I’m not much of an outdoorsman, but I do enjoy the occasional side trip into Japan’s rugged and beautiful highlands. One particularly rewarding detour that requires little time or hiking […]
The scenic highland valley of Kamikōchi (上高地) lies deep within the Northern Japanese Alps, in a remote corner of Nagano Prefecture. Yet despite its relative isolation, visitors from elsewhere in […]
The highest stop on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is a gateway to some of the Hida Mountains’ incredible natural beauty. Here, at 2,450 metres above sea level, even inexperienced […]
Though it’s best known for breathtaking natural landscapes, the scenic Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route also includes a stop at an important man-made landmark. Completed more than half a century ago, […]
Fresh off the first few legs as described in Part 1, we’re now ready to complete our crossing of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート) by setting out on the […]
Spanning the Hida Mountains between Toyama and Nagano Prefectures, the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート) features some of central Japan’s best natural vistas. Never mind that the route itself is […]
There are many places of interest along Japan’s Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート), the scenic corridor through the Hida Mountains between Toyama and Nagano Prefectures. Amongst them is one of […]
Japan’s incredibly scenic Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート) is best appreciated on an overnight journey, or at least a full-day trip with a very early start (as I’ll demonstrate in […]
Tōkyō’s main international airport and I go back a long way. I flew in through here a decade ago, at the start of my very first visit to Japan – […]
As my favourite destination – my own little happy place – Japan exerts such a strong hold on my imagination that I’ve come to dread every homeward flight. Painful though […]
Within striking distance 