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    • Spring
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        Finding the Flow from Kansai to Kochi

        Shikoku’s many mountains, valleys and proximity to the ocean has made it a hidden gem for rafting, kayaking and canyoning enthusiasts willing to take a step or two further from the Golden Route of Kyoto and Osaka.

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    • Summer
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        Adventure Travel World Summit in Hokkaido

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        Sea to Table in Yamagata

        An unforgettable way to intimately explore the Shonai Region in Yamagata is a culinary experience bringing bounty of the sea straight to your table.
    • Autumn
    • Winter
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        CAMP3 Clubhouse in Madarao

        Keith Stubbs, a veteran in the snowboard industry, transitioned from rider to coach and instructor trainer for Snowboard Instruction New Zealand. After coaching in various Japanese resorts, he has established a permanent base in Madarao, outlining his plans for the area and future snowboard endeavors.
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        New Horizons in Shiretoko

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        Heritage Hunting in Hokkaido

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        Shizukuishi

        Northern Honshu’s Iwate Prefecture, known for heavy snowfall, features Shizukuishi—a powder-rich resort area with views of Mt. Iwate. Snow enthusiasts seeking lesser-known gems can enjoy exceptional snow quality and uncrowded resorts, including Shizukuishi Ski Resort, Amihari Onsen Ski Resort, and Iwate Kogen Snow Park, offering affordability and traditional hospitality.
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        Getting Dirty in Japan

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    • Article Map
    • Ocean and Beach
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        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • River and Lake
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        Heritage Hunting in Hokka...

        Travelers venturing beyond Hokkaido's popular winter resorts will discover a land with a rich cultural and natural history, a proud indigenous people and a community striving to preserve their heritage.
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        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Mountain and Land
    • Sky
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        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Snow and Ice
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        CAMP3 Clubhouse in Madarao

        Keith Stubbs, a veteran in the snowboard industry, transitioned from rider to coach and instructor trainer for Snowboard Instruction New Zealand. After coaching in various Japanese resorts, he has established a permanent base in Madarao, outlining his plans for the area and future snowboard endeavors.
        shiretoko hokkaido outdoor japan

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        During another epic powder season, two seasoned winter sports enthusiasts traded their snowboard bags for camera bags and traveled to Eastern Hokkaido to explore the frozen landscape and broaden their winter horizons.
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        Silent Resilience

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        Shizukuishi

        Northern Honshu’s Iwate Prefecture, known for heavy snowfall, features Shizukuishi—a powder-rich resort area with views of Mt. Iwate. Snow enthusiasts seeking lesser-known gems can enjoy exceptional snow quality and uncrowded resorts, including Shizukuishi Ski Resort, Amihari Onsen Ski Resort, and Iwate Kogen Snow Park, offering affordability and traditional hospitality.
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        Northern Shinshu’s Secret Stash

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    • Travel
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        CAMP3 Clubhouse in Madarao

        Keith Stubbs, a veteran in the snowboard industry, transitioned from rider to coach and instructor trainer for Snowboard Instruction New Zealand. After coaching in various Japanese resorts, he has established a permanent base in Madarao, outlining his plans for the area and future snowboard endeavors.
        shiretoko hokkaido outdoor japan

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        shizukuishi skiing snowboarding outdoor japan

        Shizukuishi

        Northern Honshu’s Iwate Prefecture, known for heavy snowfall, features Shizukuishi—a powder-rich resort area with views of Mt. Iwate. Snow enthusiasts seeking lesser-known gems can enjoy exceptional snow quality and uncrowded resorts, including Shizukuishi Ski Resort, Amihari Onsen Ski Resort, and Iwate Kogen Snow Park, offering affordability and traditional hospitality.
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      • camp3 clubhouse madarao keith stubbs outdoor japanvideo

        CAMP3 Clubhouse in Madarao

        Keith Stubbs, a veteran in the snowboard industry, transitioned from rider to coach and instructor trainer for Snowboard Instruction New Zealand. After coaching in various Japanese resorts, he has established a permanent base in Madarao, outlining his plans for the area and future snowboard endeavors.
        shiretoko hokkaido outdoor japan

        New Horizons in Shiretoko

        During another epic powder season, two seasoned winter sports enthusiasts traded their snowboard bags for camera bags and traveled to Eastern Hokkaido to explore the frozen landscape and broaden their winter horizons.
        sayuri matsuhashi double role curling athlete japan outdoor

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        Curling athlete Sayuri Matsuhashi’s journey to the top of her sport is an inspiration to deaf athletes and women juggling their roles as mothers while also pursuing their professional dreams.
        ainu tour daniel moore outdoor japan hokkaido

        Heritage Hunting in Hokkaido

        Travelers venturing beyond Hokkaido's popular winter resorts will discover a land with a rich cultural and natural history, a proud indigenous people and a community striving to preserve their heritage.
        shizukuishi skiing snowboarding outdoor japan

        Shizukuishi

        Northern Honshu’s Iwate Prefecture, known for heavy snowfall, features Shizukuishi—a powder-rich resort area with views of Mt. Iwate. Snow enthusiasts seeking lesser-known gems can enjoy exceptional snow quality and uncrowded resorts, including Shizukuishi Ski Resort, Amihari Onsen Ski Resort, and Iwate Kogen Snow Park, offering affordability and traditional hospitality.
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        In nearly e...

Who Doesn’t Like a Hot Bath?

Ahhh, a leisurely soak in a hot spring with good friends, taking in the snow-covered scenery. Sound good? Then you’ll get along just fine with the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), also known as the snow monkey or Nihon-zaru.

You can observe these famous onsen-bathing macaques and get in some soaking of your own, in the Yudanaka Onsen area of Nagano. Macaques escape the cold in the hot springs at Jigokudani Monkey Park. Not a zoo—the park lets you see the macaques as they really live in the wild.

Playful Inventors

Macaques display a fascinating degree of culture, well documented by scientists. They spread newly invented behaviors through imitation. In a long-studied troop on Koshima Island, Miyazaki Prefecture, one ingenious female discovered that washing food in the river was preferable to simply brushing off dirt. (Macaques, along with humans and raccoons, are the only animals known to wash their food.) Soon her entire troop adopted the method—except for the troop leader, who steadfastly did things the good old-fashioned way! The same troop later began dipping food in the ocean between each bite, for a tasty salted snack.

As researchers watched, a juvenile Koshima macaque discovered swimming during an impulsive plunge into the sea, and now entire troops swim recreationally. Their love of hot springs, introduction of new foods and grooming techniques and even learned child-raising skills are examples of innovative macaque culture.

Macaques give birth in spring through autumn, so frisky youngsters will be at play in Jigokudani this winter. They chase through baths filled with patient elders and wrestle for sticks and snowballs, both favored toys. In some troops the entire group rolls snowballs as a form of social inter-action.

A Species in Danger

Unfortunately, the macaque is threatened throughout Japan. Loss of habitat to development and logging is the primary cause. Macaques raid farmers’ crops as natural food supplies decrease, compounding the problem. Ignoring their protected status, irate farmers kill or capture up to 5,000 macaques each year. Those not killed often go into the animal trade or become research subjects.

But nuisance behavior is just a symptom of greater problems—development, clear-cutting and monoculture forests. The cedar plantations blanketing Japan offer no food to macaques. Simple solutions have proven elusive, but researchers are searching for non-lethal methods to keep macaques out of crops. More importantly, they are also calling for better mixed-forest management and curbs on development, so that macaques, venerated by the Japanese for centuries, can continue to fascinate, entertain and educate us.

USEFUL INFO

Getting there: Yudanaka Onsen is 40 minutes from Nagano Station by the Nagano Dentetsu Railway express or 70 minutes by local train. To reach the Monkey Park, take a bus or taxi (15 minutes) to Kanbayashi Onsen. From there, it’s about a 30-minute walk to the Jigokudani Yaen-koen entrance.

Accommodations: Hotel Tsubakino is a modern ryokan in the center of Yudanaka Onsen, with easy access to the monkey park and Shiga Kogen Ski Resort. 

The Jigokudani Monkey Park(地獄谷野猿公苑)has extensive English information.

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