Exploring the Backwoods of Okutama One of the places I love frequenting in Okutama, Tokyo is the rather obscure Kurasawa Valley a lazy 20-minute bus ride from Okutama Station. Flanked on either side by precipitous cliff faces it was once home to the...
Dodge the Crowds and Enjoy Superb Fall Scenery The Oze Marshlands are without a doubt one of the most beautiful tracts of unspoilt nature in the Kanto region. Last year I hiked across the Ozegahara Marsh to Oshimizu and this year I decided to start...
Not the Easiest Access but a Gorgeous Spot Nestled in the back hills of Kosuge Village just inside Yamanashi Prefecture contains a couple of rather beautiful waterfalls. First is the Shiraito Falls (not to be confused with the waterfall of the same...
Hiked on Jun 9, 2017 June 15, 2023 . Ryuzu Falls 竜頭ノ滝 – Odashirogahara 小田代原 – Yumoto Onsen 湯元温泉 Duration: 4.5 hours Distance: 10.4 km Elevation change: 120 metres Highest point: 1520 metres ...
Hossawa Falls on a Wintry Morning During a previous visit to the Hossawa Falls in early spring a few years back, splendid greenery complemented Tokyo’s most renowned waterfall. This time was a little less joyful, arising at the crack of dawn on a...
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 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 ...
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...
Hiked on Apr 5, 2016 . Karataki Waterfall 唐滝 Duration: 2.5 hours Distance: 5.2 km Elevation change: 300 metres Highest point: 440 metres Start: Tomijiro-shoten mae bus stop Finish: Tomijiro-shoten mae bus...
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...
Winter Waterfall Wonders at Odake Falls Tokyo contains some rather noteworthy waterfalls including the Hossawa Falls which are included in the One Hundred Waterfalls of Japan. While at the Odake Falls 大岳滝 are around half the height of the Hossawa...
Hiked on Oct 25, 2014 Aug 24, 2023 . Fudou Falls 不動滝 – Mt. Buko 武甲山 Duration: 6 hours Distance: 15.6 km Elevation change: 1054 metres Highest point: 1304 metres Start: Yokoze Station (Seibu...
Hiked on Aug 12, 2014 Aug 23, 2023 . Nishizawa Keikoku Bus Stop 西沢渓谷入口 – Nanatsugama Godan Falls 七ツ釜五段の滝 The Nishizawa Gorge hiking trail closes during winter (December 1st-April 28th subject to change depending on snowfall) for the...