After a promising start to this series in June of last year when I walked the first two sections of the Shin-etsu Trail, I couldn’t wait to return. Fate however, had other ideas - and with my desk piling up with...

One of Japan’s newest and most exciting multi-day hiking routes, the Shin-etsu Trail extends some 110 kilometers along the Nagano-Niigata prefectural border. First established in 2008, the trail is divided into ten...

Located just an hour west of central Tokyo, Mount Takao is a popular destination for visitors and locals looking for a quick escape from the big city. For confident hikers however, Takao can also be the gateway to a...

As Japan begins to cautiously reemerge from domestic travel restrictions due to the ongoing threat of coronavirus, I was delighted to head to the beautiful mountain resort town of Karuizawa for my first reporting in...