Mount Rishiri (利尻山, Rishiri-zan) is a 5,646 ft / 1,721 m stratovolcano on Rishiri Island (利尻島) off the northwest coast of Hokkaido (北海道). The entirety of Rishiri Island is essentially Mount Rishiri and the peak is near the island's center. It is one of Japan's hyaku-meizan, but it is
Guide to Hiking Yakedake (焼岳) in Japan
Yakedake (焼岳) is an 8,054 ft / 2,455 m peak at the southern end of Japan's Northern/Kita Alps (北アルプス). It's also an active volcano. You can also hike to the top of it. One of Japan's hyaku-meizan, it's a fairly well-known peak but is not nearly as popular a hike as some of the more prominent
Japan Traverse in Photos: The Chuo Alps (中アルプス)
The second stage of my Japan Alps Traverse covered the Chuo Alps (中アルプス) - aka the Central Alps. Our trek through the Chuo Alps Lasted only about 24 hours as this is the shortest of the three ranges comprising the Japanese Alps. We entered the Chuo Alps via the Fukushima A Course (福島Aコース) in the
Japan Traverse in Photos: The Kita Alps (北アルプス)
My traverse of the Japanese Alps began at the eastern edge of Toyama Bay (富山湾) in Niigata Prefecture (新潟県). From the coast, my hiking party of two Kiwis and I headed up the northernmost ridgeline in the Kita Alps (北アルプス) - aka the Northern Alps. The trip began with nearly a week of nonstop rain as
Japan Alps Spreadsheet: Peaks, Huts, & Distances
I don't know that I would say I love data, but I do love being organized and data is one of those things that can be organized nicely. Maybe it's because of that that I spent way too long creating a spreadsheet listing all of the peaks, passes, huts, and trailheads of my Japan Alps Traverse (this
Japan Alps Traverse Map, Itinerary, and GPS Track
The route I would take through across the Japanese Alps was unsure at best before starting this traverse, but I managed to stick to my original plan (if you could call it that) fairly closely. Having now completed the traverse, I am sharing my day-by-day itinerary, statistics, and maps to help those
Japanese Alps Traverse Gear List
Rain for a week straight, multiple typhoons, stupid levels of humidity, Japanese giant hornets, and a record-setting heat wave all made my 425 mi / 684 km traverse of the Japanese Alps quite interesting (but mostly just justified all the ramen I ate). Hiking in Japan is different, and
Interview With Jotaro Yoshida of LOCUS GEAR
Prior to beginning my traverse of the Japanese Alps this year, I had the chance to visit Jotaro Yoshida, founder of LOCUS GEAR at their headquarters in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture, just outside of Tokyo. LOCUS GEAR is a small gear manufacturer, based in Japan, that specializes in lightweight
Bicycling Around Biwa-ko (琵琶湖), Japan’s Largest Lake
Name: Biwa-ko Japanese name: 琵琶湖 Location: Shiga Prefecture (滋賀県) Shore length: 146.1 mi / 235.2 km Area: 258.8 mi² / 670.3 km² Difficulty: Easy-Moderate Lake Biwa (琵琶湖) is the largest lake in Japan and is located in Shiga Prefecture. It's 8 mi / 13 km east of Kyoto (a city in Japan you've