We awoke to a misty and drizzly morning in our 150+ year old shukuba, it had been a good nights sleep and I was excited to be hiking on the Nakasendo in a few short hours. Although we were staying closer to Tsumago I wanted to start the hike from Magome-juku so most of the … Continue reading Japan 2024 Day 5: Hiking the Nakasendo from Magome-Juku to Tsumago-juku
I left the last post on a bit of a cliff hanger about this night being a bit of a nightmare, and it truly was. Chojo Fujikan is the weirdest, dirtiest place I have ever stayed. After we checked in we were shown to our futon for the night, and were able to take off … Continue reading Japan 2023 Summer day 12: Descending Mount Fuji on the Subashiri trail with altitude sickness
The alarm went off at 3am, it was still pitch black outside, and time to get ready for a really important day, when we finally try to reach the summit of Mount Fuji. We had chosen the Subashiri trail for our ascent, which is one of the least popular trails with only 8% of climbers … Continue reading Japan 2023 Summer Day 11: Climbing Mount Fuji via the Subashiri trail
Statistically, the chances of seeing Mount Fuji in August are quite low compared to the rest of the year, but not nothing, and so with hope we were out of the house and driving up a mountain before 5:30am. Often the clouds can be more low-lying so from a higher altitude you get a clear … Continue reading Japan 2023 Summer Day 9: A Canoe trip on Kawaguchiko with Mount Fuji
Kawaguchiko is my favourite place in the world, and so staying for another week in summer after a week in winter is a treat. One thing about summer is that the chances of seeing Mount Fuji are much lower, but still 40% chance in the morning, and so we woke up early just in case … Continue reading Japan 2023 Summer Day 8: Kawaguchiko in summer, shy Mount Fuji
We woke up to another cloudy day sadly, we never got to see the peaks of the Alps from Kamikochi Valley, which was a real shame. What made up for it was the most delicious breakfast I have ever had. The chef was again amazing and made me a fully gluten, egg, and milk-free meal. … Continue reading Japan 2023 Summer Day 4: Cloudy Hakuba
We had an early start for our epic day of adventure and we were checked out of our hotel and on the road by 6:30am. We stocked up on snacks and drinks and headed towards Kamikochi. Like many popular hiking areas in Japan, you aren't able to drive to the location itself but need to … Continue reading Japan 2023 Summer Day 3: Exploring Kamikochi
My Nihon 