nagano

Japan's mountains are filled with onsen (hot spring) villages that offer local food, relaxation and outdoor fun all year round. If...

“Karakoro, karakoro...” The echo of geta (traditional wooden sandals) against the paved cement fits seamlessly into the soundscape at Togura Kamiyamada.

If a picture speaks a thousand words, Yuske Hirota’s life is a novel.

Recent movies such as “Wild” and “A Walk in the Woods” have popularized long-distance hiking, causing many of us who enjoy backpacking to wonder what it would be like to complete one of the legendary long distance hiking trails.

There’s arguably nowhere more breathtaking than Kamikochi in Japan’s Northern Alps.

Ian Miller came to Japan to snowboard when he was 19.  “I was really into snowboarding and met so many Japanese people ba...

Enter the all-season world of Shinetsu Shinzekyo in Nagano and Niigata with outdoor professionals

A sleek new bullet train blazes a trail past the majestic Japan Alps, through Nagano City and continues on to the Japan Sea, whis...

Hakuba is a great backcountry launching point, but many visitors might not realize its full potential.

The word for “hiking” in Japanese is “tozan”（登山）which literally means “to climb a mountain.” As the word suggests, the lofty goal...

Chubu-Sangaku National Park, Nagano

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...