Mount Daisen Japanese Giant Salamander Viewing Experience

Join expert guide Richard Pearce for a Japanese Giant Salamander Viewing Experience and have a rare chance to see them up close in the wild.

  • Tours run regularly throughout the year from April until November, subject to the availability of the guide.

  • Walk in beautiful, natural condition and important feeder rivers to observe Japanese Giant Salamanders behaving naturally.

  • Clear and shallow water allows for great opportunities to photograph the animals using only standard equipment, go-pro or even iPhones!

“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

The viewing tour visits both a disturbed area and a pristine area. The tour requires a reasonable level of physical ability and agility as we will walk along rocky and slippery mountain streams and possibly climb and descend ladders. For a less physically demanding, shorter and/or child friendly option, please contact us.

Tour Details:

Price: 25,000 yen per person, minimum 2 people. Single person tours available for 40,000 yen. 6 people maximum. For larger groups, please inquire. Includes wader rental. Due to disease control, it is forbidden to use waders previously used in a different region.

Special rates available for school groups and families. Please enquire.

Group size: 1 - 6 people. For larger groups, please enquire by email at richard@bushidojapan.com

Season: March - November. In case of heavy snow, it may be hard/impossible to access the river. Please contact us for possibilites to see Japanese Giant Salamanders outside these dates

Equipment needed: Head or hand torch. Can be rented at 1000 yen per item.


Example Tour Schedule (subject to seasonal changes):

6.45pm: Meet at Mikuriya Train Station (Tottori Prefecture)

7.00pm: Arrive at field sites.

10.15pm: Return to Nawa Station. A train to Yonago runs at 10.08pm. Last train for Yonago at 10.54pm.

Booking

To book and for any questions, please email Richard Pearce at richard@bushidojapan.com or use the CONTACT option on the toolbar above.

JGS in 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!

Further Information:

Richard Pearce has been working with leading Japanese giant salamander experts since 2017. With a group of both international and local volunteers, Richard launched the Save the Japanese Giant Salamander campaign in April 2022. The initial efforts are focused on the Nawa River basin in Daisen Town. This is a truly unique and special habitat. However, their future survival is threatened by human activities. Please visit Sustainable Daisen’s website for more information.

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