Takaosan Propping Up the Olympic Rings Like the cloak of mist which shrouded Mt. Takao for the unveiling of the Olympic rings back in April to mark 100 days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, the weather last Sunday was much the same. An omen...
Tama Lake – Sayama Lake – Noyamakita-Rokudoyama Park For those looking for a nearby cycling path try the Tamako Cycling Road. Duration: 2 hours Distance: 22.7 km Elevation change: 95 metres Highest point: 195 metres ...
Efforts Rewarded at this Seldom Visited Waterfall In November last year I failed in my attempt to reach the Meoto Falls due to a dodgy trail and fear of being picked off by some local hunters. Hence a revenge mission was high on the agenda. Of the...
Mountains You Can Climb in a Day from Tokyo Unless otherwise stated, all prices are for one-way travel using local trains and bus services. For residents and tourists alike spending too much time in Tokyo can well make you go bonkers after a while...
Hiked on Dec 29, 2020 . Enoki-toge 榎峠 – Nago-toge 名郷峠 – Mt. Sanbosan 三方山 Duration: 4 hours Distance: 10.9 km Elevation change: 244 metres Highest point: 494 metres Start: Ikusabata Station (Ome Line) ...
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...
Hiked on Nov 11, 2020 Jan 28, 2026 . Ogouchi Dam 小河内ダム – Yama-no-furusatomura 山のふるさと村 The first part of the route from Lake Okutama Bus Stop towards the Yama-no-furusato-mura is currently undergoing repairs and is not expected to...
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...
Rainy Season Delights at a Suburban Tokyo Park A mere 25 km (16 mi.) from Shinjuku Station finds one of Tokyo’s most underrated parks that being Hachikokuyama Park 八国山緑地. Together with Kitayama Park abutting to the south it is one of four discrete...
Hiked on Jun 16, 2020 . Saitama Prefectural Nature Park – Noyamakita-Rokudoyama Park Duration: 4 hours Distance: 12.9 km Elevation change: 60 metres Highest point: 172 metres Start: Seibu-Kyujo-mae Station ...
Hiked on May 31, 2020 . Mt. Imakuma 今熊山 – Mt. Kariyose 刈寄山 – Kongo Falls 金剛の滝 Duration: 5.5 hours Distance: 13.7 km Elevation change: 447 metres Highest point: 687 metres Start: Imakumasan Tozanguchi Bus Stop...
5 Guidebooks to Help Inspire Your Next Hike Hiking is one of the most popular pastimes in Japan and is accompanied by a near limitless array of Japanese-language guidebooks to savour the demand. Travel guides however catering to foreign hiking...
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...
Enjoying the First Snow for Winter 2020 While the snow which fell last Saturday may not have been Tokyo’s first official first snow or hatsuyuki for 2020 (there were a few snowflakes the week earlier) it was this year’s first sizeable dumping...
A Unique Shrine Surrounded by Nature Hatsumode or the first shrine visit of the year is a big deal in Japan with literally millions rocking up to their local shrine to pray for good fortune in the year ahead. In recent years I haven’t bothered much...
Enjoy the Tokyo Islands on a Shoestring If you are looking for some great spots to camp around Tokyo, than the laid-back Izu Islands (Izu-shoto) are one place you should definitely pay a visit. This group of volcanic islands stretch south-east from...