Okutama at its Finest: Mitsugama Falls In short, there are few more beautiful places in Okutama than the Unasawa Valley. The main drawcard are three waterfalls which snake their way along the Unasawa Creek downhill of Mount Odake. The hiking course...
Capturing Oze in the Late Autumn Oze National Park which encompasses Japan’s largest mountain wetlands stretches across four prefectures including Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma and Niigata. From mid-May, through to early October the marshlands are...
Hiked on Oct 20, 2016 Sep 3, 2020 . Ozegahara Marsh 尾瀬ヶ原 – Lake Oze 尾瀬沼 – Sanpei Pass 三平峠 Duration: 2 days Distance: 24.4 km Elevation change: 169 metres Highest point: 1760 metres Start:...
The Biggest Cypress Tree in Tokyo This remarkable tree in Okutama on the outskirts of Tokyo traces its ancestry back to the Muromachi era around 600 years ago, though some have estimated its age closer to 1,000 years. Either way the Kurasawa...
The Source of Japan’s Longest River All great rivers need to start from somewhere and Japan’s longest – the 367 km (228 mi) long Shinano River is no exception. The difficulty arises however when trying to pinpoint the actual source of a river...
Hiked on Oct 2, 2016 Jul 15, 2020 . Moukidaira 毛木平 – Mt. Kobushi 甲武信ヶ岳 – Jumonjitouge Pass 十文字峠 Duration: 3 days Distance: 24 km Elevation change: 1173 metres Highest point: 2475 metres ...
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...
Hiked on Aug 23, 2016 Aug 1, 2019 . Futagoike 双子池 – Mt. Kitayokodake 北横岳 Duration: 3 days Distance: 20.1 km Elevation change: 242 metres Highest point: 2472 metres Start: Kitayatsugatake Ropeway...
The Perennial Home of Nichiren Buddhism From a distance the 1,153 metres high Mount Minobusan looks rather innocuous, however belying its mild exterior is the head temple of the Nichiren Shu order of Buddhism. In short Nichiren Shu is an offshoot of...
A Couple of Minakami’s Finest Sights Aside from chronicling the deepest railway station in Japan and partaking in an onsen or two, I also checked out two other great sightseeing spots in Minakami. It should be noted however that access to both...