Powder, Altitude, and the Endless Adventure of Shiga Kogen
There’s a special sense of anticipation as you wind your way up into the Shiga Highlands—a feeling sharpened with every turn, the landscape shifting from pine-lined valleys to the broad, powder-laden slopes of Shiga Kogen. Set within Nagano’s Joshinetsu National Park, Shiga Kogen is not just…
Madarao isn’t just a powder hound’s secret stash—in recent years, this mid-sized Nagano resort has stepped confidently into the limelight, drawing freestyle fans, families, and adventurers hunting for bottomless snow, wild terrain, and a refreshingly relaxed atmosphere where “no lift lines” is more than marketing hype. Madarao reminds me of skiing in Australia in…
Powder, Luxury, and Adventure on Japan’s Snowiest Slopes
There’s a certain thrill to arriving at Lotte Arai Resort—a sense that you’ve come to a place where the mountains still call the shots. Set on the flanks of Mt. Okenashi in Niigata Prefecture, just under two hours from Tokyo by bullet train, Arai is a rarity…
In the beautiful back streets of Gion where the traditional ‘Matcha’ tea houses hide away there are some amazing restaurants hidden behind the sliding doors and ‘Noren’ doorway curtains.
One of these outstanding restaurants is Sushi Masumoto which is a set Omakase course sushi restaurant preparing perfect individual morsels for 12 diners (eight at the…
Ramen. You love it, or you don’t. Hot, spicy, full of flavour. The best ramen is something of a work of art (see the quote below from the incredible 1985 movie Tampopo).
Sugari has something of a following in a classic Matcha house, hidden on a narrow lane off a side street,…
We don't usually write about bakeries or cafe's but it is time to change that because SHIBUichi has to be the best bakery we have visited in Japan and once discovered we have been back again and again.
If you are looking for quality baked goods early in the morning (any time before 11am) you…
Did someone say Soba? Ryan is not quite your standard Tokyo noodle stop. It is a stylish room with tables as well as bar seating, seating is comfortable and you can easily settle in for something of a session here. And let us be clear this is not a ¥900 noodle…
I am not going to pretend to be any kind of expert on the wine of Bordeaux and there are many vastly more experience wine writers who have reviewed this wine in the past and given their reviews.
But in December of 2023 at a wonderful degustation/omakase dinner at the quite incredible 'Sushi-M' this was…
Located in northwestern Nagano Prefecture of Honshu (the main island of Japan) at the base of the 3,000m tall Northern Japan Alps, you will find the town of Hakuba and the centre of HAKUBA VALLEY which is a group of 10 resorts (Happo-one, Iwatake, Tsugaike, Hakuba 47, Goryu, Kashmayari, Sanosaka, Jigatake, Norikura and Cortina). …
Nikuryori Oka is restaurant that obsesses with beef, and not just beef but A5 marbled wagyu beef largely agreed to be the most flavoursome, melt in your mouth beef in the world. Hidden away amongst the beautiful machiya tea houses of Gion you will find a restaurant and a chef who will…
