Located in Hiraizumi, Japan, the Hiraizumi Nature Trail is a nature preserve nestled in the space between Chuson-ji and Motsuji Temples. It also makes an excellent way to get from one to the other.
About the Hiraizumi Nature Trail
The trail is a series of trails that head through a forested wetland area. It is a prepared trail where visitors walk through the forest primarily on boardwalks. It is a relatively easy trail at 0.7 miles/1.2 kilometres that takes between 30 and 45 minutes to complete, depending on your fitness and pace.
In addition to the forest, there are also flowering plants along the trails. This is especially true at the small lakes that are also part of this area.
As winter comes to this area of Japan early, you can begin to see the leaves turning various colours as early as late July:
Getting there
As Chuson-ji sits elevated above the town (and Motsuji), using the Nature Trail to get to Motsuji means that you will be going downhill most of the way once you reach the trailhead.
After visiting Chuson-ji, head to the bus parking lot on the southern side of the temple. The access road continues farther than the temple; if you walk on this road to this point, you can access the Hiraizumi Nature Trail.
The Nature Trail is well maintained. If you are lucky, you may also see many birds and small animals. This area of Japan, known as Tohoku, also has bears, although they are very rare to see.
While you are on the trail, you may see wooden blocks with wooden mallets attached to them. The purpose of these is for users of the trail to hit the blocks with the mallet. This creates sounds, which warn away large animals such as bears. Whenever you come across a block, make sure to hit it. This will make it less likely for you (or a nearby bear) to surprise each other and have an unfavourable experience.
Thanks for reading! Want to do some more exploring? Have a look at the travel map:
If you see this after your page is loaded completely, leafletJS files are missing.
Interested in seeing our social media? Follow us on Instagram for travel photos and Youtube for travel videos!
