Hiking In Japan
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Ross-Barry Finlayson shared a post.
Always great to get-away from the long hard hikes and just stroll for a few hours through hills & valleys.
Some images from a recent hike in the Kizugawa area. A lovely way to spend a nice warm Saturday - a stroll through hills & valleys. Course details & map - https://yamap.com/activities/9908629
A question for the hive-mind: I’m interested in seeing the growth of long-distance trails in Japan. My observation, in comparison to other countries, is that Japan has several trails that would work very well, but the options for where to sleep are a limiting factor. In the United States, one is usually forced to camp, and it is accepted that one… More is able to to do so. This can lead to a heavier pack and less-comfortable nights, but it also limits the cost, which is a major factor for many people to be able to hike long trails. Growing popularity of long distance hiking (“thruhiking”) has made promotion of Leave No Trace (LNT) principles increasingly important. In Europe, while it is… More
Evan Milton is looking for recommendations.
Can I ask if anyone has any snowshoeing trail recommendations within an hour Toyama City? Looking for something around 8-10km.
Beginning next month Yamap is changing their free user limitation for downloading maps. until now one could have downloaded and saved 5 maps simultaneously, it will now decrease to 2.
More importantly they… More will limit the amount of maps you can download altogether in a one month period to 2.
This is a game changer and it seems like they really want to encourage regular users to become premium members for an annual fee of 4600 yen.
because of these terms i am seriously considering upgrading my membership (Cant say i happy about it)... what about you ?
I've managed to find four of the 28 mysterious shrines that make up the Katsuragi 28 Shuku Kyozuka pilgrimage trail now.
These are all within Kawachinagano in southern Osaka and on or close to the Diamond Trail… More (except for one which was up an old farm road, along a virtually unmarked trail then up a rope).
This Yamabushi pilgrimage reflects the first route taken by En-no-Gyoja when he was first developing Shugendo.
The full pilgrimage is about 80km starting from Tomogashima off the Wakayama Coast to the Yamatogawa on the Nara/Osaka border. Considerably longer than the Diamond Trail.
These Kyozuka are numbers 15 to 18.
Follow up on my Uniqlo merino shirts.
Did a 12 km hike in the Hanno mountains around and above Torii Kannon yesterday and a short easy hike around Hannoshi park today.
The shirts performed well. Kept me warmish yesterday (it was a super steep trail in forest, sun, forest, small patches of snow...) but I had to adjust layering frequently due to the… More varied terrain and shade. When I got the top of the trail I pulled the shirt off too quickly and ripped one sleeve. The shirt was wet and sticky with sweat from the 700 meters of elevation gain. Put on a dry shirt (same Uniqlo merino) and finished my loop back down through Torii Kannon. Once back at the car I gently removed the shirt with no problems.
Today's easy hike to Tenranzan and around the park didn't result in much sweating. Again back at the car I gently removed the shirt with no issues
So...not as robust or sturdy as the name brand merino shirts I have but performed well and were as warm and comfortable as others.
Most definitely worth buying and using for hiking. Just be gentle when taking the shirts off.
Joris Vermeulen shared a link.
Hiked the Harima Alps route as written on Hiking in Japan.
Really nice route, although because of the steep slopes I have a few blisters on my feet.
Signposts have become pretty obsolete; they're still there… More but most have faded and have become illegible. And the start of the hike is fenced off since it's private property. But it doesn't really matter as another trailhead is just one kilometer away.
Walking on the fresh snow.
It was a sunny and windless day last weekend so I went hiking to snowy mountain called Mount Yonomaru.
I stayed about one hour around the top while drinking a cup of coffee, having… More lunch.
walking in the middle of Numazu Alps (Shizuoka), early January, when I met this sole: Pic1😯. It is the 3rd time this happens to me in ~ 10 years of hiking in Japan. This one does not look so old... Last 2 times… More the soles were of the same brand. So was curious about this one🤨. So I had a better look: Pic2🧐. That same brand again!😮 Definitely would not recommend~
Hiking in Japan is such a great way of experiencing the country's fantastic landscapes and its extraordinary wildlife. In east Hokkaido, the rim of the Mashu Caldera offers spectacular ridge hikes. In summer… More the trail around the south side to Mashu-dake and the smaller peaks beyond including Nishibetsu-dake make for a great day-long outing. In winter, snowshoes make it possible to follow around the trail-less rim to the north, from the number 1 viewpoint to the number 3 (don't ask, there is no number 2!). The views are a constant reward — especially on a calm winter's day.
Terrific hike in Okutama yesterday up 鷹ノ巣山 (Takanosu). Took the long way up, going over 六ッ石山 (Mutsuishi) and were rewarded with phenomenal views of Fuji.
Trail was icy in some parts, but we managed without… More crampons, interesting ice crystals in the soil. This was a full day hike, definitely recommend starting earlier than we did (10am). We ended up hiking the last bit down 倉戸山 (Kurato) in the dark.
Shikoku pilgrimage related question // Good morning. When and if the Covid-19 situation becomes relatively less severe, the restrictions are lifted and solo hiking trips are safe/ethically okay to take (so a… More lot of ifs), I hope to walk part of the Shikoku pilgrimage route - more specifically the Kochi section starting at Cape Muroto and ending in Cape Ashizuri area (Temple 24 to 38). I would ideally like to do this in the spring time for obvious weather related reasons (as for why I picked this section: I don`t have time for the whole route and wanted to focus on one of the most scenic sections + I have been to Cape Ashizuri before and wanted to be back ever since.) I am already doing my research (and also became a member of the Henro group on Facebook). I just wanted to ask for the personal experiences of the group members for this specific route, if any (and any link to your blog posts/trip diaries would also be highly appreciated). Thank you for any feedback that you may have for me (the two photos are from my previous vehicle enabled visit to Cape Ashizuri).
I normally don't shop at Uniqlo. But we had time to kill while waiting for our late lunch restaurant/craft brewery to open.
Checked Uniqlo at Hanno station and found mid-weight 100% merino wool long sleeve… More shirts for Yen 990. Seem like good quality construction and wool. Far, far less than the usual $50+ on Amazon for Icebreaker or Minus 33 that currently fill my closet.
Hello, I'm interested in getting back into hiking and camping this year. I don't really have much experience in Japan but I've hiked / done multi day trips in Australia. I have a few questions:
1.) I would like to find some nice campsites for camping only trips with my wife, what resources do you use to find campsites in Japan? Are there any… More campsite databases online that you use?
2.) What websites do you use to find trails?
3.) From what I've read it seems that the only places you should camp are official campsites. Is this correct?
4.) Can you recommend some good multi day hiking / camping trips? I'm not interested in staying in huts.
5.) Does anyone hammock camp in Japan. I might be… More









































