Mt. Fuji as Seen on the 500-yen Banknote Until the release of the 500-yen coin in 1982, its corresponding paper equivalent reigned for more than 40 years. In fact, it wasn’t until 1994 that the 500-yen banknote was finally withdrawn from circulation...
Hiked on May 3, 2017 Apr 14, 2024 . Otoge 大峠 – Mt. Gangaharasuri 雁ヶ腹摺山 – Mt. Ubakoyama 姥子山 Duration: 2 days Distance: 20.7 km Elevation change: 1137 metres Highest point: 1874 metres Start:...
Vintage Maps that Continue to Soldier on After years of faithfully pointing sightseers in the right direction, these mostly painstakingly hand drawn Japanese hiking maps take on an ethereal quality of their own. Though they may have withered and at...
The Mystery Surrounding Kanto’s Longest Cave The Greater Tokyo Area features some fairly good tourist caves including the Nippara Limestone Cave in Tokyo and the Fujido Cave in Gunma Prefecture which are worth checking out. Recreational caving...
Discover one of Tokyo’s Hidden Gems Last year I had the good fortune of staying at the Sokodo campground on Hachijojima Island. For a free campground, the facilities were second to none and even provided hot water showers. This time I have travelled...
Hiked on Mar 29, 2017 Dec 11, 2021 . Mt. Tenjo 天上山 Duration: 6 hours Distance: 10.6 km Elevation change: 540 metres Highest point: 572 metres Start: Tako Bay Campground Finish: Tako Bay...
Hunter-gatherer Cave on a Chichibu Mountainside On a recent outing to the ruins of the former Mitsumine Ropeway in Chichibu, Saitama we spotted what appeared to be a cave in the distance. Never to let a good opportunity pass we decided to make the...
Elevator Ride to the Base of the Dam It’s not often you get the chance to take a 121-metre (397 ft) elevator ride deep within the recesses of a working dam especially one perched high up in the mountains. But during a recent trip to the Takizawa Dam...
Greetings from the Chichibukozan Post Office It came to a grand total of 2 yen to send a postcard to myself – a prepaid one with an extra two-yen stamp to make up the shortfall. Why, you may ask? This is not something I generally do and almost...
Old Postcards Reveal Hakone 55 Years Ago Blessed with natural hot springs, Hakone has been attracting travellers since the Edo period. In those early years, visitors travelled there via the Tokaido Road which acted as a thoroughfare between Edo, as...
A case of being stuck next to the wrong neighbour Japanese Buddhist temples are generally places associated with worship and a space to enjoy a moment of quiet contemplation. It therefore seems odd that a temple would have ammunition on display in...
Beautiful Postcards Recall Lake Okutama’s Early Years During the second half of the Showa Period from the 1950s onwards Japan experienced remarkable economic growth with significant investment in large-scale infrastructure. In the Kanto...