Hokkaido
ModerateAsahi-Dake Forest Road – Higashikawa Highland Circuit
Hokkaido's highest peak on dirt.
Surface: Gravel
Ehime
ModerateShikoku Karst Forest Road – Tengu-Kogen to Tsuro Skyline
Karst ridgeline cattle country above the Pacific.
Hokkaido
ModerateShiretoko Pass Forest Road – Rausu to Utoro Highland Route
Bear country and sea fog on Japan's wild edge.
Japan
DifficultSoni Plateau Forest Road – Muro-Akame-Aoyama Quasi-National Park Tracks
Highland moorland Japan has mostly kept to itself.
Japan
DifficultYakushima Forest Road – Yodogawa to Arakawa Trailhead Loop
Ancient cedars, relentless rain, zero cell signal.
Ishikawa
ModerateNoto Peninsula Backroads – Oku-Noto Forest Circuit
Japan's forgotten peninsula. Real roads, real remote.
Fukushima
ModerateBandai-Azuma Skyline – Fukushima Highland Traverse
Volcanic skyline, five colored lakes, no crowds.
Japan
DifficultOkutama Forest Road – Kazahari-Touge to Tabayama
Tokyo's hidden ridge run — city lights, canyon dark.
Japan
ModerateAso-Kuju Highland Forest Roads
Drive inside a living volcano's caldera rim.
Hokkaido
DifficultDaisetsuzan Forest Road – Nukabira to Shirogane
Bear country traverse across Hokkaido's wild core.