Activities

Founded in July of 1996 on the western side of Japan’s Northern Alps, Hida Takayama Beer is one of Japan’s earliest microbrew...

Where are the most beautiful villages in Japan? The Naked Stranger pondered this question when he recently picked up a pamphlet a...

I don’t understand perfectionists. In my world when something goes down perfectly, it always seems incidental. Some might disagre...

A pleasantly cool breeze, the sound of transparent water flowing by, outside the strong rays of a hot sun beat down. Moving furth...

I used to jokingly say, “Izu Ōshima is like visiting Mars in Tokyo.” I have been running bike tours on the island in spring a...

The sound of my footsteps echoes across the empty Hayakawa Valley. No other footprints in the snow, no signs of life ahead or beh...

They call it “Bonin Blue.” Here I hovered, 60 feet under, surrounded in sapphire. Below, large boulders littered the sea floor. I...

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