Doshi Valley

The peaceful mountain village of Doshi in eastern Yamanashi is set amidst a lush, verdant valley around 28 kilometers long. The Doshi River flows along almost the entire length of the village, joining many tributaries and streams en route to form Doshi Valley.

There are a few theories behind the origins of the Doshi name. One supposes that the Chinese characters in the name refer to the Taoist notion of “The Will and the Way,” as many Taoists visited the area in the past. Another suggests that in olden times there were four main paths in Doshi Valley; doshi can be written with the characters “paths four,” a homonym of the current name.

However, the official story behind the name is a different one. In Heian-period (794-1185) Japan, those who held the position of kebiishi or kenbiishi acted as both prosecutors and police officers. Officials who had graduated from Myobodo––what we would today call law school––and took on this position were called doshi. Some of these officials took the word doshi as their surname before settling in the mountains of Kai Province (present-day Yamanashi).

The Doshi Valley has a number of hiking trails and suspension bridges. At 71 meters long and 34 meters high, the Kubo suspension bridge is one of the more popular ones. It also marks the start of the trailhead for Mount Omuro, one of the “100 Famous Mountains” of Yamanashi.

The village of Doshi has the distinction of having the highest density of campsites in a single area in all of Japan. It is a popular destination for nature-lovers, particularly in spring and autumn, and has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Depending on the season and location, visitors may encounter flying squirrels, fireflies, and Buerger’s frogs.