Outland Japan

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Snow Country Stories Japan is currently on a break between Season 1 and Season 2. As promised, during this period I’ll be uploading a couple of previous episodes, beginning with this edit of what was Episode 2 of the podcast. The original episode was the longest to date at over 1 hour whereas this edit is just over 20 minutes. 

I consider this chat to be one of the best I've had to date. The original episode was however squeezed between the first and third episodes, which were published on three consecutive days to launch the pod, therefore it didn’t have top billing for long. This edit provides a taste of the longer conversation I had with my guest Rich Morgan, but I think it interesting in its own right while it might also prompt you to go back and listen to the longer, original version. I hope you enjoy!

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.

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Episode 12 of the podcast is the first of my intended travel guides for recommended destinations in the snow country. Located just outside of Nagano City, Togakushi is home to some of Japan’s most important Shinto shrines and one of the snow country’s most important cultural landscapes. Mount Togakushi has been a focal point of devotion for more than 1000 years with its shrines and the story of Togakushi linked to Shinto creation myths,  giving it true significance within Japanese culture .

Part of the wider Myoko-Togakushi Renzan National Park, Togakushi’s spiritual significance is matched by its natural beauty making it a fantastic destination for nature and wildlife enthusiasts; while also home to the Togakure-ryu school of ninjitsu, famous ‘soba’, 'takezaiku' bamboo craft and picturesque Togakushi Ski Resort. Links to relevant information are also available on the episode page on the Snow Country Stories Japan website and chapter markers are listed below.

Based in Nagano, I guide tours to Togakushi – one of my favourite places to guide – so if you’re interested in that make sure listen onto the end of the episode when I provide a little information about my services and checkout the ‘Tours’ section of the Snow Country Stories Japan website. Of course, if you want to head there by yourself, I also provide information about how to do so and the best times to visit.

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.

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In Episode 11 of Snow Country Stories Japan, I speak with Yuki Iwanami, a renowned photographer based in the snow country area of Aizu in Fukushima. Yuki’s photography explores the humanity of man-made and natural disasters such as war, trafficking and earthquakes. As such, his portfolio features his work in countries including Nepal, Pakistan, China, India and Cambodia along with his home country of Japan.

As of March 2011, Yuki was working as a photographer for The Yomiuri Shimbun - one of Japan’s five major newspapers – when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. Yuki was assigned to travel to Fukushima to photograph the aftermath of the earthquake and consequent tsunami and nuclear meltdowns. That assignment required Yuki to regularly travel to Fukushima and over a period of years, he came to experience an affinity for Fukushima and the broader Tohoku region. Yuki and his family made the decision to relocate to the snow country area of Aizu, from where he continues to focus on aftermath of the triple disaster through multiple projects. 

This episode is (in a sense) a follow-up to Episode 07 ‘Life After the Quake: Guiding, Cycling & the Essence of Japan’, in which I spoke to guide and writer Kevin Kato about topics including his experience of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and meltdowns – events that led him to relocate his family to Nagano and ultimately, write a book about that experience. Make sure to checkout Yuki’s website -  www.yukiiwanami.com - through which you can view his portfolio of work both in Japan and abroad, and follow him on Instagram. 

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.

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In Episode 10 of Snow Country Stories Japan, I speak with Sam Yoneda, lead distiller at the newly opened but already well-awarded Nozawa Onsen Distillery. Founded with a vision to produce gin and whisky that reflect the character of Nozawa Onsen, the distillery opened its doors to the public in December 2022 and since that time has won multiple awards both in Japan and abroad – awards including four gold medals at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, four medals – including platinum, double gold and gold – at The Sip Awards, and most recently named the 2023 New Distillery of the Year at the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition. 

Sam was good enough to sit with me for a chat on a humid and wild day in Nozawa Onsen, as an early summer storm passed over the village. As he explains, the distillery currently produces four gins including its signatures Nozawa Gin, Classic Dry Gin, Iwai Gin and Shiso Gin – all of which reflect the local history and character and all of which have already been awarded. We discuss the distilling and barreling of their whisky that will be on the market in a couple of years’ time.

Nozawa Onsen is located around 50km / 70 minutes drive to the northeast of Nagano City. One of the snow country’s most historic and famous hot spring towns, in recent years it better known as one of the best ski resorts in Japan. Following on from my chat with Sam, I go into a little detail about the ski resort and why I consider it the best all-round ski resort in Nagano. So make sure to listen all the way to the end of the episode when I discuss that before rounding-out the show by asking Sam to confirm a theory I have about the heat of Nozawa hot springs.

Make sure to checkout the Nozawa Onsen Distillery website and follow them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. For those headed to Nozawa Onsen, the distillery is only a couple of minutes walk from the centre of the village and is open to the public everyday other than Tuesdays, from 12:00 to 19:00. 

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.

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In Episode 09 of Snow Country Stories Japan, I speak with Tim Bunting. Based in Yamagata but originally from New Zealand, Tim is a practicing ‘yamabushi’ and better known by his moniker the ‘Kiwi Yamabushi’. Translating as ‘one who prostrates himself on a mountain’, the word ‘yamabushi’ refers to mountain ascetics – those who practices various forms of shugendo – a syncretic faith system or systems that blend Shintoism, Buddhism, Taoism, folklore and more – of which ritual and practice in natural landscapes, especially mountains is a fundamental. 

In speaking with Tim, we go into detail about his practice and the principles of shugendo, his experiences as a yamabushi and the importance of nature worship or spending time in nature. Tim documents his practice on his personal website while also promoting and supporting yamabushi experiences and training for Japanese, foreign residents and international visitors. If you are interested in those programs, please visit www.yamabushido.jp and to follow Tim, visit his really fantastic website www.timbunting.com or follow him on Instagram @kiwiyamabushi.

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.

Send us Fan Mail

In Episode 08 of Snow Country Stories Japan I delve a little deeper into what and where the snow country is, why I value it, why I think you should visit and my own story and the services I provide as a writer and guide based in Nagano. I also provide some basic information about how to get to the snow country, which obviously depends to your exact destination and how you want to travel.

As discussed in the episode, the term ‘雪国 / yukiguni’ or ‘snow country’, refers to regions and areas of heavy snowfall and its broadest sense can be applied to just over half the Japanese landmass. Despite that, it’s a region of Japan largely unknown to the outside world as most international visitors spend their time in the large cities of Tokyo, Yokohoma, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka and typically only venture into regional areas a daytrip or overnight visit. Through this podcast I want to promote the snow country to the world. It’s an invitation to visit or better yet, come to stay and grow old with us in the snow country.

I call the snow country my home, working as a freelance guide and writer in Nagano. You can find more information about my services as a writer and services as a guide on this website, along with ‘My Story’ – in which I provide a little information about my background and motivations. I have been guiding in Japan for more than 6 years – mostly in and around Nagano Prefecture along with surrounding prefectures of Central Japan. The website lists my current tours. I design tours that provide guests with engaging experiences that are fun, well-paced and with the flexibility to suit your needs, interests and itinerary.

Toward the end of the episode I provide some information about moving to, from and around the snow country including use of the Shinkansen / ‘Bullet Train’ network. If you plan to do so it’s worth considering the Japan Rail (JR) Pass as it can represent significant savings (depending on how often you plan to use the train) along with regional passes including the JR East Nagano & Niigata Pass, the Hokuriku Arch Pass, the JR East Tohoku Pass and Hokkaido Rail Passes.

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.

Send us Fan Mail

In Episode 07 of Snow Country Stories Japan, I speak with Kevin Kato, a guide and writer based in Matsumoto, Nagano. Kevin guides extended cycling and walking tours in Japan and in the first half of the interview we discuss the pleasure we both find in guiding, the need to convey of sense of place to guests and the growing popularity of cycling, including cycling tours and new routes in Japan. The Japan Alps Cycling Road is one such route that we touch upon briefly during the interview – a 700km / 435 loop circuit that takes in many of the highlights of Nagano.

In the second half of the interview, we delve into Kevin's story and how he came to be living in Nagano following the Great Tohoku Earthquake'that occurred on March 11th 2011 - an event that triggered the tsunami that devastated vast areas of Japan's coast and resulted in multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Resident in the Fukushima at the time of the quake, Kevin wrote a book – titled ‘For Now, After the Quake: A Father’s Journey’ - about that experience  and his family's ordeal of getting to safety; a journey that eventually led them to settle in Nagano, since which time he has been guiding and pursuing his love of cycling, running and the outdoors.

Cycling Japan Tours: http://cyclingjapan.jp/
Japan Alps Cycling Road: https://japanalpscycling.jp/en

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.

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In Episode 06 of Snow Country Stories Japan, I had the privilege of visiting Shiga Kogen Brewery – one of the snow country’s most recognisable, popular and awarded breweries. Established in 2004 by the founder and master brewer, Sato Eigo, Shiga Kogen Brewery grew out of his family’s much older Tamamura Honten – a sake brewery dating back more than 200 years – with a vision to produce beers with character and that reflected the local area. Today it is known for its ales and IPAs, Shiga Kogen also produces an enticing range seasonal varieties and barrel-aged beers. 

I was fortunate enough to arrange a chat with Todoroki Mai, a member of the Shiga Kogen Brewery team. Mai is great fun to spend time with and we discussed a lot including the beers they are producing with a particular focus on their celebrated barrel-aged series named ‘Yamabushi’.

The brewery takes its name from nearby Shiga Kogen Mountain Resort – Japan’s largest and highest ski resort. As such, you can’t talk the brewery without talking the ski resort, which I discuss in the introduction and recommend to anyone booking a ski or snowboard trip to Nagano. Shiga Kogen Brewery is located around 20 minutes drive for the lowest ski fields of the resort and operate a tap house called ‘Teppa Room’ in the central resort village of Ichinose, along with a second tap house called ‘The Farmhouse’ nearby the Jigokudani Monkey Park. 

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.

Send us Fan Mail

In Episode 05 of Snow Country Stories Japan, I speak with Hayashi Motohiro - better known as ‘Moto the Mountain Guide’. Moto is a true man of the mountains, an experienced guide who makes his working and guiding in Japan’s tallest mountains. As such, Moto is most certainly leading the high life here in the snow country of Japan.

Japan is in every sense a country of mountains. Over 70% of the Japanese land mass is designated as mountainous or rugged. Japan has 21 mountains over 3000 metres with many more mountains of over 2000 and 2500 metres. The majority of Japan’s tallest mountains are found in three ranges in the centre of Honshu - the Hida, Kiso and Akaishi Mountains - more commonly referred to as the North, Central and South Alps; and when grouped together the three ranges are simply referred to as the ‘Japanese Alps’. It is important to note however that Mount Fuji - Japan's tallest mountain - is not located within the Alps but sits alone to the south*.

*In the introduction to the podcast, I mistakenly state that Fuji is to the east of Tokyo. It is in fact to the west. 

My chat with Moto starts with us talking his winter working ski patrol at Hakuba Iwatake and his the upcoming season working and guiding in the North Alps and Mount Fuji. The conversation then moves onto his own story and how a young man from Saitama travelled to Nepal and then New Zealand, and fell in love with mountain life. For anyone wanting to book Moto as a guide, you can get in touch with him via his personal website – for guiding including the North Alps and others around Nagano – or the Fuji Mountain Guides website – in relation to guiding on Mount Fuji; and make sure to follow him on Instagram!

For listeners interested in some of the destinations we discuss in today’s episode, please refer to the following websites:

Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field: https://iwatake-mountain-resort.com/winter.

Kamikochi: https://www.kamikochi.org/.

Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route: https://www.alpen-route.com/en/.

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.

Send us Fan Mail

Hello again from the snow country! This is a short announcement to let you know that as of this week, the name of the podcast will be changing from ‘Snow Country For Old Men’ to ‘Snow Country Stories Japan’ and with that, the website address will also be updated.

The reasons for the change are simple and won’t result in any alteration to the podcast content or our usual bi-weekly schedule. While I’m very fond of the current name, I want to make things a little clearer for listeners and help them discover the podcast as easily as possible. This is a podcast about life in Japan’s snow country as told by the people who live here. It’s a podcast of diverse stories and voices and for those reasons, I feel that the simply named ‘Snow Country Stories Japan’ is the best fit for what the podcast already is and the direction I see it headed in future. 

The website will also update to www.snowcountrystories.com and our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts will all be updated later this week, before the next full episode is available on Sunday 30th April. I am looking forward to bringing you a lot more stories from the snow country!

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.