The hardest hikes in Japan, by the numbers
Of the 46 trails in Japan in our dataset, 12 (26 percent) rate strenuous or very strenuous on the gain-and-distance scale we use and run 3 to 30 miles with at least 1,500 ft of climb; all 12 are listed here, highest rating first.
Tokai Nature Trail leads with 3,707 ft of gain over 27.7 miles, 134 ft per mile, with a steepest pitch of 26 percent.
Across the 12, gain runs from 1,580 to 4,551 ft and distance from 3.3 miles to 27.7 miles; the median gain is 2,705 ft and the median distance 6.6 miles.
10 of the 12 are out-and-back routes; the rest are point-to-point (1) or loop (1).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokai Nature Trail | 27.7 | 3,707 | 134 | 26% | 135 to 1,378 | 453.2 | |
| 2 | Michinoku Coastal Trail (Northern Ōfunato Section)Sanriku Fukkō NP | 22.5 | 3,422 | 152 | 23% | 7 to 1,145 | 392.4 | |
| 3 | Shikoku Pilgrimage 27th Kōnomine-ji - 28th Dainichi-ji | 23.2 | 1,580 | 68 | 25% | 3 to 1,421 | 270.8 | |
| 4 | Shikoku Pilgrimage 26th Kongōchō-ji - 27th Kōnomine-ji | 17.2 | 1,750 | 102 | 30% | 0 to 1,421 | 245.4 | |
| 5 | Shikoku Pilgrimage 22nd Byodo-ji - 23rd Yakuo-ji | 13.8 | 2,027 | 147 | 23% | 3 to 443 | 236.5 | |
| 6 | Mount Fuji LoopFuji-Hakone-Izu NP | 6.1 | 4,551 | 746 | 48% | 7,815 to 12,188 | 235.6 | |
| 7 | Mount Shibutsu LoopOze NP | 6.5 | 2,697 | 415 | 45% | 4,623 to 7,267 | 187.2 | |
| 8 | Mount Iwate Yanagisawa Trail (New) | 3.3 | 4,531 | 1,373 | 48% | 2,093 to 6,627 | 172.9 | |
| 9 | Mount Adatara Loop Trail | 6.7 | 2,194 | 327 | 33% | 3,107 to 5,495 | 171.5 | |
| 10 | Mount Takao to Mount Jinba | 6.3 | 1,995 | 317 | 35% | 1,568 to 2,782 | 158.5 | |
| 11 | Mount Adatara | 4.6 | 2,713 | 590 | 42% | 2,946 to 5,512 | 158 | |
| 12 | Mount KinpuChichibu Tama Kai NP | 3.6 | 3,198 | 888 | 45% | 5,148 to 8,402 | 151.7 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band strenuous (150 to 200) or very strenuous (200 and over), 3 to 30 miles, at least 1,500 ft of gain, ordered by rating desc, gain per mile desc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Japan" here means the 46 trails in Japan in our dataset, not every trail in Japan.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Tokai Nature Trail.
Hardest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other countries in our dataset.