Category
Races and Events
ActivitiesRaces and Events
From summer music festivals to traditional matsuri and genuinely brutal adventure races, this section tracks what’s actually happening across Japan season by season. Our seasonal roundups — 2023 Summer Music Festivals and 2023 Autumn Events & Races — are a good starting point for planning a trip around an event, while The Original Mountain Marathon and Rogaining in Japan cover the endurance racing side. Browse below by season or event type.
SUP (Stand-up Paddleboarding)
Q&A with Tristan Boxford
The Waterman League made its first splash into Asia with a successful event in Japan. Outdoor Japan talks to the world stand-up t...
Cultural Travel
Power Places: 1,368 Steps to Konpira-san
Affectionately known as “Konpira-san,” Kagawa’s Kotohira-gu Shrine is believed to be one of Japan’s power spots and home to a god...
Market Watch
Oiso Market
Although just three years old, the Oiso Market is as vibrant and bustling as its more established counterparts elsewhere in the c...
Music Festivals
Festival Daze
A red pizza truck and a motley crew of out-of-work ski bums set out on a 40-day road trip around Japan where they battled the ele...
Trail Running
Blazing Spring Trails
Now that Japan’s hills and mountains have begun shedding their winter coats, it’s time to pull those trail running shoes out of t...
Shizuoka
Battle of the Skies
If you are tired of battling the crowds at the airport during Golden Week, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the spring holid...
Adventure Racing
To the End and Back
Unfamiliar names on a travel itinerary are a beautiful thing. Summoning my best college Spanish, I read them aloud. “Puerto Montt...
Cultural Travel
Fire & Water
When locals in Kansai head to the beaches and the mountains for a little summer respite, many find themselves in Wakayama Prefect...