Planning and Managing Risks on the Trail During my formative days hiking in Japan, I must confess I didn’t devote much time to planning my hikes even the overnight ones. My usual approach back then was print out a hike some random person posted on...
Enjoy Hiking More Safely In July 2022, COCOHELI and jRO merged, with jRO becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of COCOHELI. In addition to COCOHELI’s membership-based helicopter search service, jRO’s search and rescue service was integrated. If...
Sleep in these Mountain Huts and Save Some Coin While hiking purists might scoff at the idea of bedding down for the night in a mountain hut either due to cost considerations or the thought of suffering through an ensemble of snorers, huts do have...
Hiking and Adventure Sports Insurance Important note: The hiking insurance policies listed below are available to everyone. The only caveats are that you can navigate the website (in Japanese only) and that it needs to be tied to a Japanese mailing...
Japan Rescue Organization Hiking Accident Statistics One of the hazards of outdoor recreation such as hiking, camping, mountain biking or skiing is that it entails an element of risk. For solo adventurers such as myself, the level of risk is even...
Would you Drink the Water from this Lake? I did and suffered no ill effects. Anyway, before we get into that let’s rewind a little. Recently, I received an email from someone asking whether it’s safe to drink water from the mountains around Tokyo...
Tips for Planning a Successful Backcountry Adventure Planning hiking trips back in Australia was generally a pretty straightforward affair; find some willing accomplices, get a hold of a topo map, pack your gear and start driving. All of this could...
Musings from 10 Years Hiking in Japan Whether setting out on your first hike or already an accomplished mountaineer there are definitely some quirks unique to hiking in the Japanese mountains. This was especially so coming from an Australian hiking...