The 5 Most Dangerous Places in Japan

Japan is known for its stability and security. Tokyo, its capital, was chosen in the ranking as the safest city in the world, according to the criteria of the newspaper “The Economist". But every country has its dangerous places.

Due to your geography, a volcanic island located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area with high geological instability, and also for its innovative and traditional culture at the same time, Japan has its dangers, natural and man-made as well.

So it's easy to find some dangerous places in the country. Some of them are very famous around the world. And that's exactly what we want to talk about. For that we made this list with some dangerous places in Japan.

See also a video talking about the 7 most dangerous neighborhoods in Japan:

Eshima Ohashi Bridge

Starting at the Bridge Eshima Ohashi, a 44 meter high bridge with an inclination of 3.5º. Those who look at the bridge are scared, and those who drive across it even more. With a roller coaster feel, the bridge's slope challenges the most experienced drivers.

The height of the bridge is so that ships can pass under it. Ohashi [大橋] means large bridge, and should be avoided by those with vertigo. The bridge is so eccentric that it has become a tourist spot, but many go up on foot, to enjoy the view, and also to avoid the risk of driving on this immense slope.

The 5 most dangerous places in Japan

The Eshima Ohashi Bridge is a human construction, an architectural landmark. But Japan is famous for its natural hazards. One of them is volcanoes, Japan has many, some of them are still active. Since it is about one of these that we will talk next.

Mount Miyake-jima

The Izu Islands, part of a national park in the country, is an example of a dangerous place, which you should visit with caution. Made up of more than 20 islands, this archipelago is home to Mount Miyake-Jima, an active volcano that can release toxic gases at any time.

In 1953, Mount Miyake-Jima came into activity and killed 31 people on a research vessel off its coast. Residents of nearby islands had to leave their homes because of the volcano's gas atmosphere.

The 5 most dangerous places in Japan

In the 2000s, the volcano again released noxious gases, forcing residents to abandon their homes once again. In 2005, the government allowed the population to return to the island, as long as each person carried a gas mask, 24 hours a day.

Many tourists are attracted by the natural beauty of the islands and also by the curiosity to get close to the volcano, which can release gases at any time. It's a constant danger.

Tokyo - The safest or most dangerous city?

Despite The Economist's poll having chosen Tokyo as the safest city, believe it or not, it is also the most dangerous city in the world. That's because a Swiss insurer evaluated more than 600 cities in the world to analyze which were most at risk of natural catastrophes, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, storm surges, river floods and tsunami, and Tokyo ranked first.

Although Japanese cities are prepared to receive these disasters, betting on technology to predict and mitigate the risks and consequences of them, depending on the magnitude of the event, is not enough to protect themselves.

The 5 most dangerous places in Japan

The 2011 earthquake that devastated northeastern Japan shows how resilience and recovery from very strong events is not as effective or fast. Japan, due to its location, is exposed to these types of events all the time, with Tokyo being one of the most susceptible locations to fall victim to a catastrophe.

Not to mention that Tokyo receives a huge amount of foreigners from all over the world. There you can also end up coming across rogue Japanese or foreigners with bad intentions.

The article is still halfway through, but we recommend also reading:

Kabukicho - Tokyo

But Tokyo also has other dangers, such as the danger inherent in big cities and their inequalities: urban violence. The region known as Kasumigaseki; It is the most dangerous place in Tokyo and also in Japan.

Kabukicho is a red light district, close to the largest and busiest Japanese subway station, it has an intense nightlife, with many bars, motels, nightclubs and clubs offering escort services.

The 5 most dangerous places in Japan

The area, 100 years ago, was an all-girls school, which was destroyed during World War II. Its restoration project never got off the ground, and in the following decades it ended up being occupied by nightly entertainment.

The nightlife and somewhat on the fringes of the Japanese organization makes the region attract the practice of prostitution, which is prohibited in Japan, and members of the yakuza, the famous Japanese mafia, which runs businesses in Kabukicho.

That's why the place became famous for its dangers, some establishments apparently applied scams to customers, charging different prices than the one informed when you enter, and even putting substances in drinks, so that the person would get drunk faster, spending more money.

Aokigahara Forest

But we cannot speak of dangers from Japan, let alone the Aokigahara Forest, known as the suicide forest.

located near the Mount Fuji, this is the most bizarre and terrifying place in all of Japan. The forest has gained a reputation that people enter it to kill themselves, as it is a dense forest, where it is difficult to look for someone, taking a long time to locate, often without success.

The 5 most dangerous places in Japan

Without having an official number of deaths in the forest, it is speculated that it exceeds a thousand. The number is in fact so relevant that the Japanese authorities put up signs with messages of encouragement and anti-suicide throughout the forest and it has already been the setting for several horror films, among them the most recent, from 2018, called The Cursed Forest.

The energy that surrounds the forest is so great that local residents do not let children get close to it, because, in addition to the suicides, many people have already been lost in the region, and the legends and stories that frighten make the rescues even more painful and difficult.

The forest is a sinister tour, involving danger and a climate of terror, which only Japan can offer, but for the unsuspecting or people more inclined to fear spiritual events, it is best avoided.

dangerous places in japan

Despite these dangerous places, being dangerous, they still manage to attract many curious people to know them. Of course, Tokyo itself is not included in this. The ones I mean are those who are known exclusively for their dangerousness.

But anyway, we can't do much. Worse are those people who practice extreme sports even knowing that life is hanging by a thread. So, visiting dangerous places like those on the list doesn't seem like a big deal.

But even so, I wouldn't want to spend my time wandering around Aokigahara Forest. Is that you? We also recommend reading our other article that talks about the most dangerous neighborhoods in japan.

Read more articles from our website

Thanks for reading! But we would be happy if you take a look at other articles below:

Read our most popular articles:

Do you know this anime?