Haunting
The Snow Monsters of Mount Zao
It’s not an easy encounter. I’d already visited a few years ago, but a gathering storm made it impossible for me to approach these monsters and stroke their silken fur.
Frosty
Ginzan Onsen : Silver Mine Hot Springs
Ginzan Onsen takes you back to the Taisho Era, warming your toes in an ashiyu – a piping-hot footbath – while enjoying an idyllic view of falling snow.
Easy walk
Bijin Bayashi: The Forest of Pretty Women
Where are these pretty women? In the forest of Bijin Bayashi! And they’re everywhere! Above, below, and all around you.
Off the map
Best Abandoned Places in Japan (2017–2018)
"Jordy, did you give up the haikyo?" Here’s my answer, distilled into a new Best Of covering the past two years.
Hidden
Best Abandoned Places in Japan (2015–2016)
Japan has many ruins, abandoned places, and ghost spots. Here are my favorite urbex locations in Japan for the past two years.
Off the map
The Abandoned Wakagawa Power Plant
Let's go discover this very special haikyo with a man who is equally special, or maybe not.
Some hiking
Osore-san: Highway to Hell
We march towards the entrance of Mount Osore under the crazy heat.
Easy walk
Goshikinuma : Five Coloured Lakes
Goshikinuma is a hidden corner at the foot of the mountain in Fukushima prefecture, with five differently coloured volcanic lakes.
Haunting
Abandoned Amusement Parks in Japan
A clear sky, rising temperature, it feels like holidays. Perfect time to pay a new visit to a few abandoned amusement parks!
Easy walk
Sado Mine: The Mountain That Bleeds Gold
Off Niigata, the Sado gold mine: frozen tunnels, the industrial ruins of Kitazawa and the giant gash of Dōyū-no-wareto. A spectacular, uneasy UNESCO site.
Easy walk
Takayama Inari Shrine
Follow the Senbon-Torii path through the red gates to meet the foxes and the goddess Inari ...
Ethereal
Miharu Takizuka: The Most Beautiful Cherry Tree in Japan
A miraculous survivor of the 2011 earthquake, the blossom of the thousand-year-old cherry tree attracts more than 300,000 visitors every year!
Easy walk
Tsutsuishi: Where fine days dissolve in smiles
One beautiful summer morning, I head for Tsutsuishi on the local train.
