Mt. Yotei, also known as Ezo-Fuji for its resemblance to Japan’s most famous peak, is a stratovolcano located in Hokkaido’s Shikotsu-Koya National Park.
Read moreHiking Mt. Yotei
Month: August 2021
The Deer of Nara Park
When people come to visit me in Japan, they usually have a list of things they want to do and see–and if it’s a person’s first trip to Japan, the list invariably includes a visit to Nara’s famous deer.
Read moreVegetarian Kaiseki in Kinosaki Onsen
Last month, I celebrated my birthday with a trip to Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture. Kinosaki Onsen is one of Japan’s most famous onsen towns; it sits near the Sea of Japan, about three hours by train southwest of Kyoto. Kinosaki Onsen has two major draws: the town’s seven volcanic hot spring baths (which have various properties, based on the springs that feed them) and the food, which I’d heard was some of the best in Japan. The town is most famous for snow crab and Tajima (Kobe) beef, but when I heard that Nishimuraya Honkan (the traditional Japanese inn
Read moreHiking–and Riding–on Daishiyama at Kinosaki Onsen
To celebrate my 50th birthday in July (2021), I headed five hours southwest to Kinosaki Onsen, a famous onsen (volcanic hot spring) town in Hyogo Prefecture. In addition to some of the best hot spring baths in Japan, Kinosaki is famous for the Japanese white storks that live and nest in the area (there’s a preserve within bicycling or walking distance of the onsen town)–and the large white birds also lend their name to the Stork Express, the train that runs between Osaka and Kinosaki Onsen Station. Although the “nature” portion of the hike wouldn’t start until I reached the
Read moreMacaque Some Friends at Arashiyama Monkey Park!
Arashiyama Monkey Park, where monkeys roam free and humans are in the cage…
Read moreSeikanji – a Hidden Mountain Temple in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward
While visiting Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera on July 6 (2021), I made a side trip to visit Seikanji–a mountain temple with beautiful views that most visitors don’t even realize is there.
Read moreKiyomizu-dera: A Mountainside Kyoto Temple With a Sacred Waterfall
On July 6, 2021, I celebrated my 50th birthday with a trip to Kyoto’s Kiyomizudera–one of my favorite temples in the ancient capital (partially because it combines two of my other favorite things: mountains and waterfalls).
Read moreHiking the Hakone Old Road, Part 2: Otama-ga-ike to Hatajuku
A virtual hike along Hakone’s “Old Road” from the beautiful pond called Otama-ga-Ike to one of Japan’s oldest continuously operating teahouses.
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