Winter on the Kii Peninsula. When December arrives and the powerful northwest winds begin to blow, my heart starts to stir. “That season of swirling fervor and divine frenzy is coming once again.” Deep within the World Heritage site of Kumano, in Shingu City, lies the Oto Matsuri It transcends the mere framework of a...
The morning cool makes it feel earlier than it is, due to a light breeze blowing off the bay, and the shade of the canopy spreading massively above. A couple of the camphors of Asuka Jinja would have been saplings around the time that the nobility began passing by in their finery. It was shirtsleeves...
On the Ise-ji, Yakiyama terrifies most. The height and length of the pass are well out of scale from that of anything else on the entire walk. Getting an early start out of Owase is a good idea, and the road leading from town is narrow and straight but for a long detour around the...
There is something wonderful about walking low passes in Japan. You follow a long valley out to its farthest reaches, and after the up and over, you enter a new landscape, with another broad valley opening before you. This next section is through a quiet village, stretched high above the river which wends slowly...
Long before coming to Japan, I’d been intrigued by the Kumano Peninsula, that geologic mandala haunted by gods, and by the holy mountain men who set out to meet them. The roads too that traverse the area had great appeal not only to me but to the nobility of a millennium before, whose pilgrimages were...
One of Kyoto’s best features are the mountains that ring the city on three sides. These mountains were one of the primary reasons why in 794 Emperor Kammu chose the basin between to be his new capital, Heian-kyo. According to ancient Chinese principles of feng shui, the hills surrounding the city would help protect it,...
It is no secret that the city of Kyoto is a treasure chest. Home to over 2000 Buddhist temples and Shrines shrines, it is difficult to choose which to visit. The best and most beautiful tend to be at the city’s edges, nestled amongst the green hills that encircle the city like a horseshoe. The...
Traveling around Japan by rail is one of the best ways to explore the country. Whether zipping across at 320 kph (200 mph) on the high-speed Shinkansen bullet train, photographing rice fields with Mount Fuji as a backdrop on the Fuji Excursion Limited Express, or squeezing into a packed subway for a jaunt across town,...
Tourism in Japan is booming, with visitor numbers approaching an unprecedented 40 million per year. Japan hosts more foreign visitors than Italy and nearly matches France and Spain. With a national population of 124 million people (as of 2025), foreign travelers now represent the equivalent of one-third of the country’s population. That’s one visitor for...
The Old Hida Kaido, running from Toyama Bay to Shinshu via the Hida area, was known as the “Buri Kaido” (Yellowtail Highway). Yellowtail, referred to as the “fish of the gods,” was transported by porters and oxen, and was eaten as an auspicious New Year’s Eve dish in the landlocked Shinshu region.
Shimane is known as one of Japan’s most spiritual destinations, and the prefecture is filled with unspoiled landscapes and rich historical sites. Located in the southwest of Japan’s main island of Honshu, it is especially appealing to travelers with an interest in sustainability and the preservation of culture. The city of Yasugi was once the...
We have been commissioned by Kiso Town’s Tourism Bureau to carry out the “2024 Old Hida Highway/Shiroyama Historical Forest Walking Route Information Dissemination Project,” and the first on-site survey was conducted over four days from Sunday 20th October to Wednesday 23rd. The aim of this project is to resolve the recent issue of overtourism on...
