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...
Caving in Tokyo: Then and Now There was a time not so long ago when visiting a tourist cave was a popular way to spend a lazy weekend. Rewind to the early 1980s and there were seven such caves operating in Tokyo now sadly more than half of them have...
The Kurasawa Bridge (Kurasawabashi) One could be forgiven for thinking the Tokyo Gate Bridge is the highest bridge in Tokyo and while its truss sections rise some 88 metres, the bridge’s “clearance” when measured from the deck of the road comes in...
Dodge the Crowds and Enjoy Superb Fall Scenery The Oze Marshlands are without a doubt one of the most beautiful tracts of unspoilt nature in the Kanto region. Last year I hiked across the Ozegahara Marsh to Oshimizu and this year I decided to start...
Hiked on Oct 1, 2017 Aug 15, 2021 . Kamikochi 上高地 – Karasawa 涸沢 – Mt. Karasawa 涸沢岳 Duration: 4 days Distance: 36.7 km Elevation change: 1598 metres Highest point: 3103 metres Start:...
Kamikochi Showa Era Photochromes By any measure Kamikochi in the Hida Mountains of Nagano Prefecture is one of the best natural spots in Japan. But surprisingly this wasn’t always the case. Up until the mid-19th Century Kamikochi underwent extensive...
One of the Best Places to See the Fall Foliage in Japan The splendid autumn colours which envelop the glacial cirque at Karasawa in the Northern Alps are a sight to behold. The only downside is you’re likely to be witnessing the “koyo” with loads of...
Beer, Boots and a Thousand Tents The Karasawa Cirque is surrounded by the towering peaks of Mt. Oku-Hotakadake and Mt. Kita-Hotaka in the Northern Japanese Alps. The glacial-eroded cirque has diameter of 2 kilometres, sits at an altitude of 2,300...
My Backpacking Gear Deciding what gear to pack for a hike is a careful balancing act between saving weight and potentially putting your health and wellbeing in harm’s way. As someone who readily admits to bringing along too much stuff, I have...
Hiked on Aug 27, 2017 Aug 10, 2022 . Hirogawara 広河原 – Shirane-oike 白根御池 – Kita-dake 北岳 Duration: 3 days Distance: 11.8 km Elevation change: 1673 metres Highest point: 3193 metres Start:...