The Perfect Place to Relax and Get Back to Nature Hinohara Village in western Tokyo is home to several scenic spots including the Hossawa and Odake waterfalls, Hinohara Tokyo Citizens’ Forest and Mount Mito to name a few. Adding to this list...
Shibazakura Moss Phlox on Display at Hitsujiyama Park Resting blissfully under the gaze of nearby Mount Buko is a hill of vivid pink, white and lilac. The Shibazakura no oka 芝桜の丘 or hill of pink moss (also known as moss phlox) is in Hitsujiyama Park...
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 (mostly in Japanese only) and that it needs to be tied to a Japanese...
A Small Star on a Small Island As hard as it is to believe a grandmother built a lighthouse. The lighthouse in question is the pint-sized 3-metre-high Takamori Lighthouse on Shikinejima one of the smaller islands that make up the Izu Seven Islands...
Old Style Campground Meets High Tech The diminutive Izu Island of Shikinejima is often overlooked for its larger neighbour Niijima. Arguably Niijima has better beaches at least surfing ones while Shikinejima is charming and chilled out with plenty...
Hiked on Mar 16, 2018 . Tojinzushiro 唐人津城 – Kanbiki Lookout 神引展望台 Duration: 3 hours Distance: 6.4 km Elevation change: 96 metres Highest point: 109 metres Start: Kamanoshita Campground Finish: Oura Beach...
Tokyo a City of Extremes With near on 14 million people living in the Tokyo Metropolis it goes without saying there isn’t much in the way of personal space. The corollary to this craziness is excellent food, shopping, nightlife and entertainment...
Cycling from the Shin Ome-kaido to Sayama Lake Recently while cycling around the Tama and Sayama Lakes in western Tokyo, I came across a tunnel network which appeared to be from an abandoned railway. It struck me as a little odd that they would...
Remnants from the Second World War in Tokyo Preserved ruins from the Second World War in Japan are few with the notable exceptions being the Hiroshima A-bomb Dome Genbaku Domu, the Nagasaki Urakami Cathedral wall remnant and the one-legged torii of...
Tracking Down Saitama’s Tallest Waterfall Saitama Prefecture like neighbouring Tokyo has only one waterfall chosen as one of the 100 Japanese waterfalls of Japan way back in 1990. Whilst it’s not the easiest location to reach by public transport...
A Village where Scarecrows Outnumber People Following in the footsteps of Nagoro in Shikoku, the tiny village of Niegawajuku in Chichibu, Saitama is seeking to revitalize itself with lifelike scarecrows (or kakashi). Niegawajuku like much of rural...
Exploring the Backwoods of Okutama One of the places I love frequenting in Okutama, Tokyo is the rather obscure Kurasawa Valley a lazy 20-minute bus ride from Okutama Station. Flanked on either side by precipitous cliff faces it was once home to the...