Japan's Top 10 Dreamlike Scenic Spots！Step into the Forest of Princess Mononoke

By MOOK Scenic Spots Home Travel Life Network Editorial Department
 

Japan is the most beloved travel destination for Taiwanese visitors, offering an abundance of cuisine, culture, and natural landscapes that leave people in awe. The following highlights how encountering new people and experiences in unfamiliar lands is one of the greatest charms of travel. Discovering unknown landscapes that feel like stepping into another world is also part of that allure.

● Wakayama Prefecture Nachi Falls

The massive Nachi Falls stands 133 meters tall and 13 meters wide, with water thundering down from sheer cliffs, making it Japan’s highest, most powerful, and most beautiful waterfall.

● Yamagata Prefecture Zao Tree Ice

Every winter, sea winds carrying abundant moisture sweep in from the Sea of Japan, causing dew to condense on fir trees. The cold weather then freezes the dew, transforming the trees into bizarre ice formations. These strange tree ice figures stand like snow monsters along the mountainsides, and under shifting light, their eerie silhouettes create a haunting atmosphere, making them a unique winter spectacle of Zao. Among them, Zao Quasi-National Park, located on the border of Yamagata and Miyagi prefectures, is the most iconic and popular spot for viewing tree ice in Northeastern Japan.

● Kagoshima Prefecture Yakushima’s Shiratani Unsui Valley

Located in the vast forest upstream of the Shiroto River, a tributary of the Miyanoura River, this area is said to be the setting of the animated film “Princess Mononoke.” It features towering ancient trees, including 3,000-year-old Yakusugi cedars, along with the clear waters of the Shiroto River and massive rocks scattered throughout, allowing visitors to fully enjoy the ancient primeval forest landscape.

● Hokkaido Lake Kutcharo

Covering an area of 79.7 square kilometers, Lake Kutcharo is the second-largest lake in Hokkaido. In addition to the nearby Kawayu Onsen hot spring area, there are also several open-air stone-lined hot springs right by the lakeshore. The hot springs and lake water are seamlessly integrated, and while soaking in the pools, you can even share the winter scenery with over 700 swans that gather here in the colder months.