Journal
Guides for staying a while, and notes from days out. First-hand, from the places we run.
I run these places, and on my days off I'm usually on a mountain or wandering around an old castle. Most of what's here comes from that: hikes you can reach by train, castles and the history behind them, and how to fit them around a longer stay. If you travel the same way, I hope it helps you plan your own trip through Japan.
Ishigakiyama Castle: Hideyoshi's 'one-night castle' above Odawara
The castle Toyotomi Hideyoshi built to finish off the Hojo — and the view he looked down from. A half-day hike from Chigasaki, with Odawara Castle below and cake at the top.
Mt Daibosatsu: an easy Top 100 mountain from Shinjuku, with Takeda Shingen's country at your feet
One of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains you can walk in half a day. Train from Shinjuku to Enzan, a bus to the trailhead, a gentle ridge, and a view over the Kofu basin that Takeda Shingen once ruled.
Hachioji Castle: a whole mountain of a castle, an hour from Shibuya
One of Japan's Top 100 Castles, with no keep left standing — just a mountain carved into defences. How to get there from Shibuya, what the guidance centre tells you, and the ridge walk beyond.
Climbing Mt Fuji from Tokyo: one bus, one night, and the shadow at sunrise
Japan's highest mountain is a direct bus from Shinjuku. What the 2026 rules on the Yoshida trail mean, why you need a hut, and the shadow Fuji you can see from the top on a clear morning.
Mt Tanzawa: a Top 100 mountain with Fuji in view, just about a day trip from Shibuya
The nearest of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains to central Tokyo. How to get to the Okura trailhead, how long the day really is, where to sleep, and the udon and hot springs along the way.
Leave the suitcase: packing for three days out of a month-long base
The point of a long stay isn't just a bigger room. It's that you can drop your things, take a small pack, and be gone for a few days without hauling everything with you.
Renting a pack and a tent by the month, not the day
Day-rate gear rental in Japan is set up for people with a home address. If you're visiting for a few weeks and want to hike, a monthly base changes the maths.
Nothing under that category yet.