Discover Chino’s Fairytale Moss Forest
n the heart of Chino lies a fairytale forest blanketed by moss – a sheer expanse of vibrant greens, like an untouched pristine scene from one of Miyazaki’s films.
With the sunlight sparkling on the morning dewdrops, everything is still and silent. It’s not hard to imagine a sleeping Totoro waking up among the moss covered tree branches, surrounded by kodoma – Japanese woodland spirits.
In this post, we invite you to open your eyes to a different kind of adventure. The kind that involves miniature worlds, forests and ecosystems you’ve not yet taken the time to notice before. We invite you to observe up close and look, really take the time to look, at all the intricate details we too often pass by. You might just discover how fascinatingly beautiful and complex the world truly is.
Located on the eastern side of the Nagono Prefecture, Chino is still a relatively unknown destination for the majority of tourists, yet is home to one of the most diverse mossy ecosystems in Japan. Best of all, you can still get up close and personal with nature without the excessive crowds.
Discover all that the Chino Moss Forest has to offer:
Japan’s Obsession With Moss
One of the many eclectic trends in Japanese culture is moss. Yes that’s right. While moss is something we seek to remove from our gardens and paved surfaces in Western culture, the Japanese embrace it. And with good reason.
Japan boasts 2,500 different varieties of moss out of the roughly 12,000 species that are known to exist worldwide. With Japan’s humid summers, it’s the perfect breeding ground for these mossy landscapes to grow.
If you thought this was a passing trend, you’d be wrong. The appreciation of moss is deeply rooted in Japanese cultural thought, where co-existing with nature is practiced with the attitude of a polite guest – and rightly so! In Shintoism, all things in this world have a spirit living in it regardless if it is living or inanimate. Because of this, the Japanese believe you treat everything with respect. For the Japanese, moss is beautiful in its imperfection. It takes years for moss to cover the surface of a stone, let alone the floor of an entire forest and it is the Japanese way of valuing age and history that makes moss something to be admired and appreciated, particularly when occurring naturally in the wild.
Kokenomori – Chino Moss Forest
he Chino Moss Forest is one of the best and important mossy ecosystems in Japan. Featuring over 485 different kinds of moss, Chino’s moss forest makes up nearly a quarter of all the species indigenous to Japan.
As you begin your stroll inside the moss forest, you’ll notice the temperature drop instantly. The atmosphere is cool and calming and presents a perfect opportunity to breathe in and enjoy the crisp, fresh air.
The main walking trails are well built and sturdy, with wheelchair friendly pathways constructed with wooden boards. For those looking to explore off the beaten track, small wooden planks venture off into a myriad of directions from the main pathways. Slightly unstable, the wooden planks are a great way for those steady on
their feet to experience the different kinds of moss that lay deeper within the forest.
Visiting on a sunny autumn day, the moss was a little dry and not as green and vibrant as we expected. The moss looks its best just after a shower, so we recommend visiting during periods of rainfall – you’ll see a noticeable difference in the vibrancy of the moss.
In 2008, the moss surrounding Shirakoma Pond was designated as a National Bryophyte Heritage Site by the Bryological Society of Japan. For those wanting to get deeper insight into the different species of moss, the local walking tours are filled with plenty of knowledge.
The map below highlights 10 different locations in the moss forest, where you can experience different species of moss, as well as walking trails and times.
Map Translations: A: Dicranum majus | B: Sphagnum girgensohnii | C: Andreaeaceae: The moss attached to the rocks looks best in the sun’s rays. | D: Pogonatum japonicum: The moss here is within a primeval forest. | E: Bartramiopsis lescurii. | F: Pogonatum contortum: The moss here is within a primeval forest. | G: Dicranum hamulosum and Dicranum viride var. Hakkodense. H: Heterophyllium affine. I: Pseudobryum speciosum. | J: Bazzania yoshinagana.
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Shirakoma Pond
nuggled in the foothills of Mt. Kita-Yatsugatake is Shirakoma Pond, nestled roughly in the centre of Chino Moss Forest. This pond is the largest lake in Japan that can be found above 2,100m and is well known for its surrounding moss forest.
Just a short 15minute walk from the car park, you will arrive at the lake. Walking the circumference of the pond only takes 45minutes and makes for a perfectly scenic and easy going hike. Small eateries for refreshments are dotted along the way.
Shirakoma Pond is known for its crystal clear water – a 5.8 meter degree of water
transparency to be exact. The lake is said to be named after a tragic legend of a young girl who fell into the lake with her white horse and was never found again.
The primeval woods surrounding the lake are hundreds of years old and feature a variety of flora including Japanese hemlock, spruces, Veitch’s silver fir and the appearance of Japanese rowan in autumn.
Calming and tranquil, Shirakoma Pond is the perfect pitt stop during a day spent hiking.
Photography Tips
have to say, having never photographed moss before, it took a while to get the type of shots I was looking for. I’m more of a landscape photographer rather than shooting up close detailed shots, but I absolutely LOVED shooting at the moss forest. Here are my tips to get the most out of your moss photography:
We visited on a sunny autumn day and as a result the moss was mostly dry. I had it in my head prior to visiting that I wanted to capture beautiful dew kissed moss! Luckily, we read a tip online that suggested bringing a little spray bottle of water to “freshen up the moss” before we took our photos. Dew-kissed moss photos? Great success!
For those with DSLR cameras, macro lenses work nicely for some close up detail shots and, with low aperture, bokeh backgrounds.
Some moss forest tours also offer little photography shoots where you can take photos of the moss with miniature anime character set ups, such as Totoro and other woodland spirits. These look super cute and we’re bummed we did not bring our own!
How to Get to Chino Moss Forest
As always, the easiest and most efficient way to get to Chino moss forest is by car. We were staying at Kurumayama Kogen Skypark in Chino, and the drive took 50mins.
Parking is free and there is a public toilet available.
- From Tokyo Station catch the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Sakudaira.
- From Shinjuku Station, catch the JR Chuo Line to Kabuchizawa Station. From here catch the JR Koumi Line to Yachiho station.
Local buses run from Sakudaira and Yachiho Station to Shirakoma Pond. You can use the Yachiho Kogen Local Bus timetable to look up local bus times. On the timetable, 佐久平駅 is “Sakudaira”, 八千穂駅 is “Yachiho Station” and 白駒池入口 is the “Shirakoma Pond Entrance.” There are two buses on weekdays (red) and weekends (green). Read the timetable horizontally to see departure and arrival times.
The price for a local bus to Shirakoma Pond Entrance from Sakudaira Station is ¥1950, and while we can’t seem to find the exact price from Yachiho station, it should be cheaper as it is much closer to the destination.
- Get a 1 or 2 day Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Pass to Tateshina, Kirigamine, and Shirakabako
- Get affordable unlimited 4G WiFi for Japan for less than AUD$11
Search below to find accomodation near Yachiho Station, where you can catch a local bus, or take a short drive to Chino Moss Forest:
- Be blown away by one of the most scenic landscapes Chino has to offer at Mount Kurumayama
- Drink tea in the most dangerous tea house in the world; Takasugi-an
- Discover Sendai’s Zao Fox Village in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture.
Incredible – and I say that as a citizen of Cascadia, where we do our own moss pretty damn well! Thank you so much for this lovely virtual tour. Perhaps once The Plague Year is over I can travel to see this gorgeous place.
And I hope that you are safe and well during this time.
Hi Chief!
Thanks for stopping by! Oh wow, definitely should check out Cascadia then – I absolutely fell in love with the moss world in Japan.
Can’t wait until this plague year is over too – so I can travel again…or just enjoy normal life again!
Hope you are safe and well too :)