Travel Jan 29, 2020
Christmas on Everest: Nothing stirs, not even a mouse
by Oscar Boyd
Why climb Mount Everest during the winter off-season? To have the most majestic vista on Earth all to yourself.
Travel Nov 30, 2019
Cold, crowd-free, breathtaking: Mount Yari out of season
by Oscar Boyd
Why do hikers leave the warmth of the city for Kamikochi during off-season?
Commentary / Japan Nov 2, 2019
Mount Fuji in off-season not to be trifled with
by Oscar Boyd
Go ahead and climb Mount Fuji in winter, but know what you're getting into.
Travel Jul 26, 2019
Nagano's famed Jonen mountain hut celebrates 100 years of stunning vistas
by Chris Cook
First opened in 1919, the Jonen-goya mountain hut is still going strong at 100 — offering adventurous hikers in Nagano Prefecture's Japan Alps a place to rest and recharge.
Language | BILINGUAL Jul 1, 2019
As Mount Fuji opens for business, brush up on your Japanese hiking terms
by Oscar Boyd
Make sure you know your "chōjō" from your "fumoto," and which trail is right for you on Japan's most famous landmark.
Commentary / World Jun 3, 2019
Everest's deadly toll has a commercial solution
by Adam Minter
Letting the private sector manage the world's highest mountain would reduce overcrowding and improve safety.
Travel Apr 19, 2019
Top day and multiday hikes in the Japan Alps
by Tom Fay
With everything from breathtaking alpine vistas to relaxing hot springs, the Japan Alps have numerous hiking options for people of all levels.
Books Apr 6, 2019
Wes Lang and his quest to climb Japan's top 100 mountains
by Amy Chavez
A love of hiking inspired avid mountaineer Wes Lang to scale all of Japan's hyakumeizan (100 top mountains). Now, he's co-written a comprehensive and user-friendly guidebook to hiking in Japan to inspire everyone else.
Books Oct 13, 2018
Mountain High: Junko Tabei's adventures at the top of the world
by Tim Hornyak
Junko Tabei was a pioneering alpinist who dramatically changed the landscape of mountaineering around the world. Previously available only in Japanese, excerpts of her writing have been translated and compiled into "Honouring High Places," a beautifully illustrated retrospective.
Film Dec 28, 2016
Mount Meru: for those who like to aim high
by Kaori Shoji
If Mount Everest is the iconic goddess of mountains, then Meru in the Indian Himalayas is the unattainable, unknowable bad-ass rock star, beckoning to a chosen few from an impossibly remote place high in the sky. Unlike Everest, Meru isn't famed for its legendary ...
National May 2, 2016
Northern Alps accidents bring Golden Week climbing fatalities to five
Four men were found dead Monday in the Northern Alps straddling Nagano, Gifu and Toyama prefectures, police said, bringing the tally for climbing fatalities during Golden Week to five since Saturday. This year's official Golden Week holiday stretch will end on Sunday. Police found the body ...
Books / Reviews Jul 4, 2015
On mountain peaks and tourist trash
by Stephen Mansfield
Discussing Mount Hayachine, ethnologist Kunio Yanagita observed that it stood on, "a somewhat different plane from the normal world." This could be a description of mountains in general, a landscape where we may experience nature in the raw, and even at times, a numinous ...