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Hello and welcome to the first episode of Snow Country Stories Japan* – a podcast about life in Japan’s legendary ‘yukiguni’. In Episode 01 of the podcast I sat down for a chat with Mark of Madarao Mountain Lodge. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Mark has been living in Japan for years and operating his ski lodge in Madarao since 2017. He’s a big part of the community and a wealth of knowledge about Madarao, life in the snow country and Japan in general. 

The interview starts with Mark and I talking about the season that’s been and the return of inbound tourism before discussing Madarao Mountain Resort and why Mark rates it so highly. Along the way he drops the ‘orographic effect’ into the conversation and we talk tree zones, backcountry and the need to follow the rules before moving onto Mark’s story and just how a Sydney native came to be living in the snow country.  

Kaesa Farm Stay: https://www.madaraomountainresort.com/japan-farmstay.html

*please note, at the time of upload of this episode, the name of the podcast was 'Snow Country For Old Men'. It has since changed to 'Snow Country Stories Japan'. For more information about that change, listen to the special announcement uploaded on April 24th 2023.

Outland Japan is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Peter Carnell - a freelance tour guide based in northern Nagano – that transports you to rural, regional and the wilds of Japan in pursuit of stories that lie outside the neon hum of Tokyo and golden trimmings of Kyoto. Stories of travel, life and culture beyond the big cities. Follow the show on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Please note, prior to October 2024, Outland Japan was named Snow Country Stories Japan.