Japan,日本
Life is short. Until you break out of your routine, the world tends to look the same. I followed in the footsteps of a friend to Japan—though he wasn’t there with me, he had visited a decade earlier. His trip had inspired me ever since, and I knew it was finally time for a journey of self-discovery—to test my limits and dive deep into the unknown.
I packed light: just a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, essential camping gear, a laptop, and a camera. My trip began in Tokyo (東京都), where I met up with friends from back home, a new friend from an online community, and even a friend I hadn’t seen in a decade. But soon, the road started calling. I said my goodbyes and took the train to Okutama (奥多摩町), the final stop on that line—a sudden shift from cityscape to forested foothills. That’s where I started walking.
The hike lasted four days and covered around 40 miles—three of those days were uphill. I slept in the woods, beside waterfalls, and one night I was even woken by a bear (not to mention the chorus of other creatures rustling and calling just outside the paper-thin walls of my tent). At the end of that trek, I arrived in Yamanashi (山梨県), where I stayed for three days. On the final morning, I caught a bus south, watching as the lip-shaped mountains marked the border of the Yamanashi Plateau Basin and my next destination.
I hopped off the bus and began my last hike—toward Mount Fuji.
Witnessing the sleeping giant Mount Fuji felt like I had entered a new level of hiking. Previously when I arrived in Yamanashi my body was filled with power to which my mind humbly bathed in. Reaching the base of true power which had risen from the Earth and influenced not only the lands around it but also the souls of human across the entire world, shrunk me down to a refined size. The air around it swirled, birds climbed the currents. Clouds passed by it’s glowing sunset crown and the icey cap froze me in a trance as my gaze was locked towards the mountain named Fuji. The night eventually caught up to me and by that time I had set up camp on a beach to which it’s sands brought a feeling of home to my feet and the sounds of waves comforted by iron will to march on. The morning then came as light poured into my tent I could hear a group of school children shouting with excitement at the sight of my tent “Tentu tentu!”.
Ocean breeze, pine trees, mountains. People fishing, old men playing, dogs walking. 10 miles along the beach wall and that was me, I called it after a long day enjoying the flat terrain. My hearts direction took me in land towards a train station. Me, the guy who just walked from Tokyo to Mt.Fuji through mountainous forests, up long roads and along abandoned rail ways, over the course of a week, was about to catch a train right back into the belly of the concrete jungle to begin a brand new journey in Japan. The train took me as far as Yokohama on a 2 and a half ride through seaside villages, hilltop towns and immense countryside. The view slipped into the gradient of a cityscape and soon I was back to where I started.
Yokohama hosted me for one night. The next day awaited a bus to Osaka which took 10 hours. Off the bus into the stream of people, to a coffee shop where I grabbed a doughnut and a coffee then back to the streets where I walked for miles to get to my hostel. Taking things easy after the last couple of weeks wasn’t easy, somehow I couldn’t help but keep walking, like I had just crossed the finish line of a sprint and had to gradually slow down for a healthy stop. Osaka holds fame to a strip of shops and resturants unique for their extraordanairy fronts. This street is of course, Dōtonbori (道頓堀). Azino, a friend of mine, met me to explore the city before we caught a ride to Kyoto (京都市). Kyoto is beautified by the surrounding forest filled mountains, hosting temples of magnificence. Many tourists come to visit this peaceful city, taking in it’s essence, like I have, to leave with a humble respect for nature and man’s long and complicated relationship. Kyoto has defined what it is to live in harmony.
Moving forward with my fellow dude Azino we ventured towards Lake Biwa (琵琶湖), the largest lake in Japan. Somewhere in the surrounding hills of this lake you’ll find ‘You Slackline Park’. It was here we honed in our balancing skills. I myself compelted the 10ft line and Azino stepped up to the high line putting him 30ft off the ground, he also completed the 30ft slack line much closer to the ground. The friendly crew and enthusiasts were very welcoming and allowed us to stay a couple of nights on their grounds and in the gym, giving us shelter from the rain. It was great to meet this bunch. A highlight was watching the teenage dudes practise their free-style tricks using the line as a medium, for competitions. Afterward our stay, the owner of You took us in his car around Lake Biwa and showed us some of the historic sights including an incredible Torii Gate you’d have to swim through to enter...
“You’re wrong if you think the joy of life comes principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us—it’s in everything, in anything we can experience. People just need to change the way they look at those things.”
—Chris McCandless
This trip was dedicated to my friend Liam, who left this world too soon but left a piece of his heart in Japan.
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