Issue 26

Ice Climbing. Hearing the words sends a chill through my bones. The advice I received from Japan-based climber Jeff Jensen, as I ...

Learn how to cook authentic Japanese food in the comfort of your own home. (Ingredients)MisoKatsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)...

It snowed heavily all night. The last beer and sake were tossed back around 10 p.m. and everyone called it an “early one” in anti...

I was 4 years old the first time I laid my hands on a knife. It was a small ¥100 boxcutter which drew me in with its colorful dis...

Myoko Backcountry Ski School (MBSS) began with a bunch of locals who simply liked going into the mountains. It is now in its 22nd...

There are so many local breweries in Japan with the name “kogen” (mountain heights) in them (off hand, I can think of at least si...

It’s February 2008 in Niseko, and the number of new investors rivals the amount of snow. Land prices in central Hirafu have doubl...

You may have heard about a reality TV series called “Whale Wars” and currently airing on Animal Planet in North America. The seri...

Sandboxes, the ubiquitous play areas in Japanese parks and playgrounds, allow children who live far from the sea to enjoy buildin...

Mitsuharu Kume dramatically changed the course of his life 15 years ago, moving from Tokyo to southern Japan’s Tanegashima Island...

Surfing powder is nothing new, but custom parks bringing the waves to the mountain is the latest craze. Enter the Surf Ride cultu...

‘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...

The innate desire to explore the space between what is real and what exists only in our dreams has been part of the human conditi...

Ice bars, ice festivals—even ice hotels. There are plenty of “cool” places to “chill” off the slopes in Japan this winter. IC...

After six productive years in Japan, Rob Volansky made the reluctantly inevitable move back to the States. That was more than a y...

Eco PowerPortable Solar Chargers The Netherlands has brought us Van Gogh, Amsterdam coffee shops, Heineken, and now the Soldiu...

Going for Broke All medals are not made equal; some change lives. It was February, 2006, at the Torino Winter Olympics. Th...