in Miyoshi City, attracting about 350,000 tourists a year. The Iya Kazura Bridge is replaced every three years by the local “Iya Kazura Bridge Preservation Association” due to its aging and to pass on the replacement techniques. The bridge is still build in the traditional way, (handmade, natural materials). The wood supply is regolated by “Agreement on Creating a Forest that Supports Wood Culture” and an “Agreement on Securing Materials for the Iya Vine Bridge” providing a sustainable wood supply.
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Obuse Town
Obuse town is famous for its cultural heritage such as historic landscape, artwork by Katsushika Hokusai, and chestnut confectioneries. Although more than 1 million visitors come to the town annually, most visitors surge at a few specific blocks around the central area, where most cultural sights are located, and the number of visitors fluctuates heavily between the peak period in autumn and other seasons. “Obuse Mini-Marathon” (“mini” also means “to see” in Japanese) is held in July as an attempt to tackle both geographical and seasonal concentration that the local tourism is facing, and provide an opportunity for visitors to run through the beautiful nature and farm lands across the town and enjoy the true treasure of rural Japan with theirs eyes, palates (full of local food and drinks at the aid stations), and hearts (interaction with local residents).
Oguni Town
In the depopulated Waita area, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hold local events (open burning, cleanups, Bon dances, festivals, etc.). Therefore, a limited liability company, Waitakai LLC, was established to potentially revitalize the community by conducting a geothermal power plant to generate geothermal energy as a local resource. However, some local residents were reluctant to engage in geothermal power generation, fearing that it would deplete their hot spring resources. The LLC, however, was determined to balance the revitalization of the local community and conservation of the hot spring resources by conducting geothermal power generation. Waitakai carefully explained that regular monitoring would be conducted to ensure that the resources would not be depleted and that the control of the geothermal power plant would be determined by the LLC, with parts of the profits would be earmarked for the benefit of the local community.
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Ozu
In late 2010’s, Ozu embarked in the revitalization of its (physically) vanishing city centre. Preservation of crumbling centennial abodes was the absolute priority. Before long, shops or accommodation facilities brought new life into formerly abandoned houses. But, by way of audit and objections, officials realised that local residents had been carelessly sidestepped. In the lines that follow, attempts to rectify and give locals a participative voice in Ozu’s regeneration efforts are described. Ultimately, ensuing ‘environmental-conscious’ initiatives are introduced.
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Teshikaga Town
Teshikaga Town, a town rich in nature in a national park, had experienced a sharp decline in the number of tourists since the beginning of the 2000s. Many people said that in order to rebuild the town’s “tired” economy they had to create a new attraction as a tourism destination. A mountain climbing tour should be developed at Mt. Io, also known as Atosanupuri, a volcano that has long been cherished by the local people. However, Atosanupuri had been off-limits since 2000 due to the danger of falling rocks. The resources of “Atosanupuri” were designated as a specific natural tourism resource based on the Ecotourism Promotion Law, and a unique certified guide system was established after restricting entry. A trekking tour up Atosanupuri was developed under the guidance of certified guides. A system was also established to return a portion of the tour participation fees to environmental improvement expenses. The tour won the “18th Ecotourism Grand Prize”.
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Yoron Island
Tourism on Yoron Island is centered on marine leisure activities, with visitors being concentrated in the summer season. In order to promote tourism, it was necessary to create contents other than marine leisure activities, attract visitors during the off-season, and increase visitor satisfaction and tourism consumption. In collaboration with Wakayama University, starry sky tourism was promoted as a new tourism attraction. To build momentum among local residents and fostering star guides, the project is also working on measures to prevent light pollution in order to protect an environment conducive to star gazing. In addition, local astronomy culture is being unearthed and utilized in tours to differentiate the area and make it more appealing. As a result, the number of tour guide businesses increased, creating new economic value. Light pollution countermeasures were implemented and the beautiful starry sky environment, a local resource, was protected.
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Sustainability
Nature is deeply present in Japanese people’s life and thus ecotourism is a wonderful way of discovering both Japanese culture and landscape. Japan has now its own Sustainable Tourism Standards for Destinations accredited by the GSTC proving the country’s engagement to guide destinations through implementing sustainable tourism. Thanks to their inspiring stories and hardwork, many destinations have been selected by Green Destinations as Top 100 destinations in 2020.
Travel tips from our editors
Travel by train
Japan has fantastic trainlines and is renowned for its perfect punctuality and service. Large cities, smaller cities, tourist attractions, you can access so many places while enjoying beautiful sceneries along the way. Don’t forget to book your Japan Rail Pass before going to Japan! It will give you unlimited access to most of the Shinkansen trains, to Japan Railway Lines and some metro lines in Tokyo. Regional passes are also available. The website Hyperdia will be your best friend to organise your journey by train.
Waste & Recycling
Japanese people and visitors love convenience store, also called conbini. However, the amount of plastic wrappings and bags still represents an important issue in Japan. Don’t hesitate to tell vendors that you don’t need a plastic bag by simply saying: sonomama de kudasai, (meaning “just like that, please” or “no bag, thank you”). And remember to bring your own shopping bag. Many visitors are also surprised of the lack of bins when eating in parks or outside in Japan. Usually, Japanese people bring their own rubbish back home, so please do the same. Do not leave rubbish on site and throw them when possible by respecting waste separation. You can also find bins in front of some convenience store for example.
Go North!
As many of the most visited places are situated southern to Tokyo, northern Japan is somehow deserted by foreign visitors. However, if you are looking for long hikes and breathtaking natural scenery, go north! From cherry blossoms viewing in Hirosaki, to hiking along the Michinoku Coastal Path and skiing in the northern island of Hokkaido, many nature-based activities await. A little plus: Niseko Town and Kamaishi, two of our 2020 Top 100 Destinations, are located in northern Japan!
Hop on a bike!
Once in Japan, you will see many locals on a bike. Cycling is a very enjoyable way to visit Japan and renting a bike is easy and quite cheap in the country. So as soon as you are outside of Tokyo, don’t forget this option! Cycling in the Japanese countryside and in cities like Kyoto, is a wonderful experience that will quickly get you from one place to another, will count as your daily work-out session and save the planet.
Tourism & People
Like many destinations, Japan has many hotspots for tourism that can quickly become overcrowded. And the situation usually worsens during peak-season, in Spring and Autumn particularly.
In the recent years, tourists’ misbehavior issues have increased in sacred places, but also in natural scenic places or even simply inside trains, leading to stricter rules in certain touristic areas. Residents are however always very keen and always happy to introduce their customs and traditions to visitors, and Japan stays one of the safest country to visit. Human rights are well respected.
Nature & Wildlife
Japan’s natural beauty and wildlife are captivating. From cherry blossoms in spring to vibrant foliage in autumn, the country boasts stunning scenery year-round. Explore serene gardens, like Kyoto’s Ryoan-ji, and lush forests in Nikko. Japan’s diverse wildlife includes the Japanese macaque, sika deer, and red-crowned cranes. In Shiretoko, you might spot brown bears or killer whales along the coast. The seas are equally remarkable, with coral reefs and marine life around Okinawa. Conservation efforts ensure these natural wonders remain for generations to come, offering a unique blend of ancient traditions and pristine landscapes.
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