After a long and damp rainy season, Kazuko and I were bursting to get out and do some long- distance walking, but we didn’t think our legs would be up to tackling a mountain peak yet. So we thought what [...]

The northern half  of the Shio-no-michi trail runs along the sides of a narrow and rugged valley and was relatively isolated until the road and train line were built, mainly running through tunnels, in the later half of the 20th [...]

Japan is a country of matsuri-  or festivals -  which are usually based around the changing seasons. At the beginning of May each year, Golden Week - when three public holidays mean that most Japanese take the whole week off [...]

‘Yukiwarisou’ is a lovingly restored 150 year old traditional farmhouse located in ‘Irori no Sato’, a tiny village of 11 homes located in northern Nagano at 800m above sea level at the foot of the towering North Alps. Yukiwarisou [...]

The Shio no Michi area is located along a major geological fault and in an area of volcanic activity. This same geology has bestowed a number of blessings -  and few of these hold as central a place in Japanese [...]

In between two of Niigata’s largest fishing ports, - Itoigawa and Joetsu - lies Marine Dream Nou - one of the best places to enjoy the bounties of the Sea of Japan. Itoigawa’s unique position on the edge of Toyama [...]

The Kubiki Cycling Road is a classic bicycle "rail trail" - built atop the remains of the Old Hokuriku Railroad, which was moved into the mountains in the 1960s. As the course follows the old railway line, the Sea [...]

The Oito Line is one of Japan's most picturesque local rail lines - connecting Itoigawa  - facing the Sea of Japan - with the city of Matsumoto which is located in the middle of Nagano Prefecture  - home of [...]