The best multi day hikes in Japan

21 January 2026

I’ll admit I used to be a big fan of being able to sleep in my own bed at the end of a long day’s hike, and I shied away from doing any sort of overnight hiking, As I got stuck into checking off the Hundred Famous Mountains of Japan however, I found that some hikes were too long to be done in a day, and so I reluctantly decided to give it a go… and actually, now I find that I enjoy it!

Many of Japan’s mountains have mountain huts, which enable you to do hut-to-hut hiking, or if you bring your own tent you can stay at their campsite for quite cheap too. I have a separate post if you’d like to read more on what it’s like to stay at a Japanese mountain hut.

Some of the mountains below I have actually done as (very long) day hikes, but realistically speaking are best done as overnight hikes, so I have still also included them in this page.

2-day hikes near Tokyo

If you’re looking to stay close to Tokyo, or want an overnight hike you can do outside of the summer period, I would recommend two mountains:

Mt Kumotori: Tokyo’s tallest peak. It comes with an 20km-long course with a mountain hut at the peak. The trail is long, but quite smooth so I would say makes for some great walking with a heavier pack.
Mt Tanzawa: A great mountain with a Fuji view in Kanagawa. There are plenty of mountain hut options along the way to take a break. You can also extend your hike out to the neighbouring Mt Hirugatake, or continue your hike out the other side to the Nishi-Tanzawa Visitor Centre.

I would also recommend both of these mountains for beginners or solo hikers - they are major peaks that get quite a lot of hikers, and generally I feel a bit more safe when there are other people about on the trail.

The peak marker at Mt Tanzawa with Mt Fuji in the background

More 2-day hikes in Japan

Beyond Tokyo, my two other favourites so far have been:

Mt Aka and the Yatsugatake range: such a stunning mountain! It’s a little bit closer than the Japanese Alps to Tokyo, but still makes for a very cool Alps-like hike in its own right.
Mt Shibutsu and/or Mt Hiuchigatake in Oze National Park. Both of these mountains can be hiked individually, but they’re connected by the Oze Marsh which spreads out in between them. You can hike one mountain, spend the night down at the marsh, and (optionally) hike the other. I have a separate post with some more details here.

The Oze March and Mt Hiuchigatake, taken from the peak of Mt Shibutsu

Other notable mentions include:

Mt Mizugaki and Mt Kinpu, which can be combined as a 2-day hike in Yamanashi. Mt Mizugaki is known for its very, very steep climb to the summit.
Mt Hiuchi and Mt Myoko: I did find the climb up to Mt Hiuchi a little tricky, but you can do Mt Myoko by itself with a hut stay for a more relaxed overnight hike as well

2-day hikes in the Japanese Alps

The Japanese Alps have some of the best hiking scenery, and are very popular for overnight hikes in summer. Mt Jonen is one of the peaks located on the southern side of the Northern Alps, which makes it a little more accessible (only a 1 hour drive from Matsumoto city).

In the Southern Alps, Mt Kita and Mt Aino are Japan’s second and third tallest mountains respectively and can be combined as a 2-day hike. Similarly, Mt Senjo and Mt Kaikoma in the Southern Alps can be combined as a 2-day hike with a hut stay in betweeen.

3-day hut-to-hut hikes in the Japanese Alps

If you’re up for the challenge, there’s options to do longer hikes, especially in the Northern Alps. If you’re looking to do hut-to-hut hiking, the North Alps is one of the best places to do so. It does come with some steep elevation gains though so I would recommmend these for a hiker with at least an intermediate amount of fitness. The possibilities for hiking are really endless here, but I’ve done two so far:

The Nothern Alps especially have good access from Tokyo via highway buses that take you directly to the trailhead. The only thing you’ll need to worry about is getting clear weather for 3 days!

And speaking of bad weather, you can also head down to the very rainy Yakushima island and do a 3-day traverse to climb its highest peak, Mt Miyanoura. All the mountain huts on the island are unmanned, so it makes for a little bit of a “wilder” experience - albeit it is a pretty popular hike so you will still pass plenty of people about.