High praise for these destinations and activities high above the ground.

Your feet being in contact with the ground is a pretty fundamental aspect of walking, so the concept of going for a mid-air walk might sound like something you’d hear about from aspiring musicians or college freshmen philosophy majors. Today, though, it’s Japanese travel provider Jalan that’s broaching the subject, releasing its list of the top 10 places for “a walk in the sky” in Japan.

So what’s Jalan’s criteria? It has to be somewhere with high altitude-related breathtaking views and/or thrilling activities. That means places like skyscraper observation decks, suspension bridges, and alpine cable cars/ropeways are all eligible, and to compile its list, Jalan collected survey responses from 1,036 of its users, aged 20 to 59, with each participant allowed to vote for up to three places.

10. Kobe Port Tower Rooftop Observatory
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Adjacent to Meriken Park on one side and Kobe’s harbor on the other, Kobe Port Tower is a symbol of the city that offers beautiful views, with the best coming from its observation deck, the “Brilliance Tiara Open-air Deck.” It earns that opulent name, though, thanks to a 2024 renovation that now allows guests to get out in the open air 90.28 meters (296.2 feet) above the street for 360-degree views, and with Kobe boasting some of Japan’s best after-sundown city-lights skyline scenery, it’s worth a visit day or night.

9. Ryujin Suspension Bridge
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Continuing on to another place with a cool name, Ryujin means “dragon god,” and this suspension bridge that crosses the Ryujin Gorge in Hitachiota, Ibaraki Prefecture, is fittingly dynamic. It’s 375 meters across and, more importantly, 100 meters straight down to the river below, with clear acrylic viewing panes for you to look down through if you’re brave enough…and if you’re really courageous, you can bungee jump off the bridge too. Meanwhile, those who get enough adrenaline from the height alone can stay firmly on the bridge while admiring the surrounding forestland, which turns a beautiful shade of crimson in the fall.

8. Shibuya Sky
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We’re back in the big city for Tokyo’s Shibuya Sky, which refers specifically to the rooftop observation deck of the Shibuya Scramble Square entertainment complex high-rise. The building also has observation spaces on its 14th, 45th, and 46th floors, but it’s Shibuya Sky that really puts you in the skies of downtown Tokyo’s most popular international tourism district, and the unobstructed lines of sight from 229 meters up are a great place to watch the sun set and the neon lights of the city come on from.

7. Tateyama Ropeway
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Having trouble seeing to the other end of the route in that photo? That’s because at 37 kilometers (23 miles) in length, Toyama Prefecture’s Tateyama Ropeway is the longest single-span ropeway route in all of Japan, with no support beams in the middle so as to lesson the impact on the surrounding environment and keep the view as pristine as possible. The ropeway is part of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, a multi-mode-of-transportation linking the town of Tateyama with Omachi in Nagano Prefecture, and includes a stop at Kurobe Dam, Japan’s largest dam, along the way.

6. Mt Hakodate Ropeway
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Hokkaido Prefecture’s Hakodate is beautifully situated on a narrow strip of land with ocean on two sides and a mountain rising up on another. With few tall buildings within the town, the best way to appreciate its picturesque positioning is to take a ride on the cable car that whisks you up Mt. Hakodate, and it’s an especially popular date-night destination when the lights of the city twinkle like jewels.

5. Umeda Sky Building Kuchu Teien Observatory
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Osaka’s Umeda Sky Building skyscraper sticks with the Japanese name for its observatory even in its official English-language documentation, but Kuchu Teien translates to “midair garden.” The facility bridges the 39th and 40th floors of the twin-spire building, letting you see one of Japan’s most vibrant cities below, gaze at Mt. Rokko off in the distance of neighboring Hyogo Prefecture, and watch the planes coming and going at Osaka Airport.

4. Biwako Valley Zipline Adventure
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Looking at a map of Japan, it’s hard to miss Shiga Prefecture’s Lake Biwa (“Biwako” in Japanese), since the country’s biggest lake sits right in the middle of the main island of Honshu. It’s also hard to miss Lake Biwa while ziplining around Biwako Valley, an outdoor activity center at the summits of Mt. Uchimi and Mt. Horai. The center has a total of six zipline courses, but Line 6, the one pictured above, is the one you don’t want to miss.

3. Yume no Tsuribashi
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Things are more relaxed at Yume no Tsuribashi (“the suspension bridge of dreams”) in Haibara, Shizuoka Prefecture. Part of the Sumata Gorge Prominade Course nature walk, rather than gazing up at the sky above a walk across this bridge surrounds you with the colors or the river and forest. Ordinarily, it takes about 90 minutes to walk the course, but that’s not accounting for time spent taking in the view, and taking photos, from the bridge, so you might want to allocate some extra time if you’re visiting, and also maybe get an early start (the course’s gate opens at 7 a.m.) if you want to encounter the smallest crowds.

2. Mishima Skywalk
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Also in Shizuoka is the massive Mishima Skywalk suspension bridge, which is 400 meters across, but if instead of walking all the way back you’d rather return by its 560-meter zipline course, that’s also an option. The big draw here, though, is the view of Japan’s biggest mountain, Mt. Fuji, which isn’t all that far away, and with Mishima being at the northern end of the Izu Peninsula, you can see Suruga Bay as well.

1. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Bridge World
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When it was completed in 1998, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge finally linked Hyogo Prefecture’s Iwaji Island with Japan’s main island of Honshu, crossing the Akashi Strait and coming ashore in Kobe. It also created an opportunity for incredible views like the one seen in the photo above. As you can probably guess, the spot where that picture was taken isn’t part of the regular route across the bridge, as it’s part of the Bridge Tower Top Tour that the facility offers. Yes, prior reservations are required, and there are a number of special safety precautions (such as all participants must be 13 years old or older), but fans say the extra trouble is worth it to see the scenery from 300 meters above sea level, making it the list’s top pick for an unforgettable sky experience in Japan.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for lower-altitude travel suggestions, don’t forget that it’s hydrangea season down here on the ground.

Source, images: PR Times
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