Canyoning in Nara with Kids: Our Family Experience with Aozora Fun

Have you ever heard of canyoning?

Canyoning is an outdoor activity where you make your way through a river or gorge using your own body. Instead of riding in a boat, you slide down natural rock slides, jump into clear pools, climb over rocks, and sometimes use ropes to make your way through the canyon.

It is a fantastic way to experience nature up close — especially during Japan’s hot summer months.

This summer, I went canyoning with my wife and elementary school-aged daughter at Aozora Fun in Nara Prefecture.

Before going, my biggest question was:
Can a young child really enjoy canyoning?

The answer, at least from our experience, was definitely yes! My daughter even jumped from a rock about 1.5 meters high — not just once, but three times. After the tour, she immediately said, “I want to do it again!”

So yes, even younger elementary school children can have a great time.

In this article, I’ll share our actual experience canyoning with Aozora Fun, including what the tour was like, what to bring, what we enjoyed, and a few things you should know before joining.

If any of these sound like you, read on!

What Is Aozora Fun Canyoning?

Before getting into our experience, let me briefly introduce Aozora Fun, the outdoor tour company we used.

For the latest information, I also recommend checking the official Aozora Fun website before making a reservation.
https://aozorafun.com/

① What Is Aozora Fun?

Aozora Fun is an outdoor adventure tour company that mainly operates in the Kansai region of Japan.

They offer a variety of outdoor activities, including:

• Canyoning and shower climbing
• Rafting
• Snow mountain climbing, snowshoeing, and snow trekking
• Trekking and hiking

According to their website, the company’s representative, Mr. Hashimoto, has been developing canyoning routes in the Kansai region since around 2000.

So canyoning isn’t just one small side activity for them — it is one of their specialties.

② Main Canyoning Courses and Areas

Aozora Fun offers several canyoning courses with different difficulty levels. There are courses suitable for families with young children as well as more challenging options for older children and adults.

We chose the Family Canyon because we were traveling with our elementary school-aged daughter. The Family Canyon is available for children from the first grade of elementary school, making it one of the most accessible options for families.

The canyoning season generally runs from mid-April to late October.

When we visited, the basic details were:

Other courses are available for older children and adults, including longer and more adventurous canyoning experiences.

Tour periods, prices, age requirements, and course details can change, so please check the official website for the latest information before booking.

③ Location and Access

For the Family Canyon tour, we went to the Aozora Fun Nara Base in Kawakami Village, Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture. It is located deep in the mountains, surrounded by beautiful rivers and forests.

To get there, we drove across the Osako Dam and continued along a narrow road beside the reservoir until we reached the Nara Base.

There is a free parking area with space for around ten cars.

Because of its remote location, I strongly recommend traveling by car. Some tours may offer transportation from Kintetsu Yamato-Kamiichi Station, but availability depends on the course, so check the official website when making your reservation.
https://aozorafun.com/accessinfo/

For international travelers, renting a car is probably the easiest option if you are comfortable driving in Japan.

④ How to Make a Reservation

Aozora Fun tours can be booked through the official website or Japanese activity-booking websites such as Jalan.

However, Aozora Fun’s official booking page and its listings on Jalan are mainly available in Japanese. I could not find Aozora Fun on major international activity-booking platforms such as Klook, KKday, GetYourGuide, or Viator at the time of writing.

If you do not speak Japanese, I recommend contacting Aozora Fun directly before booking to confirm whether they can accommodate English-speaking participants.

⑤ Is English Support Available?

Aozora Fun’s official website is mainly available in Japanese, and I could not find clear information stating whether canyoning tours are available in English.

Since canyoning involves important safety instructions, I recommend contacting Aozora Fun in advance if you do not speak Japanese.

English support may depend on the guide or tour date, so it is best to confirm directly before making a reservation.

Our Canyoning Experience

Now for the fun part!
Since our daughter was still in the lower grades of elementary school, we joined the Family Canyon tour.

The entire experience took about three and a half hours, although the actual canyoning portion was about one hour and fifty minutes. We arrived at around 12:20 p.m. and finished at around 4:00 p.m.

The price was ¥7,300 per person when we visited, so the total for the three of us was ¥21,900.

① Check-in, Getting Ready, and Moving to the Canyon

１. Check-in

We arrived at the Nara Base in time for our 12:20 p.m. meeting time. There is no lunch break during the Family Canyon tour, so make sure you eat lunch before arriving.

After parking our car, we went to the reception tent shown in the photo above. We paid the tour fee and filled out a form with basic information such as our age, address, and confirmation of the safety precautions. Payment was cash only when we visited, so we prepared the exact amount in advance.

The staff told us when and where to change. There are changing rooms and toilets at the Nara Base, as well as lockers where you can leave your valuables.

You cannot normally bring your smartphone canyoning, so this is also where you’ll leave your phone.

Once you leave the base, you won’t have access to a toilet for around three hours, so definitely use the restroom before leaving!

Although it’s a little hard to see, the brown building covered in ivy on the right side of the photo below houses the toilets and changing rooms.

2. Getting Equipped

Next, it was time to put on our canyoning equipment. The staff helped us choose equipment that fit our body size.

The rental equipment included:

• Wetsuit
• Canyoning shoes
• Helmet
• Gloves
• Life jacket

All of this was included in the tour price.

Your valuables can be left in the lockers. Other items, such as towels, are stored separately by the staff for each group.

3. Moving to the Canyon

Once everyone was ready, we got into an Aozora Fun vehicle and headed further into the mountains. The drive from Nara Base took around 15 minutes.

After getting out of the vehicle, we walked along a mountain trail for another 10 minutes or so.

Then we reached the river. My first thought was basically:
“Wait… we’re going down THERE?”

If you’re afraid of heights, this may be the moment when you start to get a little nervous!

Shingo

You can’t take drinks into the canyon itself, so the ride to the canyon is your last opportunity to hydrate. Make sure you drink enough before starting.

② Finally, Canyoning!

When we reached the river, we first spent some time getting used to the water. We got into the river, floated around, and became comfortable with our life jackets and wetsuits.

I wear contact lenses, so I brought goggles and used them whenever we were sliding or jumping into the water. Goggles are also a good idea if you want to look underwater.

We visited in early August, when the outside temperature was close to 35°C (95°F). But the river water was surprisingly cold!

Once I got used to it, it felt fantastic, but this definitely made me think that midsummer is the perfect season for canyoning.

Then the real adventure began. We slid one by one down natural rock slides and used ropes to climb through rocky sections of the canyon.

After climbing one section using a rope, we reached a more open area. And this was where we got to jump into the river!

We first tried jumping from a small rock, about 50 centimeters high.

Then came the big one. Those who wanted to could jump from a rock that looked to be more than 1.5 meters high.

Standing at the top was definitely scary.
But once I jumped…
It was incredibly fun!

The pool below was deep and free of large rocks in the landing area, and the guide carefully explained where and how to jump.

And remember — this is the Family Canyon. Our daughter was nervous at first, but once she tried it, she loved it. She jumped from the big rock about three times, laughing the whole time.

Seeing her build up the courage to jump was probably one of my favorite moments of the entire trip.

Of course, you don’t have to jump if you don’t want to.
The guide told us that participation varies greatly depending on the group. On some days, most people apparently choose not to do the bigger jump.

After enjoying the jumps, we continued downstream and slid down a small waterfall like a natural waterslide.

Again, it takes a little courage at first — but it’s a lot of fun! The guide also took a family photo of us underneath the waterfall.

Canyoning sounds like a very active experience — jumping, sliding, climbing and swimming — and it certainly can be.

But one of my favorite parts was actually much simpler. Sometimes I just floated on my back, looked up at the deep green forest and watched the sunlight filtering through the trees.

There was nothing I needed to do. No computer. No smartphone. No city noise. Just the river and the forest. That feeling of being completely surrounded by nature was fantastic.

After about 1 hour and 50 minutes, our canyoning adventure came to an end. Without really noticing it, we had made our way downstream and arrived close to where our vehicle was waiting.

③ After the Canyoning Tour

After leaving the river, we got back into the guide’s vehicle and returned to Nara Base.

We were tired — in a good way. On the way back, my family talked about the river, the jumps and how much fun we’d had.

Once we arrived at the base, we removed our wetsuits and equipment with some help from the staff.

There were showers available to rinse ourselves off.
One warning: The shower water was cold!

After that, we collected our belongings, got changed and received the photos taken during the tour.

When we visited, the photos could be transferred using an SD-card reader connected to a smartphone. If your phone isn’t compatible, there is also an option to download the photos online afterward.

Once we had our photos, we were free to leave.

There is also a popular hot spring called Shionoha Onsen Yamabatoyu near the Nara Base.
Official Website: https://yamabatoyu.co.jp/

You can either stay overnight or visit just for a day-use bath, so it could be a great place to stop by after canyoning.

However, it seems to be a very popular hot spring, and admission may be limited when it gets crowded. If that happens, you may unfortunately have to give up and try another time.

What We Liked About Canyoning with Aozora Fun

I’ve already mentioned some of these points throughout the article, but here is a quick summary of what we particularly enjoyed about our canyoning experience.

① Enjoying the Great Outdoors

This was probably the biggest highlight.
If you spend most of your time in cities, simply being this deep in the mountains can feel special.

During the tour, we were surrounded by forests, rocks and incredibly clear river water. Unlike a developed campsite or theme park, there were almost no artificial structures around us.

You hear the river flowing, the wind moving through the trees, insects and birds. It really feels like being inside nature, rather than simply looking at it.

For adults who spend their weekdays sitting in front of computers — and children who spend plenty of their free time playing games or watching YouTube — I think an experience like this can be incredibly refreshing.

And unlike swimming in the ocean, the river is freshwater, so you don’t finish the day feeling salty and sticky!

② Natural Water Slides and Rock Jumps Are So Much Fun

This is probably what most people imagine when they think of canyoning.

You slide down rocks shaped by the river and jump directly into natural pools. It’s completely different from going down a waterslide at a swimming pool.

There were several moments when I thought:
“We’re really going to slide down THAT?”

But the guide explains what to do, so even when something looks intimidating at first, you gradually build up the confidence to try it. The same goes for the jumps. Standing on the rock and looking down can be scary.

But after doing it once, the fear quickly turns into excitement. You may immediately want to do it again — just like our daughter did.

What makes canyoning so unique is that you’re not just swimming in the river or walking over rocks — you get to experience one natural attraction after another along the way.

③ Beginner- and Kid-Friendly

Before going, I wondered whether canyoning might be too difficult for complete beginners, especially young children.

After actually trying it, my impression changed. Because the guide leads you through each section and explains what to do, you don’t need previous canyoning experience.

Of course, you still need a reasonable level of physical fitness. You’ll walk through rivers, climb over rocks, swim, and possibly jump into the water.

But the Family Canyon is specifically designed to be accessible to families and is available from the first grade of elementary school. Our daughter enjoyed herself from beginning to end.

More importantly, she had the experience of being nervous about a jump, finding the courage to try it, and then wanting to do it again. As a parent, I loved seeing that.

④ Helpful and Supportive Guides

Safety is probably one of the biggest concerns for first-time canyoning. You’re walking through a natural river, climbing slippery rocks and jumping into deep water.

Having experienced guides with you makes a huge difference. Our guide explained where to walk, where to put our feet and what to do before each jump or slide.

That meant we could focus on enjoying ourselves instead of constantly wondering what we were supposed to do next.

Our guide was friendly and cheerful, but also clear and precise whenever safety was involved. I was particularly impressed by how attentive the staff were with our daughter. When the terrain was difficult for her, the guide sometimes held her hand and helped her through the section.

For a family with a young child, that kind of support was very reassuring.

⑤ You Get Photos of the Experience

Taking your own photos while canyoning is difficult.

Actually, after experiencing it myself, I’d say trying to use a smartphone in the canyon would be extremely impractical. That’s why I appreciated having the guide take photos during the tour.

They captured moments that would have been impossible for us to photograph ourselves, including our daughter’s jump.

The photos aren’t taken continuously and the exact number isn’t guaranteed, so don’t expect a professional photo shoot.

But being able to look back later and say, “We really jumped from there?!” makes them much more than ordinary vacation photos.

If you absolutely want to record your own photos or videos, you can bring a GoPro or waterproof camera at your own risk.

Another great thing about Aozora Fun is that you don’t just get to enjoy the canyoning itself — you also get to take home photos that capture the experience.

Things to Know Before You Go

Canyoning is a lot of fun, but there are several things you should know before booking.

① The Water Can Be Very Cold

The river water is cold. On a hot summer day, jumping into a mountain river sounds incredibly refreshing — and it is.

But remember that you’ll be spending a significant amount of time in the water. You’ll walk, swim and slide your way downstream, so your body gradually gets colder. By the end of our tour, even my daughter’s lips were starting to look a little purple!

You will be wearing a wetsuit, so it’s not unbearably cold, but don’t underestimate the temperature just because you’re visiting during summer. Wearing a rash guard or similar layer underneath your wetsuit can help.

And if you get too cold, you may be able to take a break from the water and warm yourself in a sunny area.

② It Requires More Energy Than You Might Expect

Canyoning is surprisingly physical. You’re not simply playing in a river. You’ll be walking against water, climbing rocks, swimming, using ropes and moving around in a wetsuit.

By the time we finished, I definitely felt like I’d had a proper workout. Somehow, I even ended up with a sore wrist — probably because I spent so much time watching and supporting my daughter!

That said, you’re not exercising intensely for the entire tour. There are breaks along the way, and people with a reasonable level of everyday fitness should be able to enjoy the Family Canyon.

I would think of it as a half-day outdoor adventure, rather than a quick stop between sightseeing spots.

Also remember that if you drive there, you’ll still need to drive back through mountain roads after the tour when you’re tired. For that reason, staying somewhere nearby afterward can be a great option.

③ Watch Your Step on the Rocks

You’re in a natural canyon, not on a maintained walking trail. The rocks are wet, and some are covered in moss, which can make them very slippery.

Listen carefully to the guide and take your time. Don’t rush ahead or try to look cool by ignoring the instructions. Nature usually wins that argument!

If you’re canyoning with children, keep a close eye on them throughout the tour. The depth and current of the river can change suddenly, and slipping on the rocks is always possible.

④ Tours Can Change or Be Canceled Due to Weather and Water Levels

This is an outdoor activity in a natural river, so conditions matter.

Heavy rain can increase the water level and make certain parts of the canyon unsafe. On the other hand, unusually low water levels may also affect what activities are possible. As a result, the tour route may be changed, postponed or canceled. And sometimes that decision can only be made shortly before the tour.

We experienced this ourselves.
We originally planned to go canyoning the previous year, but our tour was canceled because of a typhoon. When we tried again the following year, the river level was too high on our original tour date, so the tour was postponed until the next day. In other words, it took us two years to finally go canyoning as planned!

That’s simply part of doing an activity in nature. If canyoning is part of your Japan itinerary, I recommend leaving some flexibility in your schedule rather than planning everything down to the hour.

Also check Aozora Fun’s latest cancellation and rescheduling policies before booking.

⑤ You Can’t Bring Your Smartphone

As mentioned earlier, smartphones generally cannot be taken into the canyon. The guide won’t carry your personal phone or use it to take photos for you.

If taking your own photos or videos is important, bring a GoPro or waterproof camera — but remember that you do so at your own risk.

Personally, I think leaving the smartphone behind was actually part of what made the experience so enjoyable.

Who Would We Recommend Aozora Fun Canyoning To?

Finally, here’s a quick summary of who I would recommend Aozora Fun’s canyoning tours to — and who may want to think twice before booking.

① Recommended For

I think Aozora Fun’s canyoning tours are particularly suitable for people who:

For families with younger elementary school children, the Family Canyon is especially worth considering.

② May Not Be Suitable For

You may want to think carefully before booking if you:

You also don’t need to do every jump or slide just because you’re participating. If something feels too intimidating, talk to the guide.

Combine Canyoning with Sightseeing in Nara

After spending several hours canyoning, I recommend staying overnight somewhere in Nara rather than immediately driving a long distance back to Osaka or another city.

That’s exactly what we did.
After our canyoning tour, our family stayed at RITA Gosemachi in Gose City, Nara Prefecture. It takes roughly an hour by car from the Aozora Fun Nara Base, making it a convenient option after canyoning.

RITA Gosemachi is part of the GOSE SENTO HOTEL project. The project restored an old public bath called Gose Takara-yu, which had closed in 2008, while also renovating traditional buildings around the town into accommodations and restaurants.

RITA Gosemachi itself is a renovated former fountain pen shop that has been transformed into a beautiful accommodation.

Actually, this wasn’t our first stay. We had stayed at RITA Gosemachi the previous year as well, and both my wife and I liked it so much that we came back for a second year in a row!

If you’re planning a canyoning trip, combining the outdoor adventure with an overnight stay and some sightseeing in Nara makes for a great short trip.

Final Thoughts

That was our family’s experience canyoning with Aozora Fun in Nara. For us, it was much more than simply playing in a river.

We got to slide down natural rock formations, jump into deep pools, climb through a canyon, float underneath the trees and spend several hours completely surrounded by nature.

And most importantly, our daughter absolutely loved it. Seeing her hesitate at the top of the big jump, finally take the plunge, and then immediately climb back up to do it again was probably the best summary of the whole experience.

A little scary at first — and incredibly fun once you try it.

If you’re visiting Japan during the warmer months and want to experience something beyond temples, shrines and city sightseeing, canyoning in the mountains of Nara is definitely an experience worth considering.

And if you’re traveling with children, Aozora Fun’s Family Canyon gives families a way to experience that adventure together.

Just remember: check the weather, bring the right clothes, listen carefully to your guide…
…and be prepared to get completely soaked!

Fin

鳴山シンゴ / Shingo Naruyama

化学メーカー社員／ブロガー | Chemical Manufacturer Employee / Blogger

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世界を旅するブロガーを目指す30代化学メーカー社員。趣味（読書、カメラ、サウナ、旅行、バドミントン）やお金・ライフハック関連の記事を投稿しています！ ｜ English ｜ Japan-based blogger working for a chemical manufacturer. I share real experiences and practical tips about travel, saunas, activities, and everyday life in Japan.