Japanese Giant Salamander Viewing Tour

An Unforgettable Wildlife Encounter in the Heart of Japan

Join expert and licensed guide Richard Pearce for a unique opportunity to observe Japanese Giant Salamanders in their natural environment. This is a carefully designed, non-intrusive wildlife experience that supports real conservation efforts.

Sample Tour Itinerary (later start in summer)

6:30 PM – Meet at Mikuriya Station
Begin the evening with a short welcome, orientation, and safety briefing.

6:45 PM – Move to Study Area
Venture to one of our key monitoring sites, where we’ll walk within a pristine mountain stream under the cover of dusk. Along the way, you'll learn how to safely observe this elusive species, gain insight into their ecology and behaviour, and hear about the threats they face in modern Japan.

7:15 PM – Salamander Viewing
With luck and patience, we may observe Japanese Giant Salamanders resting on the riverbed or moving between hiding spots. This is a completely non-contact experience—observation only.

10:30 PM – Return to Mikuriya Station
You’ll be back in time to catch the last trains to Yonago and Kurayoshi.

Important considerations:

To take part in a Japanese Giant Salamander tour, you’ll need to be reasonably fit and sure-footed. The tour involves walking through a stream or small river, where rocks can be slippery and the footing uneven.

Please also be aware: this is real nature! You may encounter spiders and other creepy crawlies along the way. If you suffer from severe arachnophobia, this experience might not be the best fit for you.

Price

  • ¥25,000 per person (minimum 2 people), up to 6 people

  • ¥40,000 for a solo participant


Additional Information

  • Group Size: 1–6 people (Contact us for larger groups)

  • Age Limit: 7 and up (Please enquire for children under 7)

  • Season: March to November

Included:

  • Wader rental (Please note, due to disease control, participants may not use personal waders or gear previously used in other river systems).

  • Transport between Mikuriya Station and the viewing site

What to Bring

  • Weather-appropriate clothing

  • Waterproof flashlight or headlamp (available to rent with prior notice)

How to Book

Email Richard Pearce at 📧 richard@bushidojapan.com or use the CONTACT button above to check availability.

Once availability is confirmed, complete your booking in four easy steps:

  1. Sign and return the terms & conditions document

  2. Make full payment via Wise transfer (link provided after confirmation)

  3. Provide full names and ages of all participants

  4. Provide shoe sizes for wader rental

Booking Conditions

Full payment is required after availability is confirmed. A cancellation fee applies as follows:

  • 20%: Cancellations 15–7 business days before (by 17:00 JST)

  • 30%: 7–2 business days before

  • 50%: 2–1 business day before

  • 100%: After 17:00 one business day before the activity

Accommodation Suggestions

Most guests stay in Yonago City and take the train to and from Mikuriya Station. However, a popular and affordable option in Daisen Town is Guesthouse Hatabou, available to book on Airbnb.

Click here for our full guide to local sights, nature walks, cultural sites, and seasonal highlights in the Mount Daisen area.

Optional extra: Special Dinner at Mikuri

For an unforgettable dining experience, we highly recommend Mikuri — a beautifully restored traditional restaurant. The chef, trained in French cuisine, offers a refined fusion of French and Japanese dishes using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.

Dinner Courses (tax included):

  • Shiro – 5,280 yen

  • Mizu to Hakari – 7,480 yen

  • Mikuri no Shin – 16,500 yen

Instagram: Mikuri

If you’d like your guide to join you for dinner to help interpret the chef’s explanations and offer deeper context, that can be arranged—just kindly cover the cost of the guide’s meal. (The chef doesn’t speak English, but the flavour speaks for itself!). You would need to start the dinner around 5pm in order to be ready for the tour start time. We can help with the booking.

“The highlight of my recent trip to Japan was without doubt the several hours I spent observing
Japanese Giant Salamanders with local expert and guide, Richard Pearce. Wading carefully by
torchlight in a clear flowing stream at the base of Mt Daisen, my keen-eyed host located 15 of the
enormous amphibians. I was impressed by Richard’s enthusiasm, the breadth of his knowledge and
his proactive commitment to Giant Salamander conservation. For anyone visiting Japan I
recommend Richard and his Bushido Adventure Travel for a truly remarkable natural history
experience. Is any trip to Japan really complete without seeing an iconic Japanese Giant
Salamander?
”
— Steve K Wilson OAM. Australian author, wildlife consultant and photographer. Source

Japanese Giant Salamander in a shallow Daisen river. Filmed on a Viewing Tour using an Iphone 13.

Observe the animals up close without disturbing them for great photo opportunities. This salamander is under water, believe it or not!

We conducted important research in our own name for the first time this week. It was a very big step in our mission to protect the Japanese giant salamander. One of the reasons given by the authorities for their complete lack of conservation activiti
What a beautiful smile! My smile was bigger when I saw you, my friend. This Japanese giant salamander is about 70cm (over 2ft) and perhaps 50 years old. If we look after his habitat he might grow to be 150cm (5ft) in length and live until he is 100 y
Brilliant photographer and friend of Sustainable Daisen @kenchinphoto recently came and took these wonderful photographs. Thank you! #japanesegiantsalamander #nature #animals #conservation #amphibian #herpetology #Japan #salamander
Last night @graysonfauna and I were lucky enough to see these beauties up close and photograph them. These photos were taken using an iPhone. Imagine what you could do with a real camera! #japanesegiantsalamander #japanesewildlife #naturephotography
Climb one of hopefully four done! #summitforsalamanders #salamanderconservation #sustainabledaisen #charityclimb #amphibians #japanesegiantsalamander
Check out those eyes! Nice to see you, too! Japanese giant salamander viewing and conservation tours. Contact us for more details or checkout www.bushidojapan.com. Learn about the real situation for the JGS and also find out what we are doing about i
Big news! An article was written in The Guardian about the state of the Japanese Giant Salamander and Sustainable Daisen’s efforts to protect it. Please give it a read to learn more about the current situation and share so we can spread the
This big boy (approx 95cms) is absolutely exhausted after spending another night trying in vain to return to his home up river. He was most probably washed downstream during a storm and can not return because many concrete weirs like this one are blo
We’ve achieved a lot in our first few months as a Non-profit, but we’d be nowhere without the hard work and dedication of our members and supporters. One such member is Rachel, an American watercolour artist and art teacher based in Kyoto
The US Military, local people, university students and our organisation’s members freely gave their time to take direct conservation action to help Daisen’s special wildlife! After several months of hard work and frustration, we as an o
JGS Facts #6: Japanese giant salamanders are fully aquatic! Other amphibians, like frogs and other salamanders, may spend time on land and out of the water in moist environments. Many species can live and hunt outside of the water as long as there i