Photo Blog

Today we picked our first fukinoto for the year, and had our first tara-no-me tempura for lunch (grown in our neighbor's greenhouse)

It is traditional to visit the shrine first thing of the new year. Many people line up at midnight, we waited until the morning when the hot-spring was open.

t was a great trip to the Yatsugatake. We went over Akadake this time, and the other side was wonderful. Highlights of the trip include Honzawa Onsen, where we took advantage of the unguarded open air hot-spring bath

We snuck that last hike in the Yatsugatake in just in time. According to NHK news, it has been snowing like crazy in Nagano today

Against my better judgment, I spent several hours working on the remaining photos from a recent trip to Nagano's Yatsugatake

It was also meant as a reality check for her as to what an "epic hike" would require physically and mentally. When we hike she is much more... relaxed about pace vs. available daylight than I am.

Training for Outdoor Education with Outward Bound in Washington.

Every once in while we like to escape rural Japan for a bit to enjoy a little bit of city life.

An open invitation to join in a hike to Okutama in December.
Anyone out there want to go hiking for two days in December (9–10)? If so, let me

This is from last weeks hike to Kaigoma-ga-dake in the Minami Alps. A rather impressive mountain, I thought, both to look at, and to stand atop and look off of.

Passed by Kobuchizawa in Nagano by bike the other day. Just stopped to take a break, and snap a few shots

Reflections from Day 3 of a solo hike in Japan's Southern Alps, complete with wildlife encounters, tough trail decisions, and unexpected beers in a mountain hut.

A solo hiker's unexpected encounter in the Southern Alps of Japan - Kaikomagadake, mountain regrets, and a mysterious black-and-white creature in the wild.

More photos from a recent hike in Yatsugatake in November

A visit to the Nobunkyo Library in Kichijoji reveals hidden gems about Japanese traditional food and rural life - perfect for language learners and culture nerds alike.

A three-day, two-night hike in Okutama with hopes of hitting Kumotoriyama - another Hyakumeizan peak. Route planning, unmanned huts, and the ongoing granola tradition.

Scenes from Rural Japan

Your One Life Japan Facilitator hiking in the Japan Alps

Hiking in Japan offers surprises - well-maintained trails, chains and ladders on steep ascents, and mountain huts that let you leave the tent at home. Here's what makes Japanese trails unique.

Two vegan-friendly Japanese dishes - kinpira makizushi and sticky Hokkaido-style imo mochi - explored through macrobiotics, history.

A few random photos of nothing in May

A bike trip in Nagano - in the early years.

Just a typical day riding the bike in rural Japan

Today, after 530km of riding, I boarded a 6pm bus for the final 170km home. As always, I try to rationalize it - to silence that voice whispering "failure… failure…"

Riding the bike down 2000 meter drop in Yatsugatake and jammin' to G-Love

A day harvesting soba in the Japanese countryside, a compost toilet in the mountains, and some math on how little work it might take to live simply and well.

What if farming wasn't about efficiency? A Tokyo grad with a scythe, a toddler in the weeds, and neighbors who think it's all just a game.

A photo run through Mitsukuri hamlet stirs memories of a lost cycling road, and a reminder of how hard it is to see familiar places with fresh eyes.

After a stint in a Japanese hospital, this rural foreigner returns to real food - homegrown natto, hijiki, and the first persimmon of the season. What gaijin really eat.

She vanished into the forest and stole some apples, but otherwise? Perfect. A glimpse at everyday parenting with a young daughter in the Japanese countryside.

Bugs, frogs, and dirt: the essentials of toddler entertainment while dad takes photos in a nearly October garden in the Japanese countryside.

Typhoon season meets harvest week: flooded fields, fallen stalks, kids in the mud, and one man's quest to be the fastest with a sickle in rural Japan.

Getting "off the beaten path" is easy to say, harder to do. A look at the effort behind helping travelers engage more deeply with rural Japan.

Tokyo empties. Villages swell. The lion dances. And this year, with a broken arm and no drumming to do, I watched Obon from the sidelines - and maybe got lucky.

Dragonflies, frogs, slow days, and the joy of noticing the small things in the Japanese countryside - one photo at a time.

A family hike in Nozawa brings cool air, unexpected cancellations, and the joy of GPS-tracked elevation gain.

Trying to document early-stage rice growth turns into toddler time - again. A typical morning in rural Japan, where the fields grow and life follows its own rhythm.

Routes have changed. Some homes are gone. But the hills still lead to gold-tinged rice fields and the deeper heart of rural Japan.