National / History | JAPAN TIMES GONE BY Jul 1, 2017
25 years ago: Oita village sells itself as ‘Twen Peaks’
by Elliott Samuels
100 YEARS AGO Sunday, July 1 1917 There are heard such cries as "To the mountains" as the hot summer approaches. As may be remembered, a number of excursionists met with disaster last year owing to the improvidence on their part as well as the inclemency ...
Travel Apr 28, 2017
Effort and reward: Hiking the precipitous spine of central Honshu
by Tom Fay
Emerging from the gloom of the tunnel, it takes a few moments to adjust to the piercing sunlight as the bus chugs along the narrow road that snakes up the valley alongside the Azusa River. All eyes inside are glued to the views unveiling themselves ...
Travel Oct 27, 2016
Hiking Japan's autumn trails provides a great escape from the daily grind
by Tyler Rothmar
Picture your workday, and then your week. Imagine the discomfort of the morning train or the slow crawl of traffic. Think about your place of work. There's no getting around it: Most of us spend huge swaths of time in offices and workshops, on factory ...
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY Sep 10, 2016
Hiking with kids is not an uphill climb
by Jason Jenkins
Hiking in Japan is always fun with family, and with summer subsiding, some of the best months for a mountain walk are around the corner. Japan offers countless choices in its vast mountain ranges, but one of my favorite family hikes is only 90 ...
Voices | OVERHEARD Jun 27, 2015
Bear essentials
Voices | OVERHEARD Jun 20, 2015
Out of breath
Isn't it bad manners to shorten konnichiwa (hello) when passing someone?
Our Lives | JAPAN LITE May 24, 2015
Fostering entrepreneurship beyond the foreign community
by Amy Chavez
Some people say that as long as you have blond hair, blue eyes and white skin, you can get a job, succeed and even become a celebrity in Japan. So imagine what would happen if there were two such people, married to each other! You ...
Our Lives | JAPAN LITE Nov 26, 2014
Seeking Japan's gods and nobles in roots, stone and moss
by Amy Chavez
If you've had a hankering to go hiking with Shinto deities, why not try the Kumano Kodo trail in Wakayama Prefecture?
Events / Events Outside Tokyo May 22, 2014
Take a country stroll in Kobe
by Magdalena Osumi
One of the best ways to improve overall health is to take at least 10,000 steps a day, but getting into the habit isn't always so easy. Rokkosan Country House's Two-Day Walk, an event hosted at a small farm at the top of Mount ...
Environment | WILD WATCH May 10, 2014
Rhododendrons, azaleas: blooming marvels of the plant world
by Mark Brazil
Nothing tops turning a corner on a trail and encountering a sudden splash of pink, red or gold amongst the greenery.