Japan – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

The Bells of Daibosatsu

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog April 7, 2020April 7, 2020100 Summits, bear bells, Daibosatsu, hiking, Japan

The mountains of Japan have a healthy population of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus), and although they don’t hunt hikers, people do occasionally suffer injuries (and, more rarely, death) after accidentally startling a bear on mountain trails. As a result, most Japanese hikers wear small bells that jingle to warn bears of their approach.

Summit #1: Mt. Akagi (赤城山)

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog March 22, 2020March 22, 2020Akagi, hiking, hyakumeizan, Japan

In addition to being one of the Nihon Hyakumeizan, (100 Famous Mountains of Japan) Mt. Akagi is also a beloved symbol of Gunma Prefecture and one of the Jomo Sanzan (Three Famous Mountains of Gunma).

Dawn on the Seto Inland Sea

Susan Spann Blog February 11, 2020February 11, 2020Japan, Osaka, photography, Seto Sea

A winter dawn breaks over Osaka as fishing boats return to the harbor with the morning’s catch.

Happy Setsubun!

Susan Spann Blog February 2, 2020February 2, 2020holidays, Japan, observances, oni, setsubun, spring

In Japan, February 3 is Setsubun (節分), the day before the first day of spring.

Happy Release Day, GHOST OF THE BAMBOO ROAD!

Susan Spann Blog November 12, 2019November 12, 2019Ghost of the Bamboo Road, Ghost stories, ghosts, Hiro Hattori, Hiro Hattori Novels, Japan

Today marks the release date for the seventh Hiro Hattory mystery – with my favorite cover to date. This time, Hiro and Father Mateo find themselves facing their strangest killer yet . . . When a vengeful spirit terrorizes a mountain village, Hiro and Father Mateo must save the villagers from the phantom’s wrath. January 1566: En route to Edo, Master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo spend the night in a rural mountain village whose inhabitants live in terror of a legendary vengeful ghost. When the innkeeper’s wife is murdered and Father Mateo’s housekeeper, Ana, is blamed

Three Days in Nikko

Susan Spann Blog July 4, 2019July 4, 2019Climb, Japan, matcha, mountains, Nikko, travel

I recently spent three days in Nikkō, one of Japan’s most important historical and religious sites. The area is not only a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, but an excellent place for hikers and mountain climbers.

CLIMB

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog May 14, 2019May 14, 2019#100Summits, Climb, climbing, Japan, memoir, mountains

I’m thrilled to announce that the memoir about my #100Summits journey, titled CLIMB, will release on January 2020 from Prometheus Books! From the jacket: After more than forty years of living “safe and scared,” California attorney and mystery author Susan Spann decided to break free by climbing one hundred of Japan’s most famous mountains, inspired by a classic list of hyakumeizan peaks. But when an unexpected cancer diagnosis forced her to confront her deepest fears, the mountains of Japan became the setting for an even more transformative journey from pain and fear to a new life fueled by hope, confidence, and strength.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog May 11, 2019May 11, 2019ajisai, flowers, Japan

(And a brief hiatus…) It’s Mother’s Day here in Japan (we observe it here as well) and the ajisai (hydrangeas) are beginning to bloom. I love these spectacular flowers, with their large, puffy heads composed of smaller individual blossoms. They remind me of my mom, who always had some growing in the yard when I was small. I haven’t posted in a while, because I’ve been so busy working on manuscripts – for my next Hiro Hattori mystery and for the 100 Summits book (which will release early next year — look for an exciting update soon). My posting will

Heaven, Hell, and Off the Beaten Path in Japan

Susan Spann Blog March 17, 2019March 17, 2019Beppu, Japan, Japanese travel, matcha, off the beaten path, travel

I love traveling to new and unexpected places here in Japan, and sharing the experiences I encounter. My trip to Kyushu (Japan’s southernmost major island) last January was both exciting and unexpected, and I’m thrilled to be able to share my experiences in “heaven and hell” at Matcha–which is also, hands-down, the best English-language website for travel ideas and travel advice about Japan. Here’s the link to the first installment of my “Japan, Off the Beaten Path” series: “To Heaven and Hell in Beppu” (with plenty of photos of the adventure, too!)

Riding the Haruna Ropeway

Susan Spann Blog February 27, 2019February 24, 2019climbing, gondola, hiking, Japan, ropeway

Japan has many mountains, and many ropeways (often called “gondolas” in the States). While some go all the way to the top of mountains, others–like the Haruna Ropeway in Gunma Prefecture–carry visitors only most of the way to the top. On the day I visited (February 23, 2019), windchill dropped the temperature well below freezing–so cold that my fingers went numb in the seconds it took to remove my gloves and snap even a single photo. I have seldom been so glad that, in Japan, a ropeway-assisted “climb” still counts as climbing the relevant mountain. (As one Japanese climber told

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