hiking
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Petrified Forest National Park: Trees Made of Stone
Petrified Forest National Park in the Arizona badlands is an awe-inspiringly beautiful landscape. Not only does it feature beautiful rock formations and stripey geography but also petrified wood. Lying on the ground all over the park, you can get up close and personal with trees of stone, many of which resemble rainbows. This article will…
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Mount Lemmon Highway: Views over the Sonoran Desert
Mount Lemmon, the tallest mountain in the Santa Catalinas just north of Tucson, Arizona, is an important location in terms of ecology, geology and astronomy. Hosting the Mount Lemmon observatory and its supporting town, people live on it year round. As a result, the Mount Lemmon Highway was built connecting the observatory and the city…
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Yakushima: The Southern Coast’s Rocky Beauty
If you ever get a chance to go to the island of Yakushima off the southern coast of Kyushu, Japan, you will immediately notice the geology. With over 46 mountains over 1,000 metres, it is no wonder that it is called the “Alps of the Sea”. If you are interested in how this island was…
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Shinsui Gorge: Beautiful Columnar (Lava) Jointing
Located in Kirishima city, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, Shinsui Gorge (known as ‘Shinsuikyo’ 神水峡 in Japanese) is a 20-metre gorge that has an intimate history with the surrounding volcanoes that the area is famous for. History of Shinsui Gorge Shinsui Gorge is in Kirishima Geopark, an area with over 20 active volcanoes in close proximity, known…
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Ne Vegan Restaurant: Yakushima Hidden Gem
When we booked a week-long holiday to Yakushima for the end of October 2024, we thought we were going to have amazing weather. Summer is over, so the oppressive heat and humidity would be finished. Moreover, typhoon season is usually only until the beginning or middle of October, so we should have been fine. Unfortunately…
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Yokko Keikoku Valley: Nagata’s Massive Granite Boulders and Serene Pools
Near the settlement of Nagata on Yakushima is Yokko Keikoku Valley (横河渓谷), a nature reserve that contains the upper part of the Nagata River. The Yokko Keikoku Valley is a forested valley that has been cut over thousands of years by the river, creating a nature reserve where Yakushima deer and macaques, along with other…
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Jomonsugi: Ancient Cedar Trees and Hiking Yakushima National Park
On the island of Yakushima (Japan) in the Yakushima National Park stand many proud and ancient cedar tree of the genus Cryptomeria japonica, but none compare to Jomonsugi, the oldest of this species in the world. Dating between 2,170 and 7,200 years of age, its ancient wisdom is even reflected in the name; Jomon refers…
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Takayama Inari Shrine: Vermillion Torii Gates without the Crowds
When you think of Japan, many people know of Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, for the red torii gates forming a near solid path up the mountain’s slopes. It is the head Inari shrine dedicated to the Japanese kami (deity) of foxes, fertility, rice, tea, sake, agriculture and industry, general prosperity and worldly success (including business ventures).…
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Asakura Clan Ruins: Once Japan’s Third Largest City
In the mountains east of Fukui City lies the “Pompeii of Japan”—the Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins. Once Japan’s third largest city (after Kyoto and Osaka) during the Muromachi Period, with a population of over 10,000, it was a military, cultural, and trade hub—quite a feat for this turbulent period. Today, it is one of the…
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Rairaikyo Gorge: Geothermal Hot Spring-River Combo
To the southeast of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture sits Akiusato. This village boasts many onsen and onsen hotels due to the thermal activity in the area, but that is not all. There is so much activity that even parts of the river give off steam. This river, the Natori, has also cut through the bedrock…
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Kegon Waterfall: Lake Chuzenji’s only outlet
In Tochigi Prefecture, near the UNESCO World Heritage town of Nikko, is considered one of Japan’s most beautiful areas. Up in the mountains above the town is alpine Lake Chuzenji. This large lake collects water from all over the surrounding area, and the only way it ever leaves is via Kegon Waterfall. Kegon Waterfall, also…
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Lake Akan: Perfectly Spherical Moss Balls and Other Oddities
If you ever go to Hokkaido (Japan), one of the places I highly recommend is Lake Akan in the east. In addition to several unique qualities in Japan or even worldwide, it is a beautiful area worth a visit (or even a trip of its own!). Isn’t Lake Akan just a lake? If you are…
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Mt Shinobu: Looking over Fukushima
In the centre of Fukushima city stands Mt Shinobu, which overlooks the city and is splayed around its base. Mt Shinobu only has a height of 275 meters (902 ft); it is actually a monadnock – an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level…
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Shimokita Peninsula: Beautiful Coastline
Off of Japan’s Aomori Prefecture lies the Shimokita Peninsula. A remote place that is difficult to get to (even with a car), the Shimokita Peninsula is known for a couple of things. The first is Cape Oma, Honshu’s Northernmost Point and also Japan’s tuna capital. The second is the sacred mountain of Osorezan, which is…
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Osorezan: Sacred Mountains in the Shape of a Lotus
Located in Aomori Prefecture’s Shimokita Peninsula, Osorezan (which translates as “Dread Mountain”) is one of the prefecture’s must-see sights. This sacred mountain plays a large role in Japanese Buddhism and has done so for over 1,000 years. History A dream The story of Osorezan, which is synonymous with the Bodai-ji Temple here, started with a…
