Reviewed: Rafting and Canyoning in Gunma

If you’re looking for an adrenaline boost, rafting and canyoning in Gunma is the way to go. Here’s what you can expect from a day at Canyons Minakami — based on our experience. Spoiler: you’ll be rappelling down waterfalls!

While we did a combined canyoning and rafting day trip in summer, there are various multi-day packages and the option to stay overnight, so feel free to extend your adventures. Note that the availability of tours differs by season.

What is canyoning?

Canyoning is like a mix of outdoor and water sports, covering everything from abseiling and natural water slides to waterfall jumping.

With that in mind, we don’t recommend canyoning for absolute beginners to outdoor activities or water sports. While you don’t need to have done canyoning before, it is definitely best that you are used to the water or have experienced other adrenaline-pumping physical activities.

The Canyons Japan website mentions that non-swimmers can participate, but it is followed by this statement, which we strongly agree with: “However, those who are afraid of water, or are likely to panic if they find themselves in the water, probably want to think twice.”

That said, if you love hiking, rafting, rock climbing, or any outdoor adventures, the Canyons staff did an amazing job of making us feel safe. This is a great activity for intermediate adventurers looking to try something new.

Canyons Japan was the first company to start canyoning tours in Japan, in 1998. The founder, Mike Harris, has introduced international guide standards and training systems for the sport. Needless to say, if you’re going to go canyoning for the first time, these pioneers have a lot of experience under their belts.

Morning: Canyoning

Here’s everything we did, from check-in to check-out — and what you need to know before you go.

Checking in

We arrived by car and had a smooth check-in process. We were asked to fill in some forms with our details, and answered a few questions about things like our health and whether we were pregnant.

We then met with our two guides and received a 10-minute overview of what to expect on the day tour. At this point, the guides double-checked our medical conditions and outdoor experience levels. They also checked if glasses wearers had contact lenses or wanted a string to attach their specs to.

We all got into our kit, which consisted of a wetsuit, jacket, socks, boots, harness, helmet, and life vest. These were all included in the cost of the tour, and gloves were available, too. A note to shy readers — we got changed in shared, gender-separated changing rooms, so be mentally prepared!

Once kitted up, we hopped into the minivan to the canyoning destination, which was about 10 minutes away. During the drive, the guides reviewed hand signals like “stop” and “slippery”, which put our minds at ease before stepping into the water.

The Canyons experience

Our course was the Level 3 Fox Plus Canyon Course, which is priced from ¥3,500 to ¥20,500 if you book it as a combo with rafting. It is available from July to October.

Levels 1–3 are for beginners, and you can choose to start at the level you feel most comfortable with, based on the extent of your outdoor experience. Anything above Level 3 is reserved for those with demonstrated canyoning experience.

Our tour was a great mix of different adrenaline-pumping activities. We always felt safe, and our guides made it clear that we could skip or rearrange different activities if we felt uncomfortable.

We’re not too big on heights, so some activities, like the waterfall descent, were pretty scary, but the rush and sense of accomplishment made it so worth it. Ultimately, we did an assisted descent down a 20-meter waterfall and a rappel down a 20-meter cliff face before dropping into the water below. We also did a zipline and multiple frontward and backward-facing slides into natural canyon pools below us.

A few times, we had to adjust the carabiner and rope ourselves, which may be different for those with no carabiner experience. Either way, you’ll want to make sure you are familiar with your kit before getting in the water. In the end, including the safety talks, changing clothes, and transportation, the entire tour took around three hours.

Lunch and facilities at Canyons Minakami

Our trip included lunch because we had booked a combined morning and afternoon tour. They took our food requests in the morning, so by the time we arrived back, we had a Canyons burger cooked fresh and ready for us to eat.

The burger was delicious. It was large, filling, and stuffed with salad toppings and a big, juicy patty — a definite recommendation from us. Vegetarian options are available with prior notice.

The Canyons facility also has a BBQ area, bar, and café. The BBQ requires pre-booking for lunch, or if you fancy staying the night in one of their lodges, you can book for dinner, too.

Afternoon: Pack rafting

After refueling, we headed back out for rafting in the same gear as before. We received a thorough 15-minute overview of using the paddles and tackling the rapids. However, as everyone in our group had previous rafting or kayaking experience, we went straight onto the rapids! If you have less experience, you will first spend some time going through basic drills and movements.

Overall, we spent about 1.5 hours on the water, but including everything else, the tour was around 2.5 hours long. The rafting was an exciting ride, with a nice balance of crashing rapids that tested our skills to stay afloat and nice pockets of calm waters to give us a little rest. Some members of our group capsized their raft in the rapids, but the guides were swift to help, making sure everyone was safe.

Overall, the rafting required more autonomy than the canyoning. While the guides were in front and behind, showing us through the rapids, decision-making and physical exertion was up to us.

What to prepare for your visit

While you’ll receive all the specific kit on the day, here are a few things to remember:

 
• Swimsuit

 

• Towel

 

• Contact lenses (or glasses, but prepare for them to get scratched or damaged!)

You should also be relatively physically fit and, for canyoning, prepared to conquer heights of around 20 meters.

Notes and precautions

Canyoning tours operate daily from late April until mid-October, but are most thrilling from May to July due to water flow. Snow canyoning is also available in January and February. Regular rafting is available year-round, while pack rafting is available from July to September.

Tours will continue running in the rain or moderate bad weather, but activities may be cancelled if the water levels rise too much. In that case, you can try a whitewater rafting tour, which runs in most weather conditions.

Depending on the adventure activity at Canyons (particularly canyoning and rafting), pregnant guests are not able to participate, so please call ahead to check, if this applies to you.

Overall, as avid outdoor adventurers, we had a really great experience at Canyons Minakami. The activities were a lot of fun and felt well-organized and safe, and there’s a lot more to explore in Gunma. But if you’re not quite up to waterfall jumps and 20-meter rappelling yet, we recommend visiting Okutama first to dip your toes into Japan’s outdoor experiences — there is gentle rafting available.

Where to stay and what to do nearby

Canyons Minakami has its own lodge called Alpine Lodge. There are various accommodation and activity combo packages available — one of these is a good option if you want to stay multiple days and try different activities.

However, if you want to experience more of Gunma, plenty of exciting overnight options are nearby. The area is known for its beautiful natural scenery and hot springs. Some highlights include Mt. Akagi, Oze National Park, and Kusatsu Onsen. Have a look at our Gunma guide for more ideas.

How to get to Minakami

It is easiest to access the Minakami canyoning and rafting location from Jōmō-Kōgen Station. It takes around 1 hour and 40 minutes to get there from Shinjuku Station. From Jōmō-Kōgen Station, you can either rent a car at Toyota Rent-A-Car, which is just opposite, or use the Canyons pick-up service.

Many of the beginner tours take around three hours in total, including safety briefings and travel to the activity site. There are two main starting times: around 8:30 a.m. and 12 noon. Make sure to account for fussing at the rental car place or any missed trains, and leave Tokyo bright and early if you want to catch a morning activity.

While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change.