Since coming to Japan, my studies of Mt. Fuji have led me to think of the mountain as primarily a site of religious and cultural significance. Yet since I have been studying Fuji for six weeks, there are differences in how I perceive Fuji compared to how other tourists do. During the climb, I was […]

A week before I left to begin my journey in Japan, I visited the summit of Mauna Kea to watch the sunset and stargaze. Little did I know that I would soon draw intriguing parallels between the mountain of my home and the mountain I would climb on my trip. Now that I have experienced […]

I feel a bit homesick for my forests. I love strolling off the trail and sticking my nose in a flower or the dirt, running my hand over mossy tree trunks. This is no unique desire among many Americans. Some of us have had the privilege of growing up climbing trees and jumping into lakes. […]

I thought I was prepared for my visit to Nara Park, home to hundreds of Japanese sika deer. I’d seen friends’ selfies with the wide-eyed animals and heard about tourists feeding them the crackers sold by local vendors. I even passed a television screen in the train station of a cartoon deer on two feet […]

Although Mt. Fuji is undoubtedly the crown jewel of Japan’s natural landscape, another landform, tucked away near the tip of the Kii Peninsula, rivals Fuji in both beauty and cultural significance. Such a place is Nachi-no-taki, a waterfall that towers over the surrounding woodland like Mt. Fuji dominates above the five lakes. Although Nachi Falls […]