Activities

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

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...

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

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...