Last year, around this time, I took off for the mountains of central Japan. During that trip, I spent a few nights in Takayama, one of my favorite destinations in Japan. Takayama is a small city that sits at the edge of the Central Japan Alps. Takayama was renowned in the Edo Period (1603-1868) for... Continue Reading →
5 Faves: Day Hikes (Part 2)
This heat has me running for the hills this week. We're not breaking any records here, but I'm not ashamed to admit that my air conditioner is getting a workout. Hard as it may be to contemplate breaking a sweat in this weather, here are some worthwhile hikes around the archipelago to plan for when... Continue Reading →
5 Faves: Day Hikes
Somehow in the past few months, I've "recaught" the hiking bug. I used to be a pretty avid enjoyer of the outdoors. I spent my post-college weekends exploring the trails of the greater DC area with a local hiking club, and I tested out my rain gear on a few hiking vacations in Europe. (For... Continue Reading →
Spotlight: Fushimi Inari Shrine (Kyoto)
It's one of those dark, rainy days here in Kyushu today that - if not for the lingering humidity (c'mon already!) - I would think we had passed straight into winter. I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of fall in Kumamoto, but it seems we might still be a few weeks away yet. The Japanese... Continue Reading →