Yakushima

This remote island south of Kyushu is as wet and wild as it gets in Japan. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Yakushima is just 25km in diametre and covered in temperate ancient forest and towering waterfalls. Its beaches are nesting grounds for sea turtles, wild monkeys wander along the limited roads and outdoor onsen are nestled in rocks by the ocean. Hiking is the main pastime here, followed by diving, snorkeling and kayaking. There is an airport on the island with connections from Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu. Ferries and speedboats also run from Kagoshima, taking up to four hours.

A vine bridge in the Iya Valley

Iya Valley

Often referred to as the 'Tibet of Japan', this remote and misty valley is in the mountainous centre of the island of Shikoku. Thatch-roofed cottages, Buddhist temples and outdoor hot springs dot steep mountainsides covered in green tea plantations. A raging river runs through deep gorges and beneath ancient, twisting vine bridges. Activities in the Iya Valley include white-water rafting and kayaking in the Koboke and Oboke gorges as well as hiking up Mount Tsurugi (there is also a chairlift that takes you most of the way). Shops and services are limited in the area and getting around is difficult without your own transport although there is a reliable public bus that winds through the Iya Valley several times a day. An hourly train stops in Oboke, linking the valley with Kochi and Okayama.

Daisetsuzan National Park

At 2300 square kilometres, this is Japan's largest national park - a wilderness area packed to the majestic snow-capped mountain peaks with dense forest, meadows, gorges, lakes, volcanoes and onsen to escape the bone-chilling cold. Diasetsuzan translates as 'great snowy mountains' and Hokkaido's highest peak (2290 metres) - Mount Asahi - is here. The area is a playground for hikers and skiers as well as the occasional brown bear. The main tourist centres are the hot spring towns of Sounkyo Onsen in the park's northeast and Asahidake Onsen where a cable car whisks people partway up Mount Asahi.