Hiking and camping in the wilderness
Having fully recovered from my epic hike earlier in the year, over a recent public holiday I decided it was time to hit the mountains again, this time heading to the Hotaka Mountains which consists of five peaks; Okuhotaka, Karasawa, Kitahotaka, Maehotaka and Nishihotaka reaching a height of 3,190 m (10,466 ft) in Nagano prefecture. Read more
Unlike outdoor adventures I’ve undertaken before, the Shikoku Pilgrimage is unique in that you’re rarely far from civilisation and that it takes upwards of 7 weeks to complete. This means you don’t need to worry about food or cooking equipment but any gear you carry needs to be extremely durable and light. Read more
After all the ups and downs of yesterday, I slept like a stone statue last night. Luckily today was a mostly downhill affair with some of the finest weather to date (21°C with a slight breeze). Read more
After a better night’s sleep than I’ve had in a few days I woke shortly after 6am and was heading out of Ōzu by 7. I passed scores of kids on their way to school and saw a group of them sweeping their playground. Only in Japan. Read more
It’s a little difficult to know where to begin with this entry since it was such an epic day; I covered 40km, climbed three mountains, entered a new prefecture, visited temple 40, met some amazing people, and found an incredible place to stay the night. Phew! Read more
Today’s hike began at 7am after a warm goodbye from the old couple who run Lodge Camellia (highly recommended). Read more
Sleeping on the beach last night was fairly uneventful as far as my forays into wild camping go. With nothing else but the sound of the waves I became slightly paranoid about getting washed away by the incoming tide but looking out at the view of the stars and the moon soon belayed any fears. Read more
For the past few years I’ve enjoyed the spectacular autumn leaves in Tokyo by exploring the city’s many pristine parks but for the prior season I decided to head out of the metropolis to Okutama (奥多摩), a mountainous region located west along the Tama River. Read more
After my successful initial camping trip to Mount Daibosatsu I felt confident enough to try something a little more ambitious so got working on a plan for a multi-day hike/camp to Yatsugatake (八ヶ岳), a volcanic mountain range on the border between Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures. Read more
Quite by accident, summer 2015 turned into a series of camping trips, starting with my brief overnight stay at Freemont Peak where I caught the bug for it. After returning to Tokyo I resolved to undertake a multi-day adventure and started researching my options and the equipment I’d need. Read more