The Hokkaido Cartographer

Still available from my Japanese distributor @alice_sha, the award-winning, first bilingual hiking map for Japan in Swiss map style of #Hokkaido's tallest mountain, "ASAHI-DAKE: The Heart of Daisetsuzan National Park". alicesha.co.jp/books/0115/ind…

Back to the top of Nagaretani where the Kawazu-zakura and Sansho are both in bloom In the woods above is a small Fudo-Myo, an early location for a Shugendo pilgrimage point that was destroyed some time after 1683 I then visited the new pilgrimage point established in the 1970s

Here are 21 of my favourite hikes in Japan for Mt. Fuji views – ranging from easy half-day walks near Tokyo to a few remote ones in Yamanashi. 🗻 ridgelineimages.com/hiking/best-hi…

Japan has removed the red-crowned crane, also known as the Japanese crane and designated by the government as a special natural monument, from its list of threatened species thanks to a population recovery. 👉 ebx.sh/21Vz8h

@GaryLuscombe1 Yes, a castle!

A short stroll in fine, if crisp weather yesterday. I keep meaning to climb this mountain, it looks like the kind of peak that might have once had something interesting at the top.

@ItoigawaGeopark On TV: youtube.com/watch?v=b0M1Xo… Is the exact location of the find known? If so, there should be more lapis lazuli there. It typically occurs in veins or lenses within marble.

📢Japan's 1st Lapis Lazuli Found in Itoigawa!💎 The National Science Museum confirms the first-ever discovery of this stunning blue gemstone in Japan! 🇯🇵✨ Come see this historic find for yourself at the Fossa Magna Museum from March 7. Details: geo-itoigawa.com/topics/25735/

📢日本初！糸魚川でラピスラズリ発見💎 国立科学博物館の研究で、国内初の「瑠璃の宝石」が糸魚川で見つかりました！エジプトや正倉院の宝物と同じ神秘の青が、ついに日本でも…💙 実物はフォッサマグナミュージアムで期間限定、無料展示します！ 詳しくは👉 geo-itoigawa.com/topics/25735/

@hellobeatrix Is this styrofoam in the flowers?

Popped into the fancy fancy supermarket and was set upon a little dinner mission. I stuffed these zucchini flow with goat’s cheese and dill, did a light beer batter and served them with Al Brown’s preserved lemon mayo.

The head of our Geopark's Natural Resources Conservation Committee is giving a lecture about Itoigawa's biodiversity and how we can help protect it. Join us at Kitare on Feb 28!

@GaryLuscombe1 C'mon, that's not true! 😁

The 500 year old plum tree in the garden at work is finally starting to wake up. Takes a little while to get going compared to the younger trees. A feeling I know too well.

@japantimes_life I invite you to visit my website japanwilds.org, which features links to over 1,000 English-language hiking blogs (incl. hers) and over 100 bilingual hiking maps in Swiss quality covering all of Japan. Special attention is given to lesser-known areas.

Hiking Mount Fuji is one thing, but English-language guides on Japan’s lesser-known peaks and trails can be scarce. But on the semianonymous Lost Filipina blog, hundreds of treks are mapped out to the smallest detail. ebx.sh/YiTwAO

For a few days now, @yamareco (Cloudfare) has been requesting a security check, and then, when you're on the site, the photos are no longer displayed. Has anyone else experienced something similar? Is it because I'm accessing the site from abroad? (I'm Premium member)

Lake Okutama is retreating 📉🌊 In my latest post, I compare photos from 2016 with today revealing re-emerging tree skeletons, exposed infrastructure, and Showa-era relics. ridgelineimages.com/musings/the-re… #奥多摩湖 #小河内ダム

While in #Japan increasing numbers of bears are moving into populated areas, in #Tajikistan #Pamirs it’s the wolves. In both regions, wildlife appears to have largely lost its fear of humans. facebook.com/reel/196217080…

2.9 million people visited Hakuba in 2025. How much change can a mountain community of fewer than 10,000 people absorb before it stops feeling like home? ebx.sh/oBGF4W

@Ridgelineimages You did it on a weekday?

If you’ve been to Kawaguchiko lately, you know it’s "Ground Zero" for international tourism. But while the crowds are queuing for photos at Lawson, the best views are waiting just a short bus ride away on the ridge above Lake Saiko. ridgelineimages.com/hiking/mt-ashi…

@T_in_Japan @TimDHWoo How long did it take you to climb up (and then descend)?

@TimDHWoo I can well believe it - if I hadn’t had my gps I would probably have got lost too, severe whiteout conditions for much of the way. The ropeway wasn’t running when I climbed (because of the wind), so I actually had to start and finish from the base, was a long and hard day

At the summit of Asahi-dake, Hokkaido’s highest peak, in mid-winter

🌐 New article: Hinata GIS and open-hinata3 — Japan’s Ultra-General-Purpose Open-Source GIS in Practice Discover a highly versatile Web GIS built by a Japanese solo developer, featuring 600+ layers and AI-powered tools. Read more ➡️ jgtimes.org/articles/eh-hi… #GIS #foss4g

@GaryLuscombe1 Seems to still be in use.

Quiet at work so I wandered down to the other end of the village to take some photos of a shrine. On the way back I got distracted by a little old road that passes underneath the railway line. It seems to go all the way up into the mountains so will explore more another day.

@GaryLuscombe1 A lovely welcome when walking up to Koysan from below, from Gokurakubashi Station. I would recommend this to anyone who is reasonably fit, rather than taking the cable car and then the bus.

The last surviving Nyonindo, or Women's Hall on Koyasan. Originally there were seven such halls, one just outside each of the main entrances as women were prohibited from entering Koyasan. It was established by a nun called Kosugi who was enshrined as Kosugimyojin on her death.

@AreChauchauchau So empty, even on a weekend?

There are worse ways to spend a groomer day. Inawashiro definitely deserves a second visit with more snowfall. Did I mention the 3300 yen lift passes? 🤫

🇨🇭🇯🇵 スイス文化イベント in 日本 – 2026年冬 ❄️🎬🎨📖🎶 この冬、日本各地でスイスゆかりの文化イベントが開催されます。 話題の映画、美術、トーク、音楽──多彩な表現を通し、スイスの創造性に触れてみてください✨ 👉loom.ly/O64zN9Q #スイス #スイス文化 #映画 #音楽 #トーク #国際交流