The Hokkaido Bush Pig

You never know who you are going to meet and where you are going to meet them. This month I thought I would tell you a story o...

In this issue, I am talkin’ knives and, more to the point, if it is better to have a big knife or a small knife on a long trek. I ...

Packing your backpack for spring or summer hiking trips can be a matter of preference, but one thing is certain; packing it right...

Like many Hokkaido residents, Gregory Stewart is an avid sportsman who enjoys snowboarding, telemark and cross country skiing, hi...

There I was, heading up another Hokkaido trail, when two people we passed on their way down said, “They are waiting for you at th...

For most people, March and April is spring. Spring in Japan means welcoming cherry blossoms and warm weather, and it is time to s...

About this time last year I did a trip to one of Hokkaido’s great peaks – Mt. Ashibetsu. This hike has one of my favorite huts—be...

There I was in furious winds, hard-driving horizontal rain, looking up at the next section of the hike and wondering what the hel...

When I first moved to Sapporo, I started hiking in the hills around the city. During one such hike, I passed a large hut that loo...

December is upon us, so the snow up here in Hokkaido will be here to stay for a while. After a busy summer and fall of taking...

There I was, sitting in a local coffee shop in Sapporo, face to face with this slight, long-haired, hippie-like Japanese guy spea...

One of my first ever hikes in Hokkaido was a memorable one. Not only was it my first outing with my father-in-law, but I also...