OVERNIGHT I had a hard time getting to bed initially, due mostly to the cacophonous chorus of snores emanating in full surround sound...

This past weekend I had the exciting opportunity to join the official training camp held by the organizing committee of the Trans Japan...

Continued from Part 2 HOW TO PACK FOR AN 8-DAY MOUNTAIN RACE REQUIRED GEAR Because TJAR is completely self-supported and covers a vast...

Continued from Part 1 THE RACE ITSELF: HISTORY, CONCEPT, STATS & ENTRY HISTORY The idea for the Trans Japan Alps Race (TJAR) was first...

THE BACKSTORY: ADVENTURES IN HIKING, TREKKING & MARATHONING My love for the mountains began early in life, first indirectly through...

Continued from Part 3 After thoroughly enjoying my full course meal for dinner, I continued my winning streak by hitting the sack early,...

Continued from Part 2 My first night practicing an emergency bivy was an eventful one with heavy rains pounding my non-waterproof shelter...

Continued from Part 1 In an instant the skies opened up, and heavy rain and small hail began to rain down on me hard. I knew the weather...

I recently came back from a tough but fantastic 3-day trek in the Northern Alps, starting and ending in Ogisawa, which is just a short...

One of the most accessible and most popular peaks in the Hakuba area is Mt. Karamatsu. Most hikers utilize the Happo-One gondola followed...

Haku-san is a 2,702 m / 8,865 ft dormant volcano that straddles the borders of Gifu and Ishikawa prefectures in north-central Japan. ...

After my first backcountry snowboarding experience in Otari since moving to the village in June, I was blown away by the scenery, snow...

The Nakaya Snow Festival (中谷雪まつり) is a small community festival held each winter on the grounds of the Yamatsubaki Tourism and Community...

The village of Otari is not only a 豪雪地帯, or "heavily snowed area" as mentioned in our last blog post, but its land area is more than 80%...

The Oami Fire Ceremony (大網火祭り) is one of the most fascinating annual events held here in the village of Otari. Taking place each year on...