Bill Ross

The 15 members of Tenpukutai are not your average salarymen. They work tireless hours like their gray-suited brethren, yet that’s ...

There are brands out there, bigger than the products they make. They make good stuff, of course, but a company becomes iconic whe...

There are many places in Japan where you can climb up to a mountain, stay in a hut or tent, then get up the next day and head off...

Outdoor manufacturer and retailer MontBell is one of many companies directly affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. “...

During tough times, and Japan has seen its fair share recently, people have a tendency to tighten their belts or stay indoors. Ye...

Mt. Kanaya is an unremarkable hill. Arrive in summer, and the short chairlift is running visitors to the top, so they can ride a ...

MontBell is undoubtedly the biggest player in the Japanese outdoor market, with not only 68 domestic retail outlets around the co...

Let’s face it. You’ve been in town too long, wandering the concrete valleys of the big city, rushing from meeting to meeting, a g...

There is an upside to a recession, I thought to myself. My head down, arms paddling too hard against wind and waves to worry abou...

Masanori Inagaki is unassuming when you first meet him; his words are soft, slow and measured; his clothes dark, reserved, slight...

When you reach the tiny village of Tsunekami, at the tip of the peninsula of the same name, you literally come to the end of the ...

‘It’s the snow, stupid.’ Just ask the Baron. When people (usually the snow-addled locals) ask, “Why do you live in Myoko?” I ofte...