Beyond Kanazawa: A Guide to the Best Outdoor Adventures in the Tedori River Area

If you’re visiting Japan, of course you’ll be wanting to experience the culture. But there’s another way to explore this country: in the great outdoors. Few places in Japan offer as many adventure options as the Tedori River area near Kanazawa City. Here are three activities that will create memories to last a lifetime.

Cycling up to the Castle

The very best way to spend a relaxing day soaking up nature is by bicycle and it just so happens that one of the country’s most scenic cycling routes is easily accessible from Kanazawa City. The Tedori Canyon Cycling Road runs alongside the frothy, blue-green waters of the Tedori River all the way from Tsurugi Train Station up to Sena Roadside Station with quite a lot to see and eat along the way.

The highlight, according to many of the bicycle guides I know, is the former site of the Torigoe Castle.

Directions to the access road aren’t clearly marked, which makes this mountaintop one of the area’s hidden gems. With an electric-assist bicycle, anyone can ride up the winding series of hairpin curves to enjoy one of the best (and most historic) views in the country.

This is where a 15th-century grassroots resistance of Buddhist monks, craftsmen, and farmers made their last stand against an army of samurai warriors. They fought for independence from the feudal system right here on this mountaintop, firing rifles from the walls of a castle that was built by the people in order to protect the people.

Although very little of the original castle remains, the gates were faithfully reconstructed according to wartime architecture characteristic of the 16th century when the final battle took place. You can wander through the markers that outline the layout of the castle buildings and perhaps happen upon the hoofprints of Japanese serow in the bare earth. 

An Obstacle Course under the Canopy

Adventure Garden Nomi is where lovers of obstacle courses and ziplining can spend a couple of hours up high in the trees.

Designed and built by the owner, Adventure Garden Nomi is situated in a quiet holler that is protected from the wind. Among tall, stately trees, a series of wood-and-rope challenges await. After you watch a 10-minute instructional video, you’ll step into a harness, and try a couple of zipline practice runs at ground level. Then you’re ready to head up into the trees.

From one platform to the next, you’ll be faced with different bridges that take you out over open air. (Don’t worry! There’s an instructor standing by to offer helpful hints and your safety wire is always ready to catch you.)

Even if you’ve never tried anything like this before or if you’re uncomfortable with heights (both of which applied in my case), this is an experience that’s worth doing for the boost in confidence that comes from completing a challenge that is completely unique, mentally and physically.

Adventure Garden Nomi offers on-site parking, restrooms, and a comfortable changing room as well, so bring your “play clothes” and your best-fitting sneakers.

Paragliding for Beginners

Forested mountain peaks, sparkling rivers, lush rice fields, quaint towns, the sprawl of historic Kanazawa City, and the vast horizon where the Sea of Japan meets the western sky– you’ll see all of these in a single glance from the mountaintop overlooking Tsurugi, near the Tedori River. And the most exhilarating way to enjoy the view is by paragliding.

Paragliders have been circling the skies in this area for decades. The Shishiku Pleateau is one of the best places in Japan for gliding sports because of its orientation to the wind, which blows inland from the Sea of Japan. Its local paragliding school has been operating since 1987.

The paragliding school in Tsurugi offers one-day tandem flights with an experienced instructor. You’ll attend a safety and how-to lecture in the morning before the afternoon updrafts start gusting up the mountainside. The flight itself lasts about fifteen minutes and you’ll go home with a video and photos of your flight.

Or, if you’re determined to experience taking off and landing without the aid of an instructor, try the paragliding training course. In the morning, you’ll practice launching a paraglider on a gentle slope with the guidance of an instructor via radio. By the afternoon, you’ll be able to lift off and land at slopes of varying heights starting from 10 meters (33 feet) and going up to as much as 50 meters (164 feet). Yes, you’ll be able to fly all by yourself in a single day.

On your trip to Japan, of course you’ll be visiting museums and browsing shops and trying hands-on experiences, but leave a day or two for adventure in Japan’s scenic countryside as well.

About Keri Yazawa

Keri Yazawa, a resident of Kanazawa City since 2005, guides bicycle tours specializing in good food, quirky history, local craft making, and gorgeous landscapes.

Article photos and written content © 2025 Keri Yazawa. All rights reserved.