Outland Japan

Send us Fan Mail Episode of 33 of the podcast takes us into Japan’s highest mountain range and into the beautiful alpine valley of Kamikochi . Part of the wider Chubu Sangaku National Park , Kamikochi is a 16 kilometre / 10 mile valley which follows the beautiful Azusa River and bookended by two famous mountains – Mount Hotaka and Yakedake. With an average elevation of around 1400 metres / 4593 fe...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 32 of the podcast takes us to the north of Japan, into the snow country of Akita Prefecture and onto Oga Peninsula. Jutting out from the Japanese main island and into the Sea of Japan, Oga Peninsula is wild and beautiful, a place of rustic villages and lurking wonders; and it is here, in Oga that we encounter the fearsome ‘Namahage’ – mythical ogre-like creatures that emer...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 31 of the podcast we head to Akakura Onsen in Myoko Kogen to speak with design maker Liam Mugavin . Originally for Australia, Liam is the cofounder of A.I.R. Myoko – a ski in, ski out chalet which combines design, gastronomy and other artisanal influences to offer a different type of experience when it comes to ski accommodation in Japan.  Liam’s background and continue...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 30 of the podcast I speak with outdoor guide Iida Taka about Oze National Park . Straddling four prefectures of the snow country – Gunma, Niigata, Fukushima and Tochigi – Oze National Park is relatively small at 373 squared kilometres however its smaller size is in fact one of its attractions. Known for its lakes, wetlands, moors and marshes, the park is ringed by mount...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 29 of the podcast we return to Niigata Prefecture and onto Niigata City to speak with Jenya Yuss. Jenya works for Edge of Niigata , a travel company based in Niigata City and operating tours and experiences in the city and wider prefecture. As such she’s an ideal person to introduce to the story and the reasons to visit Niigata. When Japanese think about the snow countr...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 28 of the podcast I speak with Mark Davis , a Tokyo-based landscape photographer whose work focuses on the natural environments of Japan. Mark’s photography takes him into many areas of regional Japan with a particular interest in the snow country and its varied seasons. As such, his photography tells a more complete story of the snow country, and Japan in general, in r...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 27 of the podcast takes us back to Yamagata Prefecture and onto Tsuruoka, a city known for its diverse and rich traditional food culture. In 2014 Tsuruoka was designated a UNESCO ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’ in recognition of that food culture including continued agricultural practices and use heirloom crops and wild plants foraged in the forests and mountains, along with...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 26 of the podcast transports us along one of the snow country’s most popular destinations – the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route . Located in Chubu Sangaku National Park, the Alpine Route is a popular sightseeing route that transports visitors across Japan’s highest mountain range – the Kita Alps or North Alps. It takes a series of mountain transports to do so that operate bet...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode - Episode 25 of the podcast - kicks off Season 3 as we make our way north to Hokkaido and onto Japan’s largest national park, Daisetsuzan. Established in 1934, Daisetsuzan National Park is known for its alpine landscapes, abundant flora and fauna, and seasonal beauty including its deep snow of winter. For many, Daisetsuzan is the crown jewel of Japan’s 34 nati...

Send us Fan Mail Season 3 of Snow Country Stories Japan begins on Tuesday 2nd April 2024. In the coming season we’ll be exploring the snow country in spring and summer before heading into the beauty of autumn, starting with Japan’s largest national park, Daisetsuzan . Considered by many as the most impressive of Japan's 34 national parks, Daisetsuzan occupies a vast area dominated by volcanic...

Send us Fan Mail Snow Country Stories Japan is currently on a break between seasons. I’ll announce the return date as soon as possible. In the meantime, this bonus episode features a clip of my recently published interview on the Lost Without Japan podcast. Lost Without Japan is a bi-weekly podcast focused on listeners planning their first trip to Japan or for those who are returning, introducing...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 24 of the podcast I speak with Shoko Baba, a member of the international sales team, of one of the snow country’s most celebrated sake breweries, Hakkaisan. Located in the heavy snow area of Minami-Uonuma, Hakkaisan Brewery produces high quality sake that reflects the pristine surrounding environment and traditions of this beautiful area of Niigata. Shoko and I discuss...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 23 of the podcast I speak with David Laichtman - a doctoral candidate at Sophia University in Tokyo - about the historical and contemporary practice of bear worship in Japan by cultures including the Matagi in Tohoku and Ainu in Hokkaido. In doing so, this episode draws attention to the often-overlooked fact that Japan is home culturally and ethnically distinct people,...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 22 of the podcast we head north to the small rural village of Nukui in Nagano Prefecture. It is here that we find craftsman and musician Gianpaolo Camplese. Originally from Italy, Gianpaolo moved to the snow country in search for a home for his family, eventually discovering a rundown ‘kominka’ (traditional farmhouse) in the picturesque Nukui. In this episode we speak a...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 21 of the Snow County Stories Japan podcast brings us to Nagano City, the capital of the large, landlocked and mountainous Nagano Prefecture. Host of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games , Nagano is blessed with heavy snow and home to fantastic ski resorts, many of Japan’s highest mountains and multiple national parks. As the largest city in the region, Nagano City is the primary...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 20 of the Snow Country Stories Japan takes us back to Aizu in Fukushima Prefecture and Japan’s newest ski resort, Hoshino Resorts Nekoma Mountain . In this episode I speak with Ishiuchi Kei , an accomplished snowboarder with a lot of experience working in the ski industry and genuine enthusiasm for Nekoma and the Aizu region. A true snow guru, Kei speaks about Nekoma Mount...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 19 of the podcast takes us into the deep snow country of Tokamachi in Niigata, where we venture into the beautiful, heavily forested hills and minor mountains of that area, and onto the secluded Mithila Museum to speak with its director Hasegawa Tokio. An avant-garde musician and artist, Hasegawa-san founded Mithila Museum in 1982, and today, the museum houses one the worl...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 18 of the podcast takes us once again to Niigata Prefecture and the snow country area of Matsunoyama. Famous for its very heavy snowfall, Matsunoyama is a place in many ways defined by that snow. In this episode I speak with Kamimura Shotaro, a regional revitalisation coordinator based in Matsunoyama. Shotaro’s work tasks him with revitalisation of the community and as suc...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 17 of the podcast takes us to Niigata Prefecture and the deep snow of Myoko Kogen. Located on the flanks of Mount Myoko, Myoko Kogen is a collective named used to refer to five ski resorts, renowned for their very heavy snowfall and some of Japan’s best powder riding.  In this episode I speak with Billy Halloran , a talented snowboarder and operator of The Greenhouse Myoko...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 16 of the podcast brings us back to Nagano Prefecture and one of the snow country’s most popular destinations, Jigokudani Yaen Koen – more commonly referred to as the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. Located in the enclave of Yamanouchi – 50 to 60 minutes from Nagano City – the park is home to a curious troop of Japanese macaques known for the love of bathing in hot springs. T...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 15 of the podcast takes us to the north of Honshu and the prefecture of Akita. Known for its natural beauty and wild landscapes, Akita is a place that my guest Eli Sooker spends much of his time. Eli is a conservationist, writer, wildlife photographer and eco tour guide based in Japan whose current research focuses on bear conservation and specifically, bear attacks. His r...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 14 of the podcast takes us once again to Nagano Prefecture and Son of the Smith Hard Cider brewery. Opened in 2020, Son of the Smith Hard Cider are in many ways forging a new era for cider in Japan – a country that doesn’t have a strong cider tradition. In this episode, I speak with head brewer Ikeuchi Takuro about the brewery’s founding vision and the cider they are now p...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 13 of the podcast – and the first of Season 2 – brings us back to Nagano and Japan’s largest ski resort, Shiga Kogen. A host venue in the 1998 Winter Olympic Games, Shiga Kogen Mountain Resort is Japan’s largest and highest ski resort and enjoys the longest season of any resort in Nagano or Central Japan. Despite this the resort remains relatively unknown to international...

Send us Fan Mail I am happy to announce that Season 2 of ‘Snow Country Stories Japan’ begins on Tuesday 19th September 2023. And I’m just as happy to say, there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming season! As we head toward and into another winter, Season 2 of the podcast will take us deeper into Japan’s snow country including episodes covering some of Japan’s best ski resorts and the fantasti...

Send us Fan Mail Snow Country Stories Japan remains on a break between Season 1 and Season 2. This is the second upload of two previous episodes  - an edit of what was Episode 04 / Nakano of 100 Empty Houses: In Search of Solutions to Japan's Akiya Problem. The original episode was around 1 hour in length whereas this edit is just over 20 minutes. Another of my most rewarding chats from Seaso...