A Tranquil Campsite at the Foothills of Mount Kinpu As far as relaxing campsites go, Mawarime-daira in Kawakami Village, Nagano Prefecture is hard to surpass. Last week, I had the good fortune of returning to the sprawling grounds where I camped a...
Hiked on May 20, 2016 Aug 24, 2023 . Kurotake 黒岳 – Shirayanomaru 白谷丸 Duration: 2 days Distance: 19.8 km Elevation change: 1247 metres Highest point: 1987 metres Start: Hamaiba Mae Bus Stop ...
Hiked on May 16, 2016 May 26, 2024 . Hyakuhiro Waterfall 百尋の滝 – Mt. Kawanori 川苔山 The route from Kawanori Bridge Bus Stop to Mt. Kawanori has been repaired and reopened as of July 21, 2022. For more information about the...
Some Great Places to Camp Around Tokyo Whilst holiday-makers in Japan largely gravitate towards traditional Japanese ryokan and large-scale hotels, gaining popularity in recent years has been car camping or in common Japanese parlance auto camp...
A Peace Pagoda Deserving of Recognition The Tokyo Peace Pagoda (Okutama Bussharitou) has piqued my interest for a number of years after first spotting the 45 metre high monument from a nearby mountain. Set in the rather far-flung Nishitama District...
Early Morning Snowscape Transforms Lake Okutama Lake Okutama is a large water storage located around 60 km west of Tokyo, and was at the time of its completion in 1957 one of the world’s largest reservoirs. Owing to its proximity to central Tokyo...
Terrific Day Trips Within Reach of Tokyo With inbound tourists visiting Japan surging to a record 19.73 million last year means more visitors than ever are looking for avenues to not only escape the crowds, but check out some less familiar...
Hiked on Dec 16, 2015 May 11, 2021 . Mt. Tenranzan 天覧山 – Mt. Tonosu 多峯主山 Duration: 4 hours Distance: 7.6 km Elevation change: 95 metres Highest point: 195 metres Start: Hanno Station (Seibu...
Hiked on Oct 21, 2015 Aug 24, 2023 . Mt. Hodosan 宝登山 Duration: 3 hours Distance: 6.2 km Elevation change: 347 metres Highest point: 497 metres Start: Nagatoro Station (Chichibu Main Line) ...
Hiked on Sep 19, 2015 Nov 5, 2022 . Kurotake 黒岳 – Mt. Koganezawa 小金沢山 Duration: 2 days Distance: 15.6 km Elevation change: 1038 metres Highest point: 2014 metres Start: Yamatoten Mokusan Onsen...
Hiking to the Hyakuhiro Waterfall in Okutama On a dreary overcast day last week I decided to check out a towering waterfall in the Okutama watershed. One of the major drawcards hiking Mount Kawanori is passing by the rather impressive Hyakuhiro...
Weird and Wonderful Sights on the Trail Hiking around Tokyo provides a great chance to escape the crowds, unwind and feel some personal space often lacking in the city. While charming scenery is abound there are times you are left scratching head as...
Wilderness at Tokyo’s Doorstep Situated within the Chichibu Tama Kai National Park in the western part of Tokyo, the Okuchichibu Mountains are a hiker’s paradise allowing us city dwelling folk to escape the confines of the nearby metropolis. The...
Hiked on May 21, 2015 Aug 24, 2023 . Kougen Hut 高原ヒュッテ – Mt. Kentoku 乾徳山 – Mt. Douman 道満山 Duration: 2 days Distance: 11.1 km Elevation change: 1186 metres Highest point: 2013 metres Start: Kentokusan...
Hiked on May 2, 2015 May 18, 2021 . Shougen Toge 将監峠 – Mt. Hiryusan 飛竜山 – Sanjounoyu 三条の湯 Duration: 3 days Distance: 34.5 km Elevation change: 1489 metres Highest point: 2069 metres Start: Ochiai Bus...
A Guide to Mountains in the Kanto Region The Kanto Region which includes Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa contains many of the most popular hiking trails in Japan. Whilst the following list is a work in progress, it aims...