Outdoor Japan Traveler | Issue 64 | Summer 2017

ISSUE 64

SUMMER 2017

TRAVELER

EVERY SEASON IS A NEW ADVENTURE

YAMABUSHIDO The Path of the Warrior Priests

DREAMING OF THE DESERT Climbing Jordan’s Wadi Gum Valley

NORTHEAST BREWS Feeling the NE IPA Haze Be Easy Brewing in NE Japan

KYOTO TRAIL BLAZING INSPIRING SUMMER HIKES HAVE YOU TRIED ROGAINING?

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INSIDE ISSUE 64

SUMMER 2017

22

FEATURES

Yamabushido: Follow the Path of the Warrior Priests

20 The Hiker’s B&B 26 Rogaining in Japan 30 Desert Dreaming 36 Cool Summer Trails 42 Navigating the Kyoto Trail

INSIDE

4

8 . . . . Eye on Okinawa

12. . . . . Earth Celebration

18. . . . . Outdoor Japan Adventures

10 . . . . Summer Events

13. . . . . Cycling Japan

46. . . . High Times in Madarao

11 . . . . . Music Festivals

14. . . . Local Brew

48. . . . Kakegawa

15. . . . . Beer Buzz

50. . . . Travel & Adventure Directory

TRAVELER

FROM THE EDITOR Published Seasonally

T

he Tuttle Building was weathered and stained by the time I got there. It had stood in Tokyo’s old printing district, through Japan’s formative years as well as the heydays of the bubble years, and had the cracks to show for it. Back in 2000, I had been hired as the online editor for the Tokyo Weekender and was asked to bring more travel and outdoor content from my new website called Outdoor Japan.

I was excited to join a real publishing house and have the chance to work under a Tokyo legend, Corky Alexander, whose son-in-law had hired me.

Corky had been working in newspapers since he was 15 years old.

Wayne Graczyk He worked in a Combat Photo Squadron during WWII and then for the Army Press Corps after. He later became the editor of Stars and Stripes.

He started Tokyo Weekender, Japan’s first free English newspaper, the year before I was born.

After walking from Iidabashi Station and climbing the stairs to the fifth floor, I entered the large open office slightly out of breath. Paper was everywhere. I walked to the far end of the room until I reached Corky’s desk and introduced myself. I quickly realized he had no idea who I was, or that I’d been hired. Regardless he showed me to an open desk near his and told me to make myself comfortable until we sorted it out.

Corky’s copy editor (and sports editor) Wayne Graczyk, sat facing him, close enough to hand marked-up sheets back and forth. That first day I mostly observed the banter back and forth between the loud and colorful Corky and the quiet yet dogged Wayne as they worked toward a deadline. Wayne walked over to my desk before leaving and asked, “Are you coming tomorrow?” “Yeah, I think so,” I replied. I had just moved to Tokyo from the countryside, so I sure hoped so. “Ok, see ya tomorrow.” he said.

Wayne was as quirky as he was habitual. He had his routine and he never wavered. It made him a helluva copy editor. When I started Outdoor Japan Magazine in 2005, I naturally asked him to be the copy editor. He didn’t need the work or the money; he was one of the most influential foreign baseball writers in Japan and the publisher of the annual Japan Pro Baseball Guide. Since then we have met to proof the magazine, talk about sports and the old days.

Wayne died during production of our last issue while doing what he loved: covering baseball in Japan. He was a gentleman and one of the finest human beings I’ve ever known. I’m forever grateful for the time I had with Wayne and Corky. The knowledge I gained about writing, editing and publishing was amazing, but equally as valuable was learning about post-war Japan, the stories and the connection to the people of that generation.

This will be the first magazine we’ve done without Wayne and we’ve decided to make some changes in the format and design. We hope you enjoy it as much as the last 63 issues. Get out there and do what you love this summer!

私が初めてある編集部を訪れたとき、そのビルは長年の風雨にさらされてすでに老朽化していました。そこは東京の出版社が多 い地域でビルのひび割れた外壁は日本の戦後からバブル景気にわいた時代を生き抜いてきたことを示していました。 それは 2000年のある日のことでした。 『東京ウィークエンダー』のオンライン・エディターとして私は雇われ、新しいウェブサイト、 アウトドア・ジャパンのための旅行やアウトドアアクテビティーのコンテンツをつくるように求められたのです。私は本当の出版社で働け ることに興奮しました。それだけでなく、レジェンドとして知られるコーキー・アレキサンダーと仕事ができることにも大きな興味を抱い ていました。 そのコーキーは新聞の仕事を１５歳のときからしていました。彼は第二次世界大戦中には陸軍写真部隊に従軍し、アメリカ軍の プレス部隊でも働き、 『スターズ・アンド・ストライプス』の編集長となりました。その後、彼は『東京ウィークエンダー』という日本で 最初の無料の英字新聞を立ち上げたのです。私が生まれる１年前のことです。 私は飯田橋駅から歩いてそのビルに向かい、5 階の編集部まで息を切らせて階段を上りました。オフィスの中は新聞がいたると ころに散らばっていて、コーキーのデスクはそのいちばん奥にありました。私は彼に自己紹介をしましたが、でもそのときは、彼は私が なにをしに来たのか、それともなぜ雇ったのか理解できないようでした。それでも彼は近くのデスクを私にあてがってくれて、慣れるま では気楽にやってくれと言ったのです（私を雇ってくれたのはコーキーの義理の息子でした）。 コピーエディターはウェイン・グレーシック（彼はスポーツエディターでもありました）といい、コーキーのすぐ近くに座っていて、 マークアップシートをお互いに手渡しできるほどの近さでふたりは仕事をしていました。 入社の初日に私がやったことは、 彼らの軽口の叩きあいを眺めることでした。大声で派手なコーキーと控えめで忍耐強いウェイン、 ふたりには新聞の締め切りが近づいていました。そしてウェインが退社する前に私に声をかけたのです。 「明日も来られるかい？」、 「そのつもりですが」 。私は田舎から東京に移ったばかりで、もちろん仕事をつづけたかったのです。「わかった。 じゃあ明日もよろしく」 ウェインはいつも個性的でした。いつもおなじやり方で信念を曲げないことが、彼を有能なコピーエディターとして成り立たせて いました。私が 2005 年に『アウトドア・ジャパン・マガジン』を立ち上げたとき、私は彼に素直な気持ちでコピーエディターの仕事を 依頼しました。彼は仕事や収入には困っていませんでした。日本の野球の外国人記者として大きな影響力を持っているだけでなく、 年鑑『ジャパン・プロベースボール・ガイド』の編集発行人でもあったからです。 それから、私たちは雑誌の校正のために、定期的に顔を合わせるようになり、スポーツの雑談や昔話に花を咲かせるようになりま した。 しかし残念なことに、 ウェインは前号の、 日本の野球特集の編集中に帰らぬ人となってしまいました。彼は私が人生の中で出会った すばらしい人格者のひとりでした。ウェインとコーキーというふたりの人物と仕事ができたことを、私はいつまでも誇りに思っています。 執筆や編集そして発行という彼らから得た仕事の進め方は大きな財産となっています。それだけでなく戦後の日本の世代についても彼 らからは多くを学びました。 今回はウェインから学んできた経験をもとに再スタートという意味を込めて、フォーマットやデザインを刷新しました。ぜひこの第 64 号を手にとっていただき、すばらしい日本の夏を楽しんでいただきたいと編集部は願っております。 —Gardner Robinson

Publisher Outdoor Japan Media Editor-in-Chief Gardner Robinson Editor Bill Ross Media Coordinator Rie Miyoshi Designers Misa Matsui, Erik Svare, Tim Wilkinson Contributing Editors Rie Miyoshi, Shigeo Morishita Translators Yoshine Lee, Eri Nishikami, Lana Sofer Contributors Joan Bailey, Lee Dobson, Pete Leong, Bryan Harrell, Neil Hartmann, Abdel Ibrahim, Pete Leong, Pauline Kitamura, Takashi Niwa, Tim Rock, Justin Stein, Bonnie Waycott

Outdoor Japan Media 8782-2 Toyosato Nozawaonsen-mura Shimotakai-gun, Nagano-ken 389-2502

Sales & Marketing media@outdoorjapan.com Editorial editor@outdoorjapan.com www.facebook/japantraveler www.twitter.com/outdoorjapan www.youtube.com/outdoorjapan www.instagram.com/outdoorjapan

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トラベラーマガジンは、空港ラウンジや予約カウンターや、右記航空会社インフライト・ライブラリーにてお読みいただけます。

Cover Photo: Yamabushido

6

TRAVELER

©2017 OUTDOOR JAPAN INC. all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of OUTDOOR JAPAN INC. Printed in Japan.

Photo: Courtesy of Megurun

Fireworks and the Light Man A first-of-its-kind laser, music, fireworks and “flyboarding� pool party at the ANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort.

By Pete Leong

8

TRAVELER

Behind the Falls Nature photographer Shawn Miller exploring Iriomote Island in the middle of the night awaiting the Milky Way to reveal itself overhead.

Mariyudo Falls We came across these beautiful falls during a sevenkilometer hike deep in the jungle of Iriomote Island and then trekked on to find some even larger falls.

SUMMER 2017

9

SUMMER EVENTS Summer is a magical time in Japan as ancient festivals breathe life into rural villages and fireworks light up sweltering skies. Combined with nonstop mountain and ocean activities, races and events, there’s something for everyone this green season.

Nagasaki Minato Festival

Higashi Izu Adventure Rally

Th e n i g h t v i ew o f o n e o f J a p a n ’s m o s t picturesque harbors becomes even grander as 15,000 fireworks light up Nagasaki Seaside Park.

During the day, there are music performances and food stalls.

This running and cycling challenge through Hosono Highlands and up Mt. Misuji spans 3.5 kilometers and is great for beginners and travelers exploring Izu Peninsula. Mountain bike rentals are also available.

July 29-30 Nagasaki Seaside Park, Nagasaki

Tokushima Awa Odori Festival Rated by many as Japan’s best summer festival, this four-day celebration in the island of Shikoku rings in the Japanese obon holidays with a distinct awa odori dance. It attracts nearly 1.3 million spectators, so book early.

Nachi Fire Festival Wakayama’s popular Nachi Waterfall and the Kumano Nachi Grand Shrine are the sacred backdrops to one of Japan’s three great fire festivals. Twelve massive pine torches are set ablaze and carried up and down the shrine steps to purify and cleanse Kumano’s deities.

July 14 Kumano Nachi Grand Shrine, Wakayama

Belgian Beer Weekend Sendai For ¥3,100, feel like you’re in Belgium as you cool down with four fine Belgian beers (more than 78 types available) and enjoy entertainment by Belgian musicians. Sendai is one of nine cities that takes part of the Belgian Beer Weekend.

July 27-30 Kotodai Park, Miyagi www.belgianbeerweekend.jp/2017

Aug. 12-15 Tokushima City, Tokushima

Ikiki Toyama Triathlon

Nippon Domannaka Festival

This 50-kilometer triathlon takes place between the sea and mountains in Toyama, starting along the Iwasehama coast and ending at Tateyama Mountain Ski resort. Originally launched in 1987, the triathlon made a comeback after the Hokuriku Shinkansen expansion in 2015.

The largest team dance festival in central Japan performs over two days in Nagoya, featuring 23,000 dancers from Japan and overseas. All dance teams are clad in costumes reflecting their local tradition and carry a naruko (small clapper).

July 30 Iwasehama Beach, Toyama www.ikiikitoyama.wixsite.com/ikiikitoyama

Nagaoka Festival The Nagaoka features portable shrines floating in the Shinano River, folk dancing, a massive fireworks display and traditional local cuisine including kanzuri (yuzu salt seasoning made with chili peppers), hegi soba (buckwheat noodles with a special type of seaweed) and sasa dango (Japanese rice cake with red bean paste and mugwort wrapped in bamboo leaves).

Aug. 1-3 Nagaoka, Niigata

Nebuta Festival

Beppu Fire Sea Festival After soaking in Beppu’s famous onsen, enjoy one of Kyushu’s largest fireworks. This annual festival features a yataimura (open-air street food stand village), art markets, dancing and local music.

July 28-30 Beppu Station, Oita

The 40th Japan International Birdman Rally Be entertained by mad geniuses as “bird men” attempt to fly as far as possible into Lake Biwa using human-powered flying machines. All contestants jump from a jetty built solely for this event.

July 29-30 Birdman Jetty, Shiga www.ytv.co.jp/birdman

10

TRAVELER

Aug. 12 Hosono Highlands, Shizuoka www.a-extremo.com

Every August crowds converge on the northern Japan city of Aomori for the Nebuta Matsuri when large floats depicting kabuki (traditional Japanese plays) are wheeled around wildly across the Tsugaru Plain. The festival closes with a grand finale of fireworks.

Aug. 2-7 Aomori City, Aomori

Kanto Festival The Kanto Festival celebrates Akita’s abundant harvest of rice and grains. An impressive line up of kanto , 100-lb. bamboo poles with lanterns, illuminates the streets as pole bearers precariously balance them on hips, shoulders and even foreheads.

Aug. 3-6 Kanto O-dori, Akita

Aug. 25-27 Hisaya Odori Park, Aichi

Miyajima Water Fireworks Festival One of Japan’s most recognized torii gates becomes even more stunning as fireworks illuminate the water around the shrine. Visitors catch the JR ferry from the mainland to Miyajima to view the fireworks (¥180 one-way).

Aug. 26 Itsukushima Shrine, Hiroshima

Extreme Series 2017: Okuoi The Extreme Series ends with a MTB, trekking and Canadian canoeing race in Kawane Honcho.

The 35-45-kilometer race is recommended for intermediate racers.

Sept. 2 Kawane Honcho, Shizuoka www.a-extremo.com

SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVALS As the days get longer and nights get shorter, music lovers head for the hills to dance away at Japan’s best outdoor music festivals, Check out what’s in store this year.

Muro Festival This Tokyo music festival hosts local bands including Ajisai, Civilian and Bentham for a full weekend of rock ‘n’ roll while overlooking Odaiba’s harbor.

July 22-23 Shinkiba Studio Coast, Tokyo www.murofes.com

Fuji Rock Festival

Tokyo Jazz Festival

Not to be outdone by last year’s epic 20th anniversary, Japan’s most famous summer music festival invites world-class artists including Gorillaz, Bjork, Lorde, Queens of the Stone Age, Major Lazor and more in the mountains of Niigata.

Attracting world-famous jazz artists, this festival has grown to become one of Japan’s largest international festivals. The event is held at two venues in Tokyo, check out the website for details.

July 28-30 Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata www.fujirockfestival.com

Rock in Japan Festival Not one, but two, weekends of Rock in Japan Festival will be held at this breezy seaside park, featuring a more mainstream selection of rock and pop bands. Buy your tickets in advance as they tend to sell out quickly.

Aug. 5-6 & Aug. 11-12 Hitachi Seaside Park, Ibaraki www.rijfes.jp

Sept. 1-3 Yoyogi and Shibuya, Tokyo www.tokyo-jazz.com

Sunset Live 2017 Kyushu’s most popular outdoor festival marks its 25th year with musicians such as Gontiti, Suchmos and Ska Rockets. The festival is held next to the beach with campgrounds and play areas for kids.

Sept. 2-3 Keya Itoshima, Fukuoka www.sunsetlive-info.com

Rising Sun Rock Festival Camp out in the port city of Otaru for two days of non-stop music by UVERworld, 175R, Oldcodex, Overground Acoustic Underground and other artists from across the country.

There is also a wide selection of booths selling Hokkaido’s famous local produce, delicious seafood and craft beer.

Aug. 11-12 Ishikari Bay New Port, Hokkaido http://rsr.wess.co.jp

New Acoustic Camp This acoustic-only music festival in Gunma’s mountains is ideal for families with children, with plenty of craft and outdoor workshops and kid-friendly activities.

Sept. 16-17 Minakami Kogen Resort 200, Gunma www.newacousticcamp.com

Labyrinth

Summer Sonic The urban alternative to the Fuji Rock Festival features some of the world’s top pop and rock bands. This year’s international lineup includes Foo Fighters, Black Eyed Peas, Calvin Harris, All Time Low and more.

Aug. 19-20 Makuhari Messe, Chiba and Maishima, Osaka www.summersonic.com

Windblow Summer’s not over just yet. Kick back at this relaxed seaside festival with a varied mix of acoustic blues, jazz and pop. This year bigname surfer and musician Tom Curren will be performing along with Humble Soul, Oiso Rockers, Rickie-G and Leyona.

Aug. 26-27 Sagara Seaside Park, Makinohara, Shizuoka www.windblow.jp

Japan’s pre-eminent outdoor techno event features a “DJ teepee” and an impressive sound and light system. Tickets are limited and go quick for this epic dance party in the mountains of Niigata.

Sept. 16-18 Naeba Greenland, Niigata www.mindgames.jp

Kyoto Music Expo The annual Kyoto Music Expo is a quirky oneday festival featuring contemporary artists.

The late summer event sells advance tickets for ¥8,888 (in Japanese, it is read as “pachipachi-pachi-pachi” to mimic the sound of applause). Check out banjo band Kururi, folk duo Alexandre Andrés and Rafael Martini and others.

Sept. 23 Umekouji Koen Shibafu Hiroba, Kyoto www.kyotoonpaku.net

SUMMER 2017

11

Earth Celebration 2017 30 Years of Music and Culture

SADO

佐渡

Aug

18-20

S

ado Island hosts one of Japan’s most beloved world music festivals over three days each summer where guests experience world music, artistry, folk dancing, theater and the heartbeat of the worldrenowned Kodo taiko drum troupe.

This annual festival is hosted by Kodo, who’s been spreading taiko around the world and bringing the world to Sado for three decades. This year, to celebrate its 30th year anniversary, the festival presents three evenings of performances at Ogi Harbor’s Harbor Market Live stage where Kodo will collaborate with guest artists including local rock bands and traditional musicians from Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.

Additionally, there are taiko and singing workshops taught by Kodo members, local food and sake tours and demonstrations of matsuri (Japanese festival) music.

The Island of Exiles

Sado lies off the coast of Niigata Prefecture in the Sea of Japan and is one of Japan’s largest islands. Due to its remote location, the island used to serve as a prison for political exiles, the three most prominent being Emperor Juntoku, the Buddhist monk Nichiren and Zeami Motokiyo, the founder of the Noh dance form. Traces of ancient culture and religion still exist. Travelers may also find the endangered toki (Japanese ibis), which is extinct in the wild but was reintroduced to the island after a successful breeding program.

Explore the island with SUP and kayak tours, hiking around the Ogi Peninsula and the gold mines and trips to a schoolhouse brewery. Sado’s diverse terrain also makes it one of the spots for Montbell’s Sea to Summit, a triple challenge where participants sea kayak, cycle from the gold mines to the highest peak of the Osado skyline and then hike to Mt. Kinpoku. This year’s event takes place July 8-9. https://en.montbell.jp/event/sea-to-summit

Getting There

There are three ferry routes to Sado: Niigata to Ryotsu, Naoetsu to Ogi and Teradomari to Akadomari. Once on the island, travelers can either rent a car, take the city bus or ride the Earth Celebration bus with the EC Bus Day Pass.

Accommodation

Be sure to book ahead as lodging especially around the Ogi area fills up. Visitors can check with the Sado Tourism Association to find available accommodation in Ogi as well as other regions of Sado by emailing info@visitsado. com or calling (0259) 27-5000. Travelers can also camp at the Sobama Campground next to the beach where grills, bathrooms, showers and vending machines are available. Facility usage costs ¥1,200 per night for two people. — R.M.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.earthcelebration.jp

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TRAVELER

ツール・ド・関東（後編）

By Takashi Niwa

東京の郊外を大きく一周、800km

T

his suburban Tokyo tour, which makes a big circle around the rim of the Kanto Plain, covers about 800 kilometers and makes for a great eight-day tour exploring the outer edges of Japan’s great city. Part 2 of the tour picks up in Itako or Sawara depending on where you chose to stop.

Day 5: Starting in Itako or Sawara we first cruise down along the Tonegawa River on a bike path to Choshi City. We continue pedaling south on a coastal road with a magnificent ocean view leading to Katakai Beach in Kujukuri Town. There are many minshuku (guesthouses) and ryokan (Japanese inns) here popular with beachgoers in the summer. Distance: 100 km Day 6: We continue southbound through Ka z u s a - I c h i n o m i ya , O h a ra , O n j u ku a n d Katsuura until we reach Shirahama at the southernmost tip of the Boso Peninsula. The route along the way is not always open to the ocean but, when it is, the view of the Pacific is truly grandeur. Distance: 115 km.

Day 7: From Shirahama, we turn north on the western coast of the Peninsula around Cape Sunosaki and Tateyama to Kanaya Port, where the Tokyo-wan Ferry will take us across the Tokyo Bay to Kurihama in Kanagawa Prefecture. Enjoy the ride around Miura Peninsula to Hayama and through Kamakura to Fujisawa City. Beware of traffic on the shoreline route in Kanagawa as this is a popular area.

Distance: 95 km.

D ay 8 : F r o m F u j i s a w a , f o l l o w t h e Sakaigawa River upstream on a bike path to Machida City. From there, use local roads to switch over to a bike path along the Tama River and again to path along the Iruma River.

When you arrive in Kawagoe you will have completed the 800-kilometer Tour de Kanto.

Otsukaresama! Kampai! (Well done! Cheers!)

Distance: 95 km.

関

東平野を大きく一周、約 800kmで、 ８日間か けて走るプランの後編を紹介しよう。 いたこ もしくは佐原から利根川サイクリ ５日目：潮 来、 ングロード沿いに銚子へ。 ここから大海原仰ぎ見な がらのサイクリングがつづき、九十九里町片貝まで。 一帯には海水浴用の民宿や旅館などが多数ある。

100 km

か ず さ

おんじゅく

６日目： 上 総 一ノ宮、大 原、御 宿、勝 浦などを 通って、房総半島最南端の白浜へ。道沿いからはい つも海が見えているわけではないが、太平洋が広がる 姿は壮観だ。115 km すざき

たてやま

７日目：白浜から洲崎を回り込み、館山を過ぎ、 金 谷から東京湾フェリーに乗って東京湾を横断。神 く り は ま 奈川県の久里浜に上陸したら、葉山、鎌倉を通って藤 沢へ。神奈川県側の海岸線は交通量が多いので注意 が必要だ。95 km かなや

さかいがわ

８日目：藤沢から境 川をサイクリングロードで 町田までさかのぼり、一般道を交えながら多摩川と かわごえ ここで 入間川のサイクリングロードを走って川越へ。 ツ ー ル・ド・関 東 800 kmの 旅 は ゴ ー ル と な る。

95 km

3

2

4

1

前編 後編 5

8

7

6

Enjoy riding along the Pacific Ocean to complete your Kanto tour. 太平洋をカラダいっぱいに感じながら、関東を大きく一周りする

SUMMER 2017

13

By Bryan Harrell

y s a E e B W

hen Gareth Burns, a 32-year-old from Philadelphia, decided to start a brewery up in Tohoku, the most northern region of Honshu, he didn’t take it easy. He jumped right in and bought a building for the brewery with the taproom upstairs. He then purchased a nearby farm to grow fresh vegetables for the taproom’s restaurant and hops for brewing.

It seems like a monumental effort, but Gareth seems to be taking it in stride, having curiously named his new enterprise “Be Easy Brewing.” Yet, for Gareth and local craft beer enthusiasts in Hirosaki, the hard work is paying off.

While a relative newcomer to the craft beer scene, only recently opening in early 2017, the brewery isn’t taking it easy. Customers from nearly half of Japan are already buying beer from Be Easy. So far, Gareth’s brewing successes include two Pale Ales, two Wheat Ales and an Oatmeal Stout, along with a Wheat IPA, a cloudy New England-style Double IPA and a lighter Session IPA.

in Tohoku

Be Easy beers have already gained a great reputation. Phred Kaufman, beer importer and operator of the famed Mugishu-tei beer bar in Sapporo, has strong praise for Be Easy. The beers have been served regularly at Beer Club Popeye in Ryogoku, which has particularly high standards set by pioneering owner Aokisan, who is also a brewer in his own right and operates Strange Brewing in Niigata.

At the Be Easy farms, Gareth is currently growing hops, with plans to use them in wet hop and fresh hop beers when they mature.

Also growing are edamame , asparagus, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and more for use in the taproom, which, according to Gareth, is the only craft beer pub in Aomori Prefecture.

It is just a few minutes by taxi from Hirosaki Station in the direction of the Matsugae post office and there are a few parking spots available. Call or visit their website to find out what’s on tap at Be Easy.

The Be Easy crew is shown here, with Gareth at the wheel. Sitting in the bed of the pickup is taproom chef Takuya (left ) and assistant brewer Masahiro (right ); out of the truck are taproom staffer Tomoko (left ) and manager Chika (right ).

Be Easy Brewing Company

5-7-9 Matsugae, Hirosaki-shi, Aomori-ken 5–11 p.m. daily (0172) 78-1222 www.beeasybrewing.com 14

TRAVELER

By Justin Stein

Golden Haze IPA

T

he most exciting (and controversial) style this past year in the beer world has been the NE IPA. Standing for either the Northeast IPA or New England-style IPA, the NE IPA is pale in color and packed with hops like other IPAs, but there are several important differences.

Perhaps most importantly, these beers have very low bitterness, particularly in contrast to almost any other style of IPA. This is because brewers add nearly all the hops either at the end of the boil or after the boil, which allows them to extract delicate volatile compounds without the alpha acids that produce bitterness. NE IPAs generally receive large amounts of dry hops, which are added directly into the fermentation tanks. This technique can be expensive and demanding, but produces incomparable aromas. The hops commonly used in these beers are reminiscent of sweet citrus (think mikan), peach, tropical f r u i t ( l i ke m a n g o o r p a ss i o n f r u i t ) a n d white grape.

N ex t , t h e s e b e e r s a re b rewe d w i t h particular English ale strains that complement those fruit flavors by producing fruity esters.

The way these yeasts interact with the dry hops produces a strong haze that is another characteristic of the style. NE IPAs are often called “juicy,” both because they tend to be sweet and fruity and because they are so opaque they can look like a glass of juice!

To enhance the style’s soft mouthfeel (and also contributing to the haze), brewers often add a generous amount of flaked oats to the mash. Oats provide starches that thicken the body and give a bit of a creamy or oily sensation, familiar to anyone who’s tried an oatmeal stout. Brewers may also build up this soft mouthfeel by adjusting the water chemistry, using more chlorides (which enhance malt sweetness) instead of the sulfates (which enhance hop bitterness) more typical of the IPA style.

Because the quality of these beers depends on delicate hop aromas, they are best drunk as fresh as possible. Brewers in the northeast U.S. (where the style was popularized) will have lineups of customers wanting to buy the beer

that was packaged earlier that day. Because of that, your best shot to try an authentic version of the style is to find one of the few Japanese brewers who are making it. Sankt Gallen Brewery in Atsugi recently released its Golden Haze IPA, one of the first. Or keep your eye out at beer bars when traveling abroad, as they are currently very popular across North America and Europe. Cheers!

FESTIVAL ROUNDUP

July 8 – 12 Belgian Beer Fest (Hiroshima) July 14 – 16 BeerFes Osaka July 14 – 16 10th Anniversary BeerFes Fukushima July 21 – 23 Tochigi Craft Beer Fest (Utsunomiya) July 23 Shizuoka Craft Beer & Whiskey Fest (Shizuoka City) July 27 – 30 Belgian Beer Fest in Sendai (Miyagi) Aug. 8 – 13 Kyushu Beer Fest (Kurume) Aug. 18 – 20 National Ji-Biru Festival (Ichinoseki, Iwate) Aug. 19 – 20 BeerFes Nagoya (Aichi) Aug. 26 – 27 Craft Beer Fest (Akita) Aug. 30 – Sep. 3 Belgian Beer Fest in Kobe (Hyogo) Sep. 2 – 3 Nasu Ji-Biru Matsuri (Tochigi) Sep. 14 – 17 World Beer Cup 2017 (Yokohama, Kanagawa) Sep. 16 – 18 BeerFes Yokohama (Kanagawa) Sep. 22 – 23 Nayabashi Beer Matsuri (Nagoya) Sep. 30 – Oct. 1 Craft Beer Kanazawa (Ishikawa) Sep. 30 Craft Beer Party (Ichinomiya, Aichi) Oct. 1

Kadarube Craft Beer Fest (Hirosaki, Aomori)

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Shin’etsu-Shizenkyo

Nature Park 100 Minutes from Tokyo to a Four-Season Outdoor Playground

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PAID PUBLICITY

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hin’etsu-Shizenkyo Nature Park is an all-natural, all-season mountain resort surrounded by the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park and Myoko Togakushi Renzan National Park. The Chikuma River, Japan’s longest river, runs through the area while iconic beech forests line mountain trails leading to spectacular views. Glimpse into the lives of locals in the mountain villages and visit local breweries and eateries. In the winter, the area boasts one of Japan’s heaviest snowfalls and is home to excellent ski resorts.

Best of all, this four-season resort is just 100 minutes from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.

Straight from the Station to the Great Outdoors

Get More at Shin’etsuShizenkyo Activity Center Iiyama Station is the first stop for your outdoor adventure. At Shin’etsu-Shizenkyo Activity Center (SAC), located inside the station, you’ll find helpful information and details on activities to enjoy all year round. There is a variety of rental equipment including road bikes, city bikes, trekking gear and outdoor wear and goods. There is even a fitting room! ¥ Rental Fees: Road Bike: ¥2,000~ Cross Bike: ¥1,000~ City Bike: ¥500~ Trekking Wear: ¥1,000~ Trekking Shoes: ¥1,000~

Trekking the Shin’etsu Trail

There are countless hikes easily accessible right from Iiyama Station where each season is reflected in the various forests, flowers and trees. From wetlands, lakes, streams and endless buna (beech) trees especially on the famous Shin’etsu Trail. There is a limit to 10 participants per guide.

Shin’etsu Trail Trekking with Guide Mid-June – Late October ¥ ¥10,000 per group for half-day tour (4 hours) / ¥15,000 per group for full day (8 hours)

Cruise Japan’s Longest River

(0269) 62-7001 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. info@shinetsu-activity.jp For tour reservations and rental information, visit www.shinetsu-activity.jp/en.

The Chikuma River is a prime location for a range of water activities from late spring to autumn. Enjoy rafting, canoeing, stand-up paddling and more, while experiencing the local culture as you gently float downstream.

Stand Up Paddle Touring in Chikuma River May – October ¥ ¥7,000 per person

Cycle through Local Villages

The mountainous terrain makes for some excellent cycling. Spin your wheels while trying local food and taking in the rich heritage of Shin’etsu-Shizenkyo.

Nagano Countryside Cycling Tour May – October ¥ ¥5,000 per person

www.shinetsu-activity.jp/en

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Outdoor Japan Every season is a new adventure!

Check out some summer tour highlights from Outdoor Japan Adventures.

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Bridge Swinging in Hokkaido

Relieve some stress with a thrilling bridge swing over the Saru River with the professional staff at Hokkaido Outdoor Adventures. Secured to a rope and safety harness. jumpers free fall from a 20-meter bridge, swing out into a pendulum and soar side to side over the river.

Take a deep breath and enjoy the adrenaline rush!

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Saru River SUP & Whitewater Adventures

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Stand-up paddle boarding is a versatile and popular sport you can enjoy in the ocean, lakes and rivers. This beginner SUP course by Hokkaido Outdoor Adventures takes travelers down the calmer sections of the Sarugawa, which originates in the Hidaka Mountains.

Professional guides will teach balance and how to follow the river currents. Private lessons also available.

It’s hard to imagine the docile Saru River also producing some of the region’s best Hidaka Canyoning whitewater, but if you’re looking for more adventure, join a half-day whitewater What better way to cool off on a hot rafting tour down the Saru and Mukawa summer day than to run, jump and swim rivers. Enjoy high-grade whitewater in through Hokkaido’s natural waterfalls and summer and autumn. HOA also offers creeks? Hokkaido Outdoor Adventures (HOA) family rafting trips for children five-yearswill suit you up for a half day of fun as you leap old and up. This course is smoother from boulders and splash through chutes of and more predictable to ensure the clear, refreshing water. After canyoning, head safety of the younger rafters on board. back to HOA’s headquarters at the foot of the Relax afterwards in Mukawa’s famous Hidaka Mountains for barbecue or simply chill out hot springs. on their lawn after all the excitement. Canyoning gear and insurance included.

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Fast-Paced Ducky Tours in Niseko

Niseko Hanazono Resort’s “ducky” tour is an exciting river tour in a small two-person raft, with. These easy to maneuver “duckies” allow passengers to directly feel the force of the water as you paddle and steer your boat. It’s a different experience from sitting atop a larger raft. Under the watchful eye of trained professional staff, gain technical skills to paddle downriver. Packages with lunch are available.

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Get a green season rush on a refreshing canyoning tour at Niseko Hanazono Resort.

Explore a network of canyons and streams starting off at a slower river section which soon becomes more turbulent. Face your fears with a six-meter jump into a deep blue pool and take in the views of the stunning Lion Falls.

The tour meets at Hanazono 308, which offers comfortable changing and locker rooms, fully equipped activity rental and retail shops, a café and showers.

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Self-Guided Cycling Adventures in Nagano

Explore Nagano’s Tateshina Region with a 40-kilometer ride made easier by starting at the 1,800-meter level past the Yashimagahara marshes before a short climb around the Kurumayama Ski Resort and down to Lake Shirakaba. Breathe in some fresh mountain air at Mt. Tateshina then follow the Venus line over the Suzuran Pass before dropping 15 kilometers down a brilliant road to Yatsugatake Cycling’s headquarters. This ride has some climbing involved but most of it will be taken care of by driving the first thousand meters. It is a 15-kilometer climb to the starting point.

For more intense downhill cycling, Yatsugatake Cycling takes you up 2,127 meters to Mugikusa Pass – then it’s all downhill from there! The road is long but not extremely steep.

Controlling your speed is easy with the disc brake-equipped rental bikes. Guided tours also available.

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Shizuoka Cycling Local Travel Partners’ Mt. Fuji Countryside Tour is an easy and refreshing escape from Tokyo. The half-day cycling adventure introduces Shizuoka’s mountains, ocean and culture. Local English-speaking guides lead you along the Abe River with pristine views of Mt. Fuji. Grab some shirasu (baby sardines) from Mochimune Fishing Port before dropping by Utsunoya, a village that has housed weary travelers since the Edo Period.

Local shops here sell Shizuoka specialties such as rice cakes and tea.

Head to Shiraishi in the Seto Inland Sea this October for this annual 10K race. The run takes place on a section of the island’s ancient Buddhist pilgrimage. Proceeds go towards maintaining the historical Shiraishi Pilgrimage trail. The race is sponsored by Moooo! Bar, your local go-to place for information on Shiraishi’s events, updates and accommodation. Entry fee is ¥4,200 (includes insurance) and runners and walkers are welcome.

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Sailboat Cruising in Izu

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Kobo Daishi 10K Trail Race

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Kyoto and Osaka Local Foodie Tour

If you’ve ever wanted to try sailing, this full-day cruise hosted by Local Travel Partners is a great way to learn the ropes.

Depart from Shizuura Port and enjoy stunning views of Mt. Fuji on clear days as you sail through Izu’s clear waters before stopping for lunch at Numazu Port for the fresh catch of the day. The cruise operates every weekend except on certain occasions when the sailboat is away on longer expeditions. Early bookings suggested.

Yuzawa Hiking Tours

H i ke t h ro u g h Yu z awa ’s co u n t r ys i d e with Hop Step Japan. Yuzawa is known as Snow Country but is equally beautiful and cooling in spring, summer and autumn. The beginner hike through Yuzawa Kogen takes hikers on a three-hour walk around the top of the ropeway or another trail deeper in the mountains depending on what you’re looking for.

The more intense hike from Tenjindaira to Tsuchitaru starts easy with a ride up the ropeway to Tenjindaira. From there, summit two peaks and finish at Tsuchitaru Station. This course takes around six to eight hours. Transportation from the station, snacks, ropeway tickets and experienced guides included in the tour.

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Enjoy Arigato Japan’s three-hour walking food tour through the Nishiki Food Market, an area known to locals as the “Kitchen of Kyoto.”

The market has played a major role in supporting the Kyoto food industry for 400 years. Take in the sights, smells and tastes of one of the richest culinary atmospheres in the world as you sample some of the freshest food in Japan. Visit twelve family owned stalls and shops to sample specialty products like tsukemono (pickled vegetables from the surrounding mountains), yuba (smooth tofu) and fresh sake on tap.

If you want to delve deeper into sake, take a three-hour guided tour through Fushimi, visiting traditional and modern breweries and the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum. Fushimi brews some of the best sake in the world, thanks to the area’s natural spring water. The water contains less magnesium and calcium so the sake brewed here reaches levels of purity and taste other areas cannot easily replicate.

In Osaka’s famous Kuromon Market, taste some delicious food while learning about the history of the market. Dishes includes Michelinrated takoyaki, fresh scallops, wagyu skewers and rich tuna (toro) sushi. End the tour at one of the oldest tea shops in the market while enjoying some wagashi (Japanese sweets).

www.outdoorjapanadventures.com SUMMER 2017

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The

Hiker’s B&B

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The mountains are calling and I must go.

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reservationist John Muir penned this quote back in 1873, yet it is as relevant then as it is today. From downtown Tokyo, the mountains are visible, and they beckon, yet few truly heed the call.

North Carolina native David Niehoff stepped off a plane in Japan in 2007 unaware of what adventures awaited him in Japan’s mountains.

After studying outdoor experiential education in university and working as a rock climbing, hiking and sea kayaking guide, he came to Japan for a three-month English teaching job and never left.

While teaching full-time, Niehoff set out each weekend to explore the mountains in the

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— John Muir Kanto Region. He soon found there were many people in Tokyo interested in outdoor activities.

This was the inspiration for Kanto Adventures, the company he started to provide hiking trips prioritizing environmental awareness and appreciation of Japan’s great outdoors.

“The mountains here are much steeper than in North Carolina where I grew up. On top of that, there is a ton of history—you frequently run into ancient shrines and monuments, or are traveling paths that have been used for more than 1,000 years by pilgrims and mountain worshippers,” he says.

Teaching on weekdays then running tours

By Rie Miyoshi

on weekends started to take its toll, so Niehoff began to scale back teaching to run Kanto Adventures full time, While on a climbing and hiking vacation with his wife, Chika, an equally avid outdoor enthusiast, the couple stayed in a small mountain lodge on the backside of Mt. Norikura in Gifu Prefecture.

“We had a great time talking with the owner and simply exploring the area, and thought it was much more interesting than a typical hotel or inn,” he recalls.

As Niehoff’s business grew so did his family with the arrival of his son Kento. Traffic in the city had always bothered him and his mind kept returning to the idea of starting his own mountain lodge. He dreamed of a quiet place without crowds, plenty of outdoor activities, yet still within easy and affordable striking distance to Tokyo by train.

A tall order, perhaps, but he found just the place in Hanno, Saitama. Saitama is often thought of as Tokyo’s suburban stepchild to the north, but it’s also home to popular outdoor

areas such as Chichibu and Nagatoro. Niehoff now wants to add Hanno to the list.

“We frequented this area for rock climbing, but it turns out there’s a huge network of trails here as well—the local hiking map has more than 130 routes listed,” he notes.

His dream became reality when he moved his family into a two-story wooden lodge they built and have called Hiker’s B&B. “We’re targeting everyone,” he says. “We’d like this to be a place for our Kanto Adventures’ community members and other locals from the Tokyo area to visit frequently and use it as a vacation house for a quick mountain getaway from the city. We also welcome international travelers so we can introduce a side of Japan they won’t find in guidebooks.”

Hanno’s mountains make up for what they lack in altitude with history, hidden alpine villages and scenic views. Three villages are within walking distance: Fukage, Yatoko and Yugate, which emit Shangri-La-like vibes in the spring when the flowers are in bloom. Depopulation is a problem in many rural areas in Japan; Niehoff

hopes his lodge will attract young people to the refreshing mountain lifestyle.

Just two kilometers from Hiker’s B&B is Kuroyama San Taki, the three waterfalls of Kuroyama. If you’re fortunate, you can see yamabushi (mountain priests) chanting and standing under the falls as part of their ascetic training. Further north is the Takayama Fudo Shrine established in 654 A.D., famous for an 800-year-old gingko tree.

Cycling is also a fun option, as the lodge is on a designated scenic cycling road called Green Line. Niehoff plans to offer rental bikes in the future. A 30-minute drive away is Lake Naguri, where visitors can canoe in handmade wooden canoes or stay in a Zen Buddhist temple in the Naguri Valley.

Although situated in a traditional spot in Japan, Hiker’s B&B is an American-style log house serving Western-style meals of biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs and root hash. But they’re flexible—home-cooked Japanese meals or vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available upon request.

The lodge is open year round with four guest rooms, comfortably accommodating up to twelve people. Running a mountain lodge with the family has its challenges, but Niehoff stays positive.

“Opening our house up to strangers is definitely going to take some adjustment,” he admits. “People who love being in the mountains are generally good people and get along well with other mountain lovers. For Kento, he’s going to be exposed to so many different types of people and a huge variety of cultures from an early age.”

“My favorite phrase is ‘ Yatto minai to wakaranai,’ or ‘you’ll never know until you try.’

When coming up with new trips, I’m often surprised when new trips sell out quickly. Having variety keeps things interesting.”

Visit Hiker’s B&B online at www.hikersbnb.com or book one of Kanto Adventures hiking tours, available every season at www.outdoorjapanadventures.com

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Yamabushido Follow the Path of the Warrior Priests

By Gardner Robinson

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“People ask me the meaning of Shugendō, and I answer that it is the philosophy of putting yourself in nature and thinking about what you feel. First feel. Then think. There are things you can’t learn without putting yourself in a situation. That is why I don’t explain it. I hardly talk during Shugyo training. You don’t learn from yamabushi. Nature is the teacher. A yamabushi’s role is simply to connect people and nature.”

— Master Fumihiro Hoshino, “Life as you feel: The Way of Yamabushi”

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or first-time travelers to Japan, every moment is a welcome assault on your senses. It’s still possible to seek out iconic images such as geisha ducking down narrow backstreets, burly sumo wrestlers ambling down city sidewalks or Mt. Fuji towering over the Kanto Plain. Yet mundane occurrences such as the masses packing into rush hour trains or doing a choreographed dance across crowded crosswalks is equally exciting.

Those who go deeper into Japan realize there are many layers to this wondrous country, so much so even long-time residents, who can become numb, or even worse, jaded to the subtle beauty and ancient traditions, are regularly surprised by new discoveries.

Travelers today are constantly on the lookout for authentic experiences and Japan is jewel in this regard. Those who search beyond welltrodden tourist trails often naturally discover the true nature of Japanese hospitality and forge deeper relationships with locals they meet and the country as well.

Head out of the cities and you’ll soon find yourself wandering in Japan’s sacred mountains.

Shugendō mountain priests, called yamabushi, are an important part of Japan’s history. The traditional role of these warrior priests was to

help guide disciples up steep mountain paths on a journey of self-discipline and self-awareness.

For the first time in 1,300 years, yamabushi are inviting international visitors to join them on this path of self discovery. Daishōbō, a Shugendō lodge, which until recently was reserved only for Shugendō initiates, has launched a new mountain training program this summer called “Yamabushido,” aimed at non-Japanese travelers in Japan.

The location for the training is Dewa Sanzan, the three sacred mountains (Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan and Mt. Yudono) clustered together in the ancient province of Dewa (modern-day Yamagata Prefecture). Mt. Haguro has 2,446 beautiful stone steps lined by towering old cedar trees and signifies “the present.” Mt. Gassan sympbolizes “the past” and is the mountain for the souls of the dead, it is also the highest (1,984 m) of the Dewa Sanzan. Mt. Yudono is “the future” and is known since ancient times as the place of rebirth. “ We f o u n d m a n y p e o p l e h a v e t r i e d meditation and other mindfulness practices in their lives, but we also realized yamabushi practices offer something different, something more powerful, and something which—although it has been practiced for more than 1,300 years — has never been more relevant,” says Takeharu

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Kato, who started Megurun, a company in Tsuruoka City focused on promoting renewable energy, sustainable living and revitalizing the region.

“Yamabushi training is the simple philosophy of placing yourself in nature and feeling, not thinking, in order to rejuvenate and return to your true self. Yamabushi training is quick, practical, and effective, and provides a powerful context in which to resolve any challenges, questions, or decisions that need to be made,” Kato adds.

While the practices are centuries old, they have never seemed more relevant than in this current age where people are becoming busier and busier and are looking for the chance to refresh and clear their mind and body. The Yamabushido programs are guided by local yamabushi priest Master Fumihiro Hoshino. The 70-year-old Master Hoshino is the 13th generation in a direct line to walk this sacred path. He lives in Daishōbō dedicating his life to living as a yamabushi and introducing the mystical power to others.

There are two Yamabushido programs available that teach the philosophy and the values of yamabushi as well as mountain training, aiming to empower participants with tools they can use after returning to their normal lives.

Yamabushido Basic Training Program is a threeday experience under the direction of a certified yamabushi guide and takes place at Mt. Haguro, Mt. Yukon and Mt. Kinbō. The program starts on Mondays from June to October.

Yamabushido Extended Training Program i s a f u l l f i ve - d a y ex p e r i e n c e u n d e r t h e direction of Master Hoshino and takes place on Mt. Haguro, Mt Gassan and Mt. Yudono.

Spaces in the programs are limited so visit www.yamabushi.jp fo r m o re i n fo r m at i o n a b o u t t h e to u r s . B o o k i n g s c a n b e m a d e directly or through Outdoor Japan Adventures (www.outdoorjapanadventures.com).

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If someone asks you if you’d like to try rogaining, your first reaction might be to look in the mirror and make sure you aren’t losing your hair. Don’t worry, the sport of rogaining won’t lead to a receding hairline, in fact you may feel younger after getting outside, learning some new skills, burning some calories and having fun with friends and family.

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Strategy and Planning The race course area can include paved ro a d s , p a r k s a n d eve n b u i l d i n g s s u c h a s shops within town. Yet more often than not, the course covers a wide area that includes mountains, trails and off-road terrain (i.e. bushwhacking). Choosing the order to search for the CPs is decided by each team, thus

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making a team’s strategy and planning skills a very important factor in doing well in a rogaine. Also while leg speed and endurance also helps for longer rogaines, navigation skills (contour map reading and use of a compass) is a crucial skill that sets the sport apart from other outdoor activities such as trail running.

In a rogaine, it’s often not the fastest team that wins, but rather the fastest and smartest teams that get to stand on the podium. This combination of “thinking and running” is what makes rogaining unique and appealing.

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o what is Rogaining? This outdoor navigation sport is similar to orienteering and adventure racing (or even treasure hunting). The origin of the sport name comes from the three individuals who started the first event in Australia back in the 1970’s. Take the first letters of these inventive outdoor enthusiasts’ first names (Rod, Gail and Neil) and you have “rogaine.”

If you join a rogaine event you’ll be given a course 0m map at the start of the race with 0 “checkpoints” (CPs) that your team will be 8 required to locate. Each CP is assigned points that reflect the difficulty level; the higher the assigned points the more difficult it will be to locate the CP. The objective of a rogaine is to score the highest number of total points within a given time limit.

Rogaining Events Depending on the event, rogaines can be anywhere from a couple of hours to 24 hours for world championships. Teams generally co n s i s t o f t wo to f i ve m e m b e r s , b u t fo r shorter rogaines there may also be a solo category and a family category so children can participate as well. In Japan, rogaines are held nearly every month throughout the country. It’s a great way to get out and see Japan while having fun.

The “Navigation Games 2017” is a rogaining series in Japan, which provides an annual ranking for individuals based on performance. The

following events are coming up in late summer or autumn so plenty of time to get up to speed, grab some friends and join an even.

Sep. 23 Oct. 14 Oct. 22 Oct. 28 Oct. 29 Nov. 12 Nov. 19

Hokkaido Rogaining (Hokkaido) Tsukuba Rogaining (Ibaraki) Hokusetsu Photo-rogaining (Osaka) Izu Oshima Geopark Rogaine (Tokyo) Nobunaga Series Gifu (Gifu) Sakuraorochiko Rogaining (Shimane) Nichinan Rogaining (Tottori)

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て、ロゲインニングってなんでしょう？そ れはオリエンテーリングやアドベンチャー レーシング（もしくはトレジャーハンティ ング）に似ていて、ナビゲーションスポー ツと現すことができるでしょう。このスポーツの由来は 1970 年代のオーストラリアで、これをはじめた 3 人の アウトドア好きの男たちから名づけられました。彼らの 名 前（Rod, Gail, Neil）の文 字からそれぞれ取って rogaine となったのです。 このロゲインのゲームを簡単に説明すると、まず参 加したい人はソロかチームを任意で決めます。そして主 催者からチェックポイント（CP）が記された地図が渡 されて、それを頼りにチェックポイントをクリアーしていく というシンプルな内容。その CP はチームの実力に応じ たレベルによって異なります。そして制限時間内に最も 高い得点を得たチームが勝ちとなります。

やぶ

なわち藪や茂み）などの広いエリアがゲームの場所とな るときもあります。 さいりょう どの CP から攻めていくかはチームの裁量にかかっ ていますから、その計画が勝利の鍵を握っているのは言 うまでもありません。CP 間の距離の長いゲームでは選 手の脚力や耐久力が必要なだけでなく、さらにコンパス を使って等高線を読む能力などのトレイルランニングで 必要とされるナビゲーション力が試されます。 またこのゲームは早いチームがかならず勝つという わけでもありません。早く、しかも賢くゲームを戦った チームが表彰台に立つのだといえます。この「考えるこ と走ること」がロゲインというゲームの特徴であり魅力 でもあります。

が開催されていると思っていいでしょう。このゲームに 参加すれば、ゲームを楽しみながら日本を観光できます ね。 また個人別のランキングが記録される“Navigation Games 2017” というものがあります。これは日本での ロゲインのシリーズ戦です。 ロゲインの開催予定は下記の通りです。開催は晩 夏から秋にかけてですから、まだまだトレーニングやチー ム作りにはじゅうぶんな時間がありますから、友人を 誘って参加してみてはいかがでしょうか。 9月23日 11月14日 10月22日 10月28日 10月29日 11月12日 11月19日

ロゲインに参加 ひとくちにロゲインと言ってもそのゲームの内容は さまざまです。２時間のもあれば 24 時間も費やすよう な世界選手権もあります。チーム戦は普通 2 名から 5 名ですが、ソロのカテゴリーもあります。ファミリーとい うカテゴリーが設けられていれば、子供も参加できます。 今、日本国内ではほぼ毎月全国のどこかでこのロゲイン

北海道ロゲイニング(北海道) 筑波ロゲイニング ( 茨城県 ) 北摂フォトロゲイニング ( 大阪府 ) 伊豆大島ジオパークロゲイン ( 東京 ) 信長シリーズ岐阜 ( 岐阜県 ) さくらおろち湖ロゲイニング大会(島根県) にちなんロゲイニング ( 鳥取県 )

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ロゲインで勝つためには ロゲインのレースには、ときには舗装された道路や 公園、そして街中のビルやお店も含まれることがありま す。またそれだけでなく、山岳地帯の山道やけもの道（す

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「ロゲインしたほうがいいんじゃない？」 なんてだれかに言われたら、 おもわず鏡の前で頭髪の具合を確かめてしまうか もしれません。 でもご安心ください。 ロゲイン （もしくはロゲインニング） はアウトドアスポーツなのです。 つまり後退してい くヘアーラインとは関係ありません。 でも家族や仲間たちと野外に飛びだしてこのスポーツを楽しんだら、 カロリーは燃 焼できるし、 気持ちはすっかり若返るはずですよ。

If you need help entering a rogaining (or trail running) event in Japan contact Avid Adventures at www.avid-adventures.com. Be sure to note the registration deadlines as they can come early or fill up quickly. ロゲイニングに参加してみたいと思う方は www.avid-adventures.com にアクセスしてみてはいかがで しょう。応募人数には限りがありますから、早めのエントリーをお勧めいたします。

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While CPs can be marked by orange and white flags, some rogaines use landmarks such as statues, objects or signs that the teams must take a photo of to prove they found the checkpoint.

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Location: Izu Oshima, Tokyo

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Getting There: It takes just two hours via the fast ferry from Tokyo or you can take the slower overnight ferry. Ferry Details available at www.tokaikisen.co.jp Entry Fee (per person): Adults (18 years or older): 6-Hour Course: ¥5,000, 4-Hour Course: ¥4,500 Youth (13-17 years old): ¥3,000 (both courses) Children (under 12): Free (both courses) Website: www.izuoshima-rogaining.com

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Izu Oshima Geopark The Izu Oshima Geopark Rogaine is one of the few events that has English information and registration available on their website and actively welcomes participants from overseas. English maps and race information are also provided.

The event has a 6-Hour Course with categories for Men, Women and Mixed teams. The 4-Hour Course has adult, family and solo categories.

Teams consist of two to five members, except for the solo category and awards are given to the top three finishers in each category.

The check-in and start/finish location for the race is right at Motomachi Port, while the competition takes place from Mt. Mihara to Habu Port using a 1:25,000 topographic map.

This event is a great way to have fun with your friends and family while discovering Izu Oshima, which is one of Tokyo’s Izu Islands. You won’t believe you are still in Tokyo while exploring this beautiful island.

伊豆大島ジオパーク 伊豆大島ジオパークロゲイニングは、日本語のわか らない外国の人にも対応している数少ないイベントです。 英語のインフォメーンションが完備されているから、英文 でのウェブサイトの申し込みだけでなく、英文の地図も 用意されています。ゲームは、6 時間のコースは男性と、 女性または男女混成チーム。そして４時間のゲームは成 人、ファミリー、ソロのカテゴリーが用意されています。 チームの構成は 2 〜 5 人。それぞれのカテゴリーの 3 位までが表彰されます。 チェックインとスタート・フィニッシュは大島の元町 は ぶ 港。競技エリアは三原山から波浮港までで 1:25000 の 地図を利用しておこなわれます。このイベントは東京都 に属する伊豆諸島のひとつ、大島を知るうえでもすばら しい体験となります。こんな美しい島が東京都にあるな んて信じられないことでしょう。

開催日： 2017年10月28日 開催場所： 東京都伊豆大島 アクセス： 東京から２時間で行ける高速フェリーか、 一晩かけて大 島に到着する大型フェリーが利用できる。 www.tokaikisen.co.jp 参加費： 成人(18歳以上)6時間コース5,000円、 4時間コース 4,500円、青少年 （13歳から17歳まで） 3,000円 （すべて のコース）、子供 （12歳以下） はすべて無料。

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ウェブサイト: www.izuoshima-rogaining.com

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desert Dreaming

By Tony Grant

“Kanpai! Otsukaresama-desu!” The celebratory beer tastes good as my friends and I toast the start of the holidays and the adventures to come as we await our flight at Haneda Airport.

It’s canned beer outside the conbini rather than champagne in the first-class lounge, just the way we like it. After one last tune-up weekend climbing at Ogawayama we’re finally on our way…to Jordan!

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ur destination is the Wadi Rum Valley. Our purpose is to climb Jebel Rum and experience the desert sand and rock that captivated T. E. Lawrence in his seminal book “Seven Pillars of Wisdom.” We would bivouac on the summit and dream under the night of a thousand stars.

Fast forward through two flights to Amman, a 7-hour bus ride to the legendary Red Sea port of Aqaba, and a two-hour taxi ride.

The driver is engrossed in the Quran on the radio as we transition from Earth to Mars. The yellow sands bleed into orange then red and as we pull into the Wadi Rum Visitors Center the Seven Pillars rise from the desert floor opposite us.

Rum Village is waking up as our taxi drops us in a street shared by camels, old cars on and stray dogs. We are quickly taken under the wing of Shaker, a well-regarded local Bedouin man who guides us back to his family home, shows us to his visitors’ room and then leaves us with the promise of dinner with his family the following evening.

A quick repack and we set out to begin our climb. Jebel Rum (1,734m) makes up one entire side of the Rum Valley. Think about that: a three-mile-long vertical wall topped by a complex plateau of slabs and crevasses, a rabbit warren of false starts and dead ends and somewhere up there, about 1,200 meters above the valley floor, is a summit area the size of a Tokyo bedroom!

Route finding can be a nightmare, but over the centuries the Bedouin have found ingenious ways to the top. These Bedouin routes take lines of least resistance, gossamer paths that barely exist up vertical sand and choss. We are here to try the most famous of them—Hammad’s Road.

It’s a classic adventure route involving hours of soloing up unprotected slabs above mind-numbing exposure, as well as roped climbing up to 5.9 on natural protection. With a bivouac on the summit plateau, it is undoubtedly one of the world’s great mountain experiences.

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「乾杯！ お疲れさまです！」。乾杯のビールの味は大切な友人同様にすばらしい。 羽田空港での飛行機待ちの時間、休暇と冒険の始まりに乾杯だ。ファーストク ラスのラウンジでのシャンパンなどではなく、コンビニの前で缶ビールをあける。 おがわやま

つまりぼくらのスタイルで。小川山での週末クライミングで最後の調整をすませ、 ぼくらはいよいよヨルダンに向かうのだ。ぼくらの目的地はヨルダンのワディ・ ラムバレー。

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ャベル・ラムを登りたいと思っている。そしてトーマス・エド ワード・ロレンスが伝説的な著書『知恵の七柱』のなかで描 写しているように、彼を強烈に魅了した砂漠の砂と岩の世界 を、ぼくらも味わってみたい。そして、その岩塔のてっぺんで、 星降る砂漠の夜の下のビバークをしたいのだ。 乗り継ぎを挟んだあっという間のアンマンまでのフライト、紅海の伝説 的な港町アカバへの７時間バス旅、さらにそこからタクシーで２時間。 ぼくらが地球から火星へと移動するあいだ、タクシーのドライバーは、 カーラジオから流れるコーランに魂を奪われていた。 車窓の黄色い砂はオレンジ、そして赤へと色を変え、タクシーがワディ・ ラム・ビジターセンターを抜けると、セブン・ピラーズが、砂漠の底から立 ち上がってきた。 ラム村が眠りから目覚めはじめるなか、タクシーはぼくらをラクダやお んぼろの車、そして野良犬たちが仲良く共存する通りで降ろした。 タクシーを降りるとすぐに、思慮深いベドウィンのガイド、シェーカー が迎えてくれ、彼のすばやく荷物をまとめなおし、クライミングに出発だ。 ジェベル・ラム（1,734m）は、ラム・バレーのいっぽうのへりを構成 している。5km にもおよぶ垂直の壁の上に、複雑なスラブとクレバスによっ て構成された頂上台地がのっており、バレーフロアからおよそ 1,200m 上の、 その複雑怪奇な地形のどこかにベッドルームサイズ（ただし東京基準）の山 頂エリアがある。 ルート・ファインディングはときに悪夢のようでもあるが、ベドウィンの 人たちは、世紀を越えて、山頂に至るロジカルな道を見出してきた。これら のベドウィンの道は、もっとも合理的なラインを繊細につき、かろうじて垂直 な砂岩を抜け出している。 ぼくらはもっとも有名なルート、ハンマド・ルートを登るのだ。 とはん それはクラシックな登 攀ルートで、足を滑らせたらおしまいなスラブを 延々と登らなければならず、5.9 のトラッドルートに取り付くのとおなじような 心の強さが必要とされる。また、頂上プラトーでのビバークは、まちがいなく 世界でももっともすばらしい登山体験のひとつだと思う。 ぼくらが最初の尾根に取り付いたとき、もう暑くなってきていた。太陽 はぼくらを照らしつけ、陽をさえぎるものはなにもない。ぼくらは、５０m ロー プとビバークギアに加え、４L の水をそれぞれ持っていて、それらを背負って の行動はなかなかのハードワークだ。

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As we cast off onto the initial ridge we’re already aware of the heat. The sun is directly over us; there’s nowhere to escape to. With four liters of water in our packs, as well as a 50-meter rope each and bivouac gear, it’s hard work. Several hours of exposed scrambling brings us to the first roped climbing, two pitches up a chimney that splits the huge wall at the top of the ridge. This brings us to the Great Siq, an enormous canyon that bisects the Jebel Rum massif from north to south.

We follow the Siq through constrictions and over rock steps until we reach a dead end.

From here two unlikely pitches of 5.9 off-width climbing take us up the Siq’s eastern wall, cursing our backpacks in the final chimney. After an unholy struggle, we emerge onto the slab domes of the summit plateau.

The summit is a long way off still, and some hours later we realize we have lost the route. The sun is setting, so we call a halt for the night and find a flat space to bivouac. Oh, to relive that night…the wind, sand and stars that once inspired Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

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易しいが足を滑らせることは許されない岩 稜クラ イミングを数時間つづけると、ロープが必要な最初の セクション、巨大な岩壁を断ち割る 2 ピッチのチムニー にたどり着く。そしてこれを抜けると、ジェベル・ラム 山塊を二分する巨大な渓谷、グレート・シークに至る のだ。 ぼくらは、狭いコルジュやロックステップを越えて グレート・シークの底をたどり、グレート・シークのど んづまりから、まったくもって嬉しくないオフィズスの 5.9 の 2 ピッチを、引っかかるバックパックを呪いなが ら登ると、グレート・シークの東側の壁の上に抜け出 すことができた。ぼくらは不浄な戦いを経て、ついに 頂上大地のスラブドームの上に這い上がったのだ。

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頂上への道のりはまだ遠く、数時間後にぼくらは ルートを見失ったことに気がついた。太陽が沈んでいく ので、行動をやめた。ビバークのための平らな場所を 見つけたのだ。 …風、砂、星。かつてアントワーヌ・ド・サン＝ テグジュペリにインスピレーションを与えたのとおなじ夜 が、そこによみがえる。 夜が明け、ビバークサイトから 2 回の懸垂下降で、 頂上稜線へとつながるスラブ状のリッジに下りることが できた。

最後のピッチを登っているとき、ぼくらは、自分た ちが長く夢見ていた光景を目の当りにしていることに気 がついた。 人生を変えるような光景がそこにあり、立ち去り がたく、この瞬間と感動を共有できていることがただた だありがたい。

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Dawn arrives and two abseils from dubious anchors get us onto a ridge of slab that wafts us all the way to the summit ridge.

One final pitch and we’re there, a long-held dream realized! The views are life changing, and we linger up there, thankful to be sharing this moment together.

On the way down we can see where we went wrong. But it’s okay, we found our own path. The descent is arduous and we are dehydrated. In one magical moment we stop to rest, with Rum Village spread out below us like Mos Eisley on the planet Tatooine.

Suddenly the muezzin’s call to prayer from the village mosque starts up, and we are mesmerized.

Countless abseils, hours of unprotected d o w n c l i m b i n g a b ove t h e vo i d , a n d eventually we step off the ridge onto flat ground again. We’re in no hurry now, so we detour to rehydrate at Lawrence’s Spring, a natural oasis where T. E. Lawrence himself used to drink and bathe after toiling in the desert.

We are tired and hungry, but it’s already been the experience of a lifetime, and our time in the desert has only just begun…

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下降していくと、どこでルートを見失ったか気 がついたが、もうどうでもいいことだ。ぼくらは自 分たちのラインを見つけたのだ。 下降は苦行で、ぼくらは干からびそうだった。 立ち止まって一息入れると、惑星タトゥイーン のモス・アイズリーのように、ラム村が眼下に広がっ ていて、突然、村のモスクから、朝のコーランが 流れだした。ぼくらはその不思議な瞬間に魅惑さ れてしまった。 数え切れない懸垂下降と、何時間にもおよぶ クライムダウンをして、ついにぼくらはふたたび平 らな地面に降り立つことができた。 とくに急いでいなかったのでちょっと寄り道を して、かつてトーマス・エドワード・ロレンスが砂 いや 漠の旅の疲れを癒した天然のオアシス、ロウレンス・ スプリングで水を補給する。 ぼくらは疲れ果ててお腹を減らしていたが、そ れはもうすでに生涯忘れ得ない経験となっていた。 しかも砂漠でのぼくら時間はまだ、はじまったばか りなのだ。

Know Before You Go

Things To Do:

• Bordering Syria and Iraq to the north, you’d be forgiven for worrying about the safety of a trip to Jordan. But the truth is Jordan is one of the friendliest and most welcome places on Earth. We never felt any hint of danger. As with any travel abroad, it pays to respect the local culture and customs. Jordan has a vibrant and sophisticated culture and the Bedouin of Wadi Rum are famous for their hospitality.

•Take a tour of the local Wadi Rum desert attractions. Ride a camel and spend the night in a Bedouin desert camp. You’ll never forget it!

• If you visit Wadi Rum, consider staying w i t h a B e d o u i n f a m i l y. I s t r o n g l y recommend Shaker Al Zalabeh of Wadi Rum Trails. He is a true gentleman and can take care of all aspects of your trip for you. Meals are taken with his wonderful family in the Bedouin tradition and his wife’s cooking is out of this world!

• シリアとイラクの国境より南下すれば、ヨルダン の旅行の安全性を心配してもよいだろう。 しか しじっさい、ヨルダンは地球上でもっともフレン ドリーで歓迎すべき場所のひとつだ。 旅の中で 危険を感じることはなかった。 通常の海外旅行 の場合と同様に、地元の文化や習慣を尊重しよ う。 ヨルダンは力強く洗練された文化を持ち、 またワディ・ラムのベドウィンはそのホスピタリ ティで有名だ。

•Sample some wonderful Arabic cuisine; be sure not to miss the Jordanian delicacy of mansaf (rice, yogurt and lamb).

•Walk through history at the ancient Nabataen city of Petra.

• 地元のワディ・ラム砂漠のアトラクションに参加し よう。ラクダに乗って、ベドウィンの砂漠のキャン プで夜を過ごす。忘れえぬ経験になるだろう！ • すばらしいアラビア料理を試してください。ヨルダ ンのマンサフ（米、ヨーグルト、ラム）の繊細さは ぜひ味わってください。 • ペトラのナバタン旧市街で歴史散策をしょう

• ワディ・ラムを訪れる場合は、ベドウィンの家に 滞在することを検討しよう。ワディ・ラム・トレ イルズのシェイカー・アイ・ザラベスを強くお勧 めする。彼は真の紳士であり、あなたの旅のあ らゆる面をケアすることができる。ベドウィンの 伝統の中で彼のすてきな家族と食事をともにす ることができ、彼の妻の料理はほんとうにすば らしい。

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By Joan Bailey When the cicadas start to sing, summer in Japan is officially underway. Mid-summer days are hot, often followed by muggy nights, providing ample motivation to head for higher grounds and cool off.

From Kyushu to Hokkaido, with a little bit in between, there are countless trails to explore, here are a few choices to inspire and satisfy that hankering for open skies and rolling vistas.

夏こそ訪れたい日本のトレイル

蝉の鳴き声が聞こえてきたら本格的な日本の夏の到来です。盛夏のときは 夜も蒸し暑くなることがしばしばで、高原へと出かけて涼みたくなります。 さて、日本には九州から北海道にかけて数多くのトレイルがあります。 そのなかからすばらしい夏空を眺望できるトレイルをいくつかご紹介したい と思います。

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Southern Alps, Nagano

長野県、日本アルプス

The Japan Alps are a classic destination for mountain lovers throughout the year. Home to some of the most dramatic mountain scenery south of Hokkaido, the Alps, in particularly Hakuba, the former stop on the Salt Road that ran from Itoigawa on the Sea of Japan inland to Matsumoto, made Fukada Kyuuya’s 1964 list of 100 famous peaks, and have been a favorite ever since. The 1998 Winter Olympics also thrust Hakuba to world stage, although things since then have slowed to a more pleasant pace.

Hikers can ascend in style via Hakuba’s Happo-One ski lift to begin the trek to Karamatsu Sansou. Set on a ridge with spectacular views in every direction, it looks more fit for a James Bond film, sleeps 350 hikers comfortably. Enjoy a hearty dinner and deep sleep before taking in the dawn and setting out for the day. The trail traverses ridge lines, skirts rock faces, and shimmies down the occasional chain and steel ladder before arriving at Tengu-sanjo.

This small mountain hut is nestled near a snowfield whose meltwater keeps beverages of all kinds cool to accompany the rather gourmet dinners and breakfasts. The next day, continue down a mostly ridge line trail to Yari Onsen, a rambling mountain hut with its very own onsen.

Stay for a soak then continue on clean and wellfortified. Either way, the trail soon crosses a scree field that, for the remotely timid, will be the longest part of the journey. (Emergency pick axes provided.) Finish at Sarukura Sanso for a final mountain sleep or catch a bus back to Hakuba.

日本アルプスは登山愛好家たちに１年を通じて親 しまれるクラシックかつ広大なエリアです。北海道の 南がドラマチックな山々の景色として有名ならば、こ いといがわ のアルプス、とくに白馬は、日本海の糸魚川から松本 市までつづく「塩の道」の中継点として栄えました。 1964 年には深田久弥によって日本百名山に選ばれ 以来、多くの人に親しまれています。1998 年の冬季 オリンピックがここで開催されて注目を集めましたが、 今は普段のゆったりとした白馬に戻っています。 ハイカーはまず八方尾根のスキーリフトを利用し からまつ て唐松山荘までトレッキングします。そこは 350 人の ハイカーを収容できる施設です。景色はどの方角も壮 観で、ジェームス・ボンドの映画のようです。心温まる ディナーを楽しんでから睡眠をしっかり取って、夜明 け前に準備をはじめましょう。目的のトレイルは稜線 をトラバースして岩のフェイスを回避し、鎖や鉄のはし てんぐやま ごを使って揺れながら天狗山山頂へと到着します。 ここの山小屋では雪解け水で飲み物を冷やして 夕食や朝食に提 供しています。翌日は尾根を伝って しろうまやり 白馬鑓温泉に向かいます。ここのやたらと長い形状の 山小屋には天然温泉があります。ここでお湯に浸かっ て身体を清め、英気を養いましょう。トレイルはその後、 がれ場に直面します。この旅のもっとも長い行程です。 (Emergency pick axes provided)（緊急用のツル さるくら ハシが用意してあります）最後は猿 倉山荘でゴールと なり、そこで一泊するかバスに乗って白馬に戻ります。

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Cape Tsurugi, Miura Penninsula, Kanagawa Water lovers will delight in this hike, an easy day trip from Tokyo described in Gary D’A. Walters’ classic, “Day Walks Near Tokyo.” This, however, is no ordinary seaside stroll.

Catch a bus for Cape Tsurugi from Miurakaigan Station and disembark at Togari. Duck down a small road that leads to the base of the cliffs. The path follows the coast, climbing and meandering as it works its way around to the lighthouse atop Cape Tsurugi. Hikers will be splashed by waves as they inch along a narrow path that hugs a seaside cliff; step lightly across circular concrete columns between rock formations and take in spectacular ocean views in between. It may be worth noting tidal comings and goings, but the route generally remains above water.

Flora and fauna abound throughout the year here. Scarlet higanbana (cluster amaryllis) color the edges of fields in autumn, while late summer finds the cheerful faces of hamakanzou (orange lilies) sunning themselves here and there along the path. Ishiohidori (blue stone thrushes) sing their glorious songs and a variety of beach combing birds scuttle hither and yon as hikers cross the small beaches of various bays. These, too, are littered with shells and a colorful array of bright, perfectly smoothed sea glass and shells.

(There will be other litter, too unfortunately, so have an extra bag handy to pick some up if you can.) Catch a bus back to the station from the lighthouse.

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つるぎさき

神奈川県、三浦半島、劔崎

海辺りが好きな人にお勧めのハイクです。東京か らも日帰りが可能だと、ゲーリー・D’ A. ウォルター によるクラシックな本” Day Walks Near Tokyo” に 紹介されています。とは言ってもどこにでもあるよう な散歩コースではありませんよ。 とがり 劔崎へは三浦海岸駅からバスに乗り戸狩で下 車し、その崖へとつづく小道を進みます。その脇道は 海岸線につづき、登ったりくねくねとした道になりま すがその先には劔崎の灯台があります。また、その 脇道は狭く波しぶきがかかる海沿いの崖にありますか ら、慎重に進んでください。壮観な海の景色と磯のあ いだにそのコンクリート製の円柱がそびえ立っていま す。灯台へつづく道は潮汐に注意したほうがいいでしょ うが、特別な場合を除いて海面下になることはありま せん。 一年を通して動植物を観察することができます。 秋になれば赤い色の彼岸花が咲き乱れ、夏の終わり には快活なハマカンゾウが道の両脇にずらりと並びま す。イソヒヨドリの軽快なさえずりや、そのほかにも さまざまな海鳥が小さな砂浜や磯の入り江で観察で きてハイカーを楽しませてくれます。さらに貝殻やカ ラフルで美しいほどに丸みを帯びたシーグラスも採取 できます（残念なことにそのほかのゴミも海岸には打 ち上がっていますから、もしできることならゴミ袋を 持参していくつか拾い上げていただけると幸いです） 。 灯台からは駅に戻るバスも出ています。

Kunisaki Minemachi Long Trail, Oita The Kunisaki Peninsula, with its forested interior bypassed by trains and highways alike, is a fabled place where Shinbutsu, a unique combination of Buddhism, Shintoism and mountain worship, still thrives. Mount Futago sits at its center of the peninsula, and Futago-ji, the temple at the heart of it all, is where priests from around the peninsula gather annually for yamabushi (mountain priest) training. Together they traverse roughly 140 kilometers over boulders, high bridges, and waterfalls following a path connecting temples, caves, and the tomb of their founder, Ninmon.

Visitors today can follow a similar route, starting at the Kumano Maigabutsu, religious stone carvings that date roughly from 1200 A.D., the tallest of which stands over eight meters in height. The course combines ancient roadways and trails with modern ones, stopping at temples and farm villages along the way. Millennium of volcanic activity results in a landscape creased by mountains and valleys, but filled with a rich blend of flora and fauna as well as ancient statues, ruins and cave temples with images of the Buddha carved into the rock. Stunning views over the Seto Inland Sea dominate from nearly every high point. Broken into ten separate courses of varying difficulty and length, hikers can explore for a day or do a through-hike ending at Futago-ji.

くにさき

みねみち

大分県・国東半島・峯道

国東半島の森の内部には峯道という道路網が張 り巡らされています。そこは神仏の伝説が残る場所で もあります。ここには仏教と神道そして山岳信仰が融 合したユニークな宗教が現存しています。半島の中心 ふたごやま には両子山があり、そこには両子寺があります。そこ やまぶし は山 伏（山岳信仰の修行僧）の総本山です。彼らは 岩山や橋や滝を踏破して約 140km の山行をおこな い、その途中にある寺や洞窟、そして彼らの象徴であ にんもんぼさつ る仁聞菩薩を詣でます。 トレッカーはいまでもおなじルートを辿ることが できます。西暦 1200 年ごろに掘られた石仏・熊野 まがいぶつ 磨 岩仏は８m ほどの高さがあります。そこからトレイ ルがスタートします。コースは古来の道と新しい道と が合わさっています。途中には寺や農村があります。 数千年にわたる火山活動によって形成された地勢の山 や渓谷には大変豊かな動植物の生態系があります。ま た古代からの遺産遺跡や洞窟の寺社にはブッダをイ メージして刻まれた岩があります。山々の高い峰から は瀬戸内海の美しい景色を眺めることができます。 さあ！国東半島に行こう！ 国東半島についてのインフォメーション www.gokunisaki.com/kunisaki-hiking www.kunisakihantou-trail.com/course

Check out the Go! Kunasaki Hiking (www. gokunisaki.com/kunisaki-hiking/) and Kunisaki H a n to u Tra i l (www.kunisakihantou-trail. com/course/index.html) websites for more information.

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Daisetsuzan Koen, Hokkaido

It’s easy to see how Daisetsuzan Koen in Hokkaido earned its Ainu moniker as “Playground of the Gods.” A few steps along almost any trail, and hikers find themselves in another world, one that veers between deep forest, plateauwetlands, and glacial byways where bears and fox trod as well as barren volcanic landscapes.

Breathtaking year round, in summer it is one of Japan’s great escapes from the heat and humidity that blankets much of the country. Those seeking to trek these northern climes will not be disappointed whether they choose an overnight hike to one of the park’s many mountain huts or a longer circuit.

One interesting choice is to start from Daisetsuzan Onsen and climb steadily upward to the Numanohara Wetlands. Here, the landscape f l at te n s o u t i n to a g re at b a s i n w h e re a n assortment of rare mountain wildflowers grace the spaces between shimmering mountain ponds just below a raised wooden trail. Camp next to Lake Onuma and take day hikes up nearby ridges.

Cut down a wild hydrangea-studded river valley to Nupontomuraushi Onsen, a somewhat secret and semi-tamed coed hot spring accessible only on foot, dirt bike or other hardy vehicle—an excellent place for a good soak and sleep.

Climb back up to Hisagonuma Hinagoya (hut) and try to spot the furry pika roaming among the boulders or carry on to Chubetsudake Hinagoya. From there, hike to Hakuun-koya, where warm wood walls make for a cozy respite from the trail. A final long climb up the backside of Asahidake and down the other side brings hikers back to civilization slow and sure.

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北海道・大雪山国立公園 北海道の大雪山国立公園がなぜアイヌの人々に 「神の遊び場」と呼ばれたか、ここを訪れてみるとよく 理解できます。この地のどのトレイルでも足を数歩踏み 入れただけで別世界に来たことをハイカーは悟るでしょ う。そこには深い森や高原の湿地帯、残雪の脇道には 狐や熊の足跡が残され、火山の周囲には荒涼とした風 景が広がります。この地の息を呑むような美しさは一年 を通して味わうことができますが、日本列島が暑さと湿 度におおわれる真夏こそ避暑も兼ねて訪れるには絶好の タイミングといえます。この国立公園にはたくさんの山 小屋がありますから、それらを利用した登山を計画すれ ばけっして失望しないでしょう。 そのなかでもお勧めなのは大雪山温泉からスター トして沼ノ原湿原をめざすコースです。そこは広大な 盆地に囲まれた湿原と天然池があり、木道を歩くと、 足元に希少な高原植物が咲き乱れているのを見ること ができます。大沼湖湖畔でキャンプをしたら尾根をハ イクアップし、野生のアジサイが群生する渓谷を下って ヌプントムラウシ温泉をめざします。そこはあまり知ら れていない半混浴の温泉で、徒歩かダートバイクもし くは四輪駆動車でしかアクセスできません。けれども お湯に浸かってゆっくりするには最高の場所です。 ヒサゴ沼避難小屋までの帰りは、毛むくじゃらの ちゅうべつだけ ピカ（ナキウサギ）を探しながら岩山の中を忠 別岳避 はくうん 難小屋まで向かいましょう。そこからはハイクで白雲岳 ぬく 避難小屋まで向かいます。小屋の木壁から感じる温も りはトレイルからのひとときの休息をもたらしてくれる でしょう。最後の長い登山は朝日岳の裏側を登り反対 側から下山するコースで、そこからは次第に文明社会 に戻っていく気配をハイカーは感じることでしょう。

RESOURCES Two books that are great resources for hiking in Japan are Lonely Planet’s “Hiking in Japan” (ed.

2009) and “Day Walks Near Tokyo” by Gary D’A. Walters.

WEB CONNECTION Hiking in Japan (www.japanhike.wordpress.com) is a great resource for hiking information in Japan.

Also check out past past hiking stories on Outdoor Japan Online (www.outdoorjapan.com).

参考文献 Lonely Planet's “Hiking in Japan” (ed. 2009) “Day Walks Near Tokyo” by Gary DA. Walters ウェブサイト Hiking in Japan: www.japanhike.wordpress.com 日本のトレイルに関して多くの情報が掲載 されています。 Outdoor Japan Online: www.outdoorjapan.com 弊誌のウェブサイトからも過去のいくつかのトレッキン グストーリーをご覧いただけます。

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北

G N I T

A G I V NA THE

西

IL A R T

O T O KY Amy Chavez By

T

南 he 72-kilometer Kyoto Trail combines trail walking with urban hiking and sightseeing. The route starts in southeastern Kyoto at Fushimi Inari and continues through some of Japan’s most famous historical monuments, including the World Heritage sites of Kiyomizudera, Ginkakuji and Enrakyuji on Mt. Hiei.

The trail then swings to the west, where you’ll peregrinate through northern Kyoto’s picturesque hamlets of Ohara and Kurama before heading south again into the wilds of the city’s western hills, finally completing a horseshoe around the Kyoto Valley.

The journey is best done as a series of day hikes as the Kyoto Trail hugs the side of mountains where, under the aegis of convenience, you’re never too far to dip down into the city for lunch, take shelter in foul weather or catch a train back to your accommodation at the end of the day. Perhaps the best part of the trail, however, is that it is still a well-kept secret, so much so that you’ll find little information about the nuts and bolts of hiking the trail. Having myself hiked the Kyoto Trail on six occasions, I’ll share with you what I’ve learned.

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その一

Tip No. 1:

It’s not actually called the Kyoto Trail If you ask Japanese people about the Kyoto Trail, especially if you’re asking directions if you’re lost, they’ll have no idea which trail you’re talking about. There are many trails around Kyoto, so you’ll have to call the Kyoto Trail by its Japanese name: Kyoto Isshu Trail (京都一周 トレール).

その二

Kyoto Trail Tips

Tip No. 2:

It’s not actually one trail

The Kyoto Trail is a network of separate stand-alone trails linked together. As a result, it’s an imperfect system so understanding this will help you accept the trail for what it is and what it is trying to accomplish.

その三

Tip No. 3:

You’ll probably need a map

The first part of the Kyoto Trail starts at Fushimi Inari but if you follow the signs, you may end up 4.7 kilometers later (like I did the first time) back at the bottom, in front of Higashiyama Train Station. If you have a map, you’ll notice there are red dotted lines to link these individual trails. Be sure to note these turn-offs so you stay on trail.

その四

Tip No. 4:

The maps aren’t that great

The Tourist Information Center at Kyoto Station sells maps for the Kyoto Trail. The entire set of 5 maps costs ¥2,300. Keep in mind that the people selling the maps have never actually hiked the Kyoto Trail, let alone used the maps. I was told that the Digest Map is a composite map of all four parts of the trail. This is true and not true. More accurate would be to say that they are all separate maps that present similar information, more or less, in different formats. Do not expect the maps to be integrated, nor to work together. Inconsistencies abound.

Like the trail itself, the maps consist of isolated courses. For example, the Higashiyama map seems pretty straightforward, written in Japanese with English translations. But move to the Digest Map and it breaks up the same Higashiyama course into the Beginner’s Course, the Outlook Course and the Mt. Daimonji Hiking Course, all with different color coding from the Higashiyama map. While one map may use a solid red line to show the Kyoto Trail, another will use a red dotted line. Rather than trying to integrate the maps, if you’re hiking with a buddy, have each person use a different map with the theory that two heads (or maps) are better than one.

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その五

Tip No. 5:

Bring a subway, train or bus station map Not all the maps show the stations, so be sure to bring a transportation map with you to parallel the trail so you can see where you can conveniently get on and off the hiking course.

This way you can also easily get back to where you left off the previous day.

その六

Pre-plan

Tip No. 6:

Take some time to study how the trail markers work before you set off.

The Kyoto trail has many markers, all of them indicated on the maps. Unlike trails such as the Kumano Kodo, which has markers every 500 meters, the Kyoto Trail makers can be either a few meters away from each other or one kilometer away. In addition, the markers don’t give distances, so you won’t know how far the next marker is or how far you’ve come from the previous one.

As a result, you really need to keep your eye out for the markers or you may get lost. They’re often hidden behind foliage or tree trunks. Other times you’ll walk right past one because you need to be looking back from where you came to see it.

その七

Tip No. 7:

Study the landmarks

K n ow t h e n a m e s o f t h e p l a c e s a n d landmarks you’re headed to.

You might expect it would be hard to get lost on such a well-marked trail, but when you come upon a marker at a “Y” intersection, it won’t tell you which way to go: you’ll have to decide. So it is possible to inadvertently go off on a different trail altogether.

その八

Tip No. 8:

What you need to know about the “Side Trips”

The maps offer suggestions for “side trips.”

These trips are not part of the Kyoto Trail, but the sights are often close enough to be worthwhile visiting. Some of the side trips, such as the one to Daimonji (where they light the 大 kanji letter with fire during Obon) hooks back up with the Kyoto Trail later on, but for others you may have to backtrack on the same trail you left on to get back to the main Kyoto Trail.

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その十

その九

Tip No. 9:

To camp, or not to camp

With everything so conveniently located, it is not necessary to camp. But if you prefer pitching a tent, your best spots will be after Mt. Hiezan on the Kitayama East map.

Tip No. 10:

It’s a great trail for running

You’ll see plenty of Japanese people running the trail, especially on Sundays.

Essential Info Getting There

To get to the beginning of the course, from Kyoto Station, take the JR Nara line to Inari Station or the Keihan Line to Fushimi Inari Station (5 mins).

Web Connection

For more information see the Kyoto Alpine League website at www.kyoto-trail.net/trail_outline_e.html

Maps

Maps are available at the Tourist Information Center at Kyoto Station.

The set of 5 maps include the following: Map 1: Higashiyama Course Fushimi Inari to Mt. Hie Cable Car (24.6 km.)

Map 2: Kitayama Course (East) Mt. Hie Cable Car to Ninose (17.9 km.)

Map 3: Kitayama Course (West) Ninose to Kiyotaki (19.3 km.)

Map 4: Nishiyama Course Kiyotaki to Kokederadani (10.7 km,) May 5: Digest Map Overview of entire course

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High Times AFTER THE SNOW MELTS

in Madarao

Y

ou’d be forgiven for standing in amazement and wondering where you are when you arrive in Madarao. During Tokyo’s sweltering summer, when walking from the train station to the office often means a change of clothes, Madarao is a refreshing 21 degrees. If you jump on the Hokuriku Shinkansen at Tokyo Station you’ll arrive at the sparkly new Iiyama Station in just 1 hour and 50 short minutes. This is the launch pad for some of northern Nagano’s famous resort areas such as Shiga Kogen and Nozawa Onsen. Yet few realize just 10 kilometers above the station is Madarao Highlands.

After jumping on a Madarao-bound bus (¥500 way) and winding your way up the mountain, you’ll be greeted with a breathtaking view and cool climate as you step outside. What prefecture you are in may very well depend on where you are standing, as part of the resort area is in Nagano while the other lies in southern Niigata Prefecture. It is part of the larger Shin’etsu-Shizenkyo National Park, a natural playground for a variety of outdoor activities from ziplining to camping.

Madarao may have been flying under the radar as a great winter and summer destination, but based on the recent buzz of activity from new pensions and lodges in the area, the resort is primed to really take off. Check out what awaits the savvy traveler in Madarao this summer.

Zip Through Madarao Zipline Adventure Madarao offers 13 courses and is one the few places in Japan with ziplines covering this distance. The bird’s eye view of the Japanese countryside and the surrounding mountains is a reward after a vigorous hike up. Additionally, the “Night Rider” package offers a thrilling evening experience. Visitors can zipline alone, but joining a tour is highly recommended especially for beginners and children. www.madarao.jp/zip

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Camp Under the Stars

Madarao Mountain Biking

Madarao’s slopes are famous for ungroomed powder runs in winter, and the base of the mountain is an ideal campground during the summer, especially with fresh breezes cooling the mountain and natural hot springs available nearby. Safely tucked within the resort, this pet-friendly campsite even has a Dog Run Park and is also expanding its camping area this year. www.madarao.jp/camp

Enjoy 11 kilometers of downhill cycling while overlooking Nagano’s peaceful countryside and terraced rice fields. The tour, led by professional cyclists who will navigate you through Madarao’s old mountain roads, is two hours long and costs ¥5,500. Kids and beginners are welcome.

Nagano Outdoor Sports also holds trekking tours along the nearby Shinetsu Trail. www.naganooutdoorsports.net

Madarao Passport Five Times the Fun Have limited time but want to make the most of your time in the mountains? At only ¥6,000, the Madarao Passport allows you to pick up to five outdoor sports, craft workshops and water activities to enjoy in one day. Activities include rafting down the Chikuma River, “mountain boarding,” climbing, paragliding, soba making, cycling, guided hiking up Mt. Madarao and canoeing. www.madarao.tv/activities/green/madapass

Madarao Jazz 2017 Madarao has a long history of jazz music, starting with the Newport Jazz Festival in the ‘80s which hosted jazz legends such as B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Spyro Gyra, Woody Herman and Dave Brubeck to name a few In 2007, Madarao Jazz brought music back to the mountains in celebration of local musicians. The setting for the event is just as beautiful as those epic events of lore, as music lovers relax at the base of the resort, BBQ and enjoy some great music. This year’s festival takes place Aug. 18-20. www.madaraojazz.com

Nozawa Onsen Sports Park Nozawa Onsen isn’t just snow and soto-yu (free hot springs). The new Nozawa Onsen Sports Park is open for the summer promising fun for all throughout the green season.

Hikage Zipline

Kids’ Playground

This 652-meter seated zipline, the longest of its kind in Japan, reaches speeds of 70 kilometers per hour. It is an exhilarating way to view the village and mountains beyond. The ride begins at the start tower at an elevation 122 meters. ¥ ¥2,000 for adults and ¥1,200 for children. A smaller zipline is also available for younger kids to try out.

There’s plenty of ways to wear your kids out at the Kids’ Playground from an open-air bouncy house, climbing wall, jungle gym and tubing down an artificial grass slope. The playground is located in the same area as the Winter Kids’ Park at the foot of the Hikage Gondola.

Summer Skiing Not exactly “Japow,” but ski or ride down the 500-meter course at Hikage Station over the specially designed “snow mat.” This plastic surface has a special water system creating a similar feel to snow skiing. Visitors can rent skis and boards made for the surface. Check with the resort if you want to bring your own equipment as only certain types of skis, boards and wax are allowed. ¥ ¥3,500 for adults and ¥2,000 for children.

Getting Here Access to Nozawa Onsen is easy via the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Iiyama Station (1 hour 40 minutes) and then a comfortable 20-minute bus ride from Iiyama Station to Nozawa Onsen.

Nozawa Onsen Sports Park 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. July 1 – Nov. 12 (0269) 85-2623 www.nozawaonsen.co.jp nozawaonsensportspark

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More than just a

Rugby Town

W

ith the Rugby World Cup approaching in 2019, twelve venues across Japan are gearing up to welcome fans of international rugby. While the big venues in Tokyo, Yokohama and Nagoya are part of the line-up, other stadiums are located in more rural areas in Hokkaido, Iwate, Saitama, Oita, Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Kobe and Shizuoka.

Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, located a couple hours southwest of Tokyo, seats nearly 51,000 spectators. The stadium design is inspiring the new stadium being built for the Summer Olympics coming to Tokyo in 2020. “Ecopa,” which hosted several matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, is the primary venue for major sporting events in Shizuoka including rugby, football and track and field. In June, a warmup match between Japan and Ireland’s national teams was held here; interestingly, both teams are in the same pool for the Rugby World Cup.

Although technically part of Fukuroi City, Ecopa is the main structure of Ogasayama Sports Park, which extends into neighboring Kakegawa.

Unlike the other stadiums, Ecopa is surrounded by lush green forests instead of high rises usually associated with large stadiums.

Most travelers view Kakegawa as a quick stop or overnighter on the way to or from other destinations, but what they overlook is the hidden, cultural charm found all around this sleepy Shizuoka city. If you plan to visit for the Rugby World Cup or are simply looking for a cool new area to explore, here are a few must-see spots to add to your itinerary.

Photo Courtesy of Fuk

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uroi City

Highland Tea Farms

If you are a fan of green tea you’d know that Shizuoka is famous for producing some of Japan’s top strains. Kakegawa tea is enjoyed for its traditional, deeply steamed flavors and aromas. Apart from the tea itself, the city introduces tea culture by carefully manicuring the landscape at the foot of Mt. Awagatake, where rows of neatly trimmed tea bushes line the hills.

Mt. Awagatake is easily noticeable from afar as cypress trees shape the massive Japanese kanji character, “ cha ” (tea). Using the chagusaba farming method, the leaves are prepared in the traditional technique of tenomi (hand rolling) and can be tasted at traditional tea houses.

Travelers can experience the leaf-tocup process at Kiwi Country Japan during the tea harvest months of April to October.

To reserve, call (0537) 22-6543 or email wbs02626@mail.ne.jp.

Relax in Natural Hot Springs

For post-hike relaxation, head to Kurami and Narakoko-no-yu hot springs. Kurami Onsen is famous for Masagokan, a traditional inn rich with history. The ryokan is located only a 15-minute drive from Kakegawa Station or a 25-minute drive from Kakegawa IC. If you are arriving with eight or more people, you will be picked up by a retro-style bus from the station. For more information, visit www.masagokan.com.

Narakoko-no-yu to the north of the Ijiri Campsite is surrounded by forests and clear streams. The campsite also offers rental bungalows, cottages and even has a tennis co u r t . Fo r m o re i n f o r m a t i o n o r to b o o k your stay, visit www.narakoko.info or email narakoko@r.narakoko.info.

Kakegawa by Bike

The Japanese word yuttori means relaxed, and what better way to discover this laid-back city than by bicycle? With Kakegawa’s Hitotabi Futatabi tours, travelers can get a glimpse into Japanese countryside life as well as Kakegawa’s cultural history and agricultural treasures.

Half-day tours led by local guides generally cover 30 kilometers by bicycle starting at Kakegawa Station with stops at rice and tea fields, local eateries and the castle.

Walking and trekking tours also available.

To s i g n u p, c a l l (0537) 24-8711 o r e m a i l info@kakegawa-kankou.com.

Nagano

Tokyo Yamanashi

Gifu

Kanagawa

Shizuoka Aichi

Higashiyama Hiking

The hilly region of Awagatake is part of Higashiyama, where hikers can explore ancient forests and spiritual“power places.”

The main hiking trail starts from Higashiyama Ippukudokoro and takes about an hour to ascend Mt. Awagatake (532 meters). On the way up, the Awawa forest specifically holds religious significance with the Awawa Shrine at the summit and nearby Iwakura, which holds the remains of an ancient place of worship.

Experience Feudal Japan

The impressive Kakegawa Castle was the seat of various feudal lords who ruled over Kakegawa during the 1400s. The castle has a long, arduous history, ultimately falling to Tokugawa Ieyasu’s army before being damaged twice by massive earthquakes. In 1994, it was restored to its original state and is the first wooden castle tower in Japan of its kind. The four-story castle offers a view of Kakegawa City from the attic lookout.

After exploring the castle and its surrounding grounds, visit the Ninomaru traditional tea house for Kakegawa tea. The castle is a 7-minute walk from Kakegawa Station.

Kakegawa 掛 川 市

Getting There

Kakegawa Station is an hour and 50 minutes by bullet train from Tokyo Station or an hour bullet train ride from Nagoya. If you are coming by car, it is approximately two hours and 40 minutes from Tokyo IC on the Tomei Expressway.

Aino Station is a 15-minute walk from Ecopa Stadium and is four minutes west of Kakegawa Station, the nearest shinkansen station to Ecopa. Shuttle buses are also available between Kakegawa Station to the stadium during major international matches. For more information, visit www.kakegawa-kankou.com. — R.M.

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Amazingly Dry Powder Snow

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CELEBRATING HUMAN POWER AND INTRODUCING THE QUIET BACKSTREETS, BEAUTIFUL PARKS AND UNIQUE CULTURE OF TOKYO NOT FOUND ON TOURIST MAPS.

freewheeling.jp

SUMMER 2017

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Travel & Adventure

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癒しの空間で... 波を心いくまで満喫...

Feel at home...

Enjoy the ride...

SNOWBOARD WITH THE LOCALS Nagano ◊ Niseko Alaska ◊ USA ◊ Canada www.cloudlinetours.com

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TRAVELER

サーフィンガイド サーフィンコーチ ラグジャリーな宿泊施設

Surf Guiding Surf Coaching Luxury Accommodation

www.thechillhouse.com