Guns, Momiji, and Waterfalls If you’re in search of abundant nature Hinohara Village on the outskirts of Tokyo is a good place to start. Each year I make more than a few trips to the metropolis’s only village to escape the city and enjoy fresh air...
Gan-toge 雁峠 – Kasatori-goya 笠取小屋 – Tama River Headwaters 多摩川源流 . . The Hidden Mountain of Okuchichibu Mt. Kasatori lies along the Saitama – Yamanashi prefectural border about halfway between Mt. Kobushi and Mt. Kumotori. The south...
Mt. Kentoku 乾徳山 – Mt. Kurogane 黒金山 – Nishizawa Gorge 西沢渓谷 The Nishizawa Gorge hiking trail is currently closed due to construction work and is not expected to reopen until late April 2021 for the latest information please refer to the...
Hinohara Village ‘Takimeguri’ Waterfall Tour This blog post continues my Hinohara Falls Tour Hinohara Takimeguri ひのはら滝めぐり a photographic journey of the 13 main waterfalls in Hinohara Village, Tokyo. Apart from the two waterfalls...
Solo Summer Hike and Camp in Okutama Arriving mid-morning at Okutama Station during the Obon holidays was as expected bustling with activity. A little surprising perhaps given COVID-19. I made a beeline for one of the two diminutive buses headed for...
18 Beautiful Places to Camp in Japan With everyone now under stay-at-home requests through May 31 it’s looking increasingly likely the spring hiking will pass without most of us hitting the trail – myself included. To console myself with this...
Choose Your Next Hike with Confidence With so many hiking trails around Tokyo to choose from it can be tough to know where to begin especially if you’re a novice hiker or new to the prefecture. Over the years probably the single most sought out...
Mt. Jinba 陣馬山 – Maruyama 丸山 – Mt. Mito 三頭山 . . Sun-bathed plateau to a Remote Mountain Path During Golden Week last year, I tackled the Nagasawa ridgeline which straddles Tokyo and Saitama Prefectures. This time I’ve switched boundaries...
Unazawa Otaki Falls 海沢大滝 – Onara Pass 大楢峠 . . An Early Spring Hike This hike pays a second visit the picturesque Unazawa Valley in Okutama. A few years back I made it as far as the Mitsugama Falls before succumbing to a migraine which put a stop to...
Another Piece of the Puzzle Let’s rewind to the early 1960s in Tokyo. The city was in the midst of massive transition both socially and economically a stark contrast to just 20 years before. If you were a Japanese housewife you pined for the...