IWATE Hachimantai & Around Nature at its most vibrant, with lush virgin forests, stunning mountains and pure air

The alpine area of Hachimantai combines pristine forests, snow-capped mountains and marshes full of wildflowers. The area offers picture-perfect views in vivid colors year round, along with outdoor pursuits and hot spring resorts to help you relax and unwind.

The main access point into the Hachimantai area is from Morioka City in Iwate .

The JR Tohoku Shinkansen connects Tokyo with Morioka in around 2.5 hours. The JR Tokaido Shinakansen and JR Tohoku Shinakansen connects Shin-Osaka with Morioka in around five hours, with a transfer in Tokyo.

From Morioka , Mt. Hachimantai can be reached by bus or car, roughly 110 minutes one-way. Note that the mountain is impassable from early November to late April, when the Hachimantai Aspite Line road is closed.

Partially straddling Iwate and Akita prefectures, flat-topped Mt. Hachimantai is the jewel of Towada-Hachimantai National Park. At 1,613 meters it is the third-highest mountain in the Ou Mountain Range, with stunning panoramas from its viewing platform at the summit.

A great base from which to explore the area, Hachimantai Onsen has long been a haven for locals and travelers alike. The baths offer unmatched views of Mt. Iwate and the Ou Mountain Range, particularly during fall when the leaves turn gold and copper.

The location of some of Japan's last virgin beech forests, the Hachimantai area offers a number of woodland walking paths in which to enjoy the ecosystem up close. Look out for local plant life among radiant green marshes, such as Japanese skunk cabbage.

In spring, summer and autumn, the marshlands are easy to explore along wooden boardwalks. In winter, join a snowshoe hiking trek for deeper exploration, or take full advantage of the powder snow by going skiing and snowboarding.