Stories
From the Field
winterNature· June 16, 2026
Skiing in Tohoku: Powder Beyond Hokkaido
Tohoku skiing offers the deep, dry powder that draws crowds to Hokkaido and Nagano, but with shorter lift lines, lower prices, and a stronger sense of place. For travelers willing to look north of the headlines, the ski resorts of Iwate, Yamagata, Akita, and Fukushima reward the detour.
springNature· June 15, 2026
Tohoku Cherry Blossom: The Complete Hanami Guide
Tohoku cherry blossom season runs weeks behind Tokyo and Kyoto, opening from late April into early May. That lag is the region's quiet advantage: a chance to chase sakura long after the southern petals have fallen.
allNature· June 14, 2026
The Michinoku Coastal Trail: Hiking Japan's Pacific Edge
The Michinoku Coastal Trail runs more than 1,000 kilometers down Tohoku's Pacific edge, linking fishing villages, sea cliffs, and recovering communities into one of Japan's most quietly ambitious long-distance walks.
allNature· June 13, 2026
Geibikei and Genbikei: Iwate's Two River Gorges
Two gorges in Iwate share almost the same name and confuse travelers constantly. This guide separates the Geibikei gorge boat ride from the rushing water and flying dango of Genbikei, and shows how to pair both with Hiraizumi.
summerNature· June 8, 2026
Tohoku's Hidden Waterfalls: Beyond the Famous Falls of Japan
Japan's famous waterfalls draw crowds; Tohoku's hidden waterfalls rarely do. A guide to the region's finest falls — from the Oirase cascades to the great falls of Akiu — and how to reach them.
summerNature· June 8, 2026
Hachimantai: The Volcanic Plateau Between Iwate and Akita
Hachimantai is a high volcanic plateau on the Iwate–Akita border: alpine marshes, mud-bath hot springs, a famous spring snow corridor, and the seasonal "Dragon Eye" pond. Here is how to visit.
allNature· June 7, 2026
Lake Tazawa: Japan's Deepest Lake and the Akita Highlands
Lake Tazawa in Akita is the deepest lake in Japan, a cobalt-blue caldera ringed by mountains. A guide to its legend, its golden statue, and its role as the gateway to Nyuto Onsen.
allNature· June 7, 2026
Matsushima Bay: Visiting One of Japan's Three Great Views
Matsushima Bay, near Sendai, is one of Japan's three great views — 260 pine-covered islands across a shallow bay. A guide to the boats, the temples, the oysters, and when to go.
allNature· June 6, 2026
Yamadera: Climbing the Thousand Steps to Yamagata's Cliffside Temple
Yamadera is a temple built into a cliff above Yamagata, reached by a thousand stone steps through cedar forest. A guide to the climb, the view, and the poem that made it famous.
summerNature· May 28, 2026
Hiking in Tohoku: Five Trails That Belong on Every Serious Walker's List
Tohoku's mountains are among Japan's finest and least crowded. Here are five trails that reward the effort, from sacred pilgrimage routes to volcanic crater rims.
allNature· May 24, 2026
Shirakami-Sanchi: Japan's Forgotten UNESCO Forest and How to Visit It
Shirakami-Sanchi is Japan's largest remaining old-growth beech forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Almost no international visitors have been there.
allNature· May 22, 2026
Tohoku's Volcanic Landscape: A Guide to Mt. Zao, Mt. Bandai, and Japan's Active Peaks
Tohoku sits on some of Japan's most active geology. Here's how to explore its volcanic landscapes safely and dramatically.
allNature· May 22, 2026
Lake Towada and the Oirase Valley: A Two-Day Nature Itinerary for Aomori
Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge are Aomori's finest natural sites. Here's how to see both properly in two days.
autumnNature· May 16, 2026
Tohoku Autumn Leaves: The Complete Koyo Guide
Japan's finest autumn foliage is not in Kyoto. It's in Tohoku. Here's where to go and when.
autumnNature· May 16, 2026
Oirase Gorge in Autumn: How to Walk Japan's Most Spectacular Leaf-Viewing Trail
In October, Oirase Gorge becomes something else entirely. Here is how to walk Japan's finest autumn forest trail.
summerNature· May 15, 2026
Dewa Sanzan: How to Walk Japan's Most Sacred Pilgrimage Route
Three sacred mountains. 1,400 years of pilgrimage. The Dewa Sanzan circuit in Yamagata is Japan's most spiritually charged walking route — and one of its least internationally known.
autumnNature· May 5, 2026
Oirase Gorge: Walking Japan's Most Beautiful River
For fourteen kilometres, the Oirase River tumbles through a primeval beech forest in Aomori Prefecture, passing mossy rocks, ferns older than memory, and waterfalls that appear around every bend. It is, by almost any measure, the most beautiful river walk in Japan.
winterNature· May 5, 2026
Tohoku in Winter: Zao's Ice Monsters and Snow Country
On the slopes of Mount Zao in Yamagata, winter storms coat the snow-covered trees in layers of ice until they become vast white sculptures — the juhyo, or ice monsters. It is one of Japan's most otherworldly natural phenomena, and it happens only here.
allNature· May 5, 2026
Japan's Golden Secret: Hiraizumi's 12th-Century Temple
In a quiet Iwate valley, a 900-year-old hall covered entirely in gold leaf has outlasted dynasties, wars, and the indifference of centuries. Hiraizumi's Konjikido is Japan's most extraordinary secret — and the reason Tohoku's identity is built on gold.