A bouldering area on the Tama River banks in Ome, Tokyo. The rock is mostly chert, ROCKTOPO lists 271 problems from 10-kyu to 4-dan, and ROCKTOPO's season runs October to May because summer is hot and humid. Walk to the river from JR Mitake Station on the Ome Line.
A granite crag in Hokuto, Yamanashi: ROCKTOPO lists 733 routes (371 cracks, 128 multi-pitch) plus 539 problems at Mizugakiyama Boulder. Season is April–November and the forest road closes in winter. The seasonal bus from JR Nirasaki Station does not reach the Mizugakiyama Nature Park where climbers park.
Odo Kaigan is a granite sea-cliff crag at Shikoku’s southwest tip, mostly for trad crack climbing; easy grades still require anchor and retreat skills. Prioritize November to March and access by car, then check your sector’s tides, road access, and way back to the clifftop.
Granite crags around Mawarime-daira in Kawakami, Nagano. ROCKTOPO lists 1,055 routes (sport, crack, multi-pitch) plus 611 boulder problems. ROCKTOPO gives April–November, CLIMBING-net May–October; the campground sits around 1,600 m and gets cold in spring and autumn. The nearest station is Shinano-Kawakami on the JR Koumi Line, then a village bus to Kawahake.
A coastal granite crag in Kita-Samuraihama, Kuji City, Iwate. ROCKTOPO lists 95 lines (52 boulder problems, 39 face routes, 4 cracks), and CLIMBING-net gives a season of late March to late November. Sources only describe driving access: about 15 minutes north of central Kuji on Route 45. Most bolts are old and corroded by the sea, and CLIMBING-net suggests top-roping if in doubt.
A chert sport crag in Akiruno, Tokyo: 46 routes on CLIMBING-net, 52 on ROCKTOPO (including 6 boulder problems), most of them 5.10–5.11. Both sites list it as a year-round crag; it faces northwest, so winter is cold. Take the bus bound for Kami-Yozawa from JR Musashi-Itsukaichi Station to Sorigo-bashi; the trout-fishing lot across the road has been closed to climbers since October 2019.
Toyota is the collective name for a dozen-plus granite boulder areas in the hills east of Toyota City, Aichi, centred on the Otaki Gorge. ROCKTOPO lists 941 boulder problems and 76 face routes; its season is Feb–May and Oct–Dec, CLIMBING-net says autumn to spring. Night climbing is banned everywhere and roadside parking has drawn strong complaints, so first-timers should use the Utaishi lot.
A crag inside Makuyama Park in Yugawara, Kanagawa. ROCKTOPO lists 365 lines (295 face, 58 boulders), mostly 5.10s; sources disagree on whether the rock is tuff or andesite. Sunny and warm in winter — ROCKTOPO marks December to March — and about 15 minutes by bus from JR Yugawara Station to the Makuyama Koen stop.
A granite crag in Tateyama, Toyama, with 51 routes on ROCKTOPO (46 face, 5 crack), mostly 5.10s. CLIMBING-net gives the season as early April to late November, but the Shomyo Road gate at Katsuradai officially opens only from late April to late November, and only in daytime. The nearest station is Tateyama on the Toyama Chiho Railway; the bus timetable lists no stop near the crag.
One guide per crag, 57 so far, from Shimukappu in Hokkaido to Cape Hedo in Okinawa. In winter (December–March) go to the south-facing walls of Izu and Yugawara or to Okinawa; in summer head for Ogawayama and Mizugakiyama at around 1,600 m, or Hokkaido. Look up routes and rules on ROCKTOPO and CLIMBING-net; find partners through Meetup, Facebook groups, and Jimoty.
Indoor climbing comes in three styles: bouldering (about 4 m, no rope), top-rope, and lead. Book an intro session for your first visit. At T-UP Wanhua in Taipei, a solo bouldering intro is NT$1,200 for 40 minutes, with entry, a coach, and gear included.
Climbing books don't exist in isolation — they represent competing schools of thought, philosophical differences, and knowledge gaps. This post maps the relationships between 60+ books to help you pick the right one to read next.