Tsubame Onsen 燕温泉線 – Mt. Myoko 妙高山 – Mt. Hiuchi 火打山 . . From Rocky Ridges to Wetlands and Ponds This overnight hike takes in two of Niigata’s finest mountains namely Myoko-san and Hiuchi-yama. While similar in height they are very...
A Beginner’s Guide to Climbing Some of Japan’s Most Iconic Mountains Hiking guidebooks targeted at foreign audiences in Japan are such rare beasts that new releases are much anticipated. This time it’s Lonely Planet’s turn to return to the...
MAPPLE Special Online Maps Campaign for 2021 The map images and contents of this article have been obtained with the permission of the publisher (Shobunsha). Come February or March each year Shobunsha Publications a.k.a. MAPPLE release an annual...
Wada Hut 和田小屋 – Kaguragamine 神楽ヶ峰 . . Autumn Hike to a Tranquil Alpine Marshland A couple of points set apart this hike from most on this blog. First is driving to the trailhead and second and importantly my wife Akiko joined me for the first...
Komanogoya 駒ノ小屋 – Chumon-dake 中門岳 . . Primeval Beech Forest Gives Way to Alpine Marshland Mt. Aizu-Komagatake or simply Aizu-Koma is a vast expanse of rolling marshlands, limpid ponds and flower fields in Minamiaizu, Fukushima Prefecture. The...
The Low-Down on Japanese Hiking Maps The map images and contents of this article have been obtained with the permission of the publisher (Shobunsha). Writing about topographic maps i.e. a map which uses elevation contours may not be the most...
Makihatayama Refuge Hut 巻機山避難小屋 – Mt. Makihata 巻機山 . . Vast Grasslands and Limpid Ponds Mt. Makihata is a broad open peak dotted with grasslands, flower meadows and ponds on the border of Gunma and Niigata. It has been selected as one of...
Mt. Senmai-dake 千枚岳 – Mt. Warusawa 悪沢岳 – Mt. Eboshi 烏帽子岳 . . Exploring the Southern Minami Alps If you want to enjoy some of the most pristine and rugged nature Japan has to offer than the south end of the Minami Alps is an excellent...
Guidebook to the Magnificent Japan Alps It would seem the only thing rarer than an albino dodo bird, scoring an albatross in golf or stumbling upon a Freshness Burger outlet in Tokyo is an English-language guidebook dedicated to Japan’s mountains...
Fujisan’s Endless Crowds The famous 17th-century poet Basho wrote ‘Rain obscures the scene; But Fuji still exerts a charm Even when unseen’. This sentiment still rings true today based on the sizeable number of climbers who took to the slopes in...