Author: angusmccormick

The amazing views over Sapporo on the way up to the Moiwa Sancho Station and the bright and spacious underground shopping centres left the biggest impressions.

Otaru is best known for its striking main canal that divides the old warehouses of the port from the developing modern city.

The bullet train from Aomori took me under the sea and up to the city of Hakodate in the northern island of Hokkaido. The island is under snow during the winter and is popular for high quality skiing. It has a “Goldilocks” summer climate, mild and comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold. It’s a…

Hirosaki is a small and peaceful city in the far north of Japan’s main island, Honshu. The intact seventeenth century castle and its splendid gardens are major attractions for visitors.

Dewa Sanzan are The Three Sacred Mountains … an area of great spiritual importance for the Japanese and is a place of pilgrimage

The Kurobe Gorge cuts through the spectacular mountain scenery of the Northern Japanese Alps. Its river flows out into the Toyama Bay in northern Japan.

The Nakasendo Trail was established during the Edo Period connecting Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo). It was one of five national routes.

Perhaps best known for the 1998 Winter Olympics, Nagano is a popular ski station. The summer provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy the forests and their hidden shrines at nearby Togakushi.

My first journey to Japan was in 2014. It left such a strong impression that I decided to return the following summer….