It was the perfect plan. If only I had considered how Japanese hotels operate.

The creepy legend of how Chokai-san (Mt. Chokai) got its distinct shape, and how Yamagata Prefecture's only inhabited island was formed.

How this humble plant made it to the top of my list of Japanese foods

Or 'Marine Day'. If you really want.

And the Japanese Colonel Sanders’ golden idea

I left my Ikigai on Mt. Haguro

A story from yamabushi training

Well, can you?

Featuring The Legend of how Japan's most famous mountain man couldn't quite handle it

The Legend of Haguro-san's Bell Tower

How a Dragon Kami gave us the best rice in Japan.

Knowledge has nothing on experience

How to capture nature in the written word

The Best Coffee Spots in Sakata, and what I really think of them

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

The Culture Shock I Never Expected—Nor Wanted

Whether by man or by nature, these buildings are disappearing. And they are disappearing fast.

Spend even a tiny amount of time in Japan, and you may notice a strange yet comforting presence.

‘It’s a piece of crap, but I hope you like it’ - Japan.

That is not a typo. Everyone has to fall in sometime...

Ask the wives of court nobles of the 14th century...

One major role for dragons in Japan (besides protecting my house)

The forgotten festival and Japanese cultural faux pas #2934

Quite a lot, actually.

Watch the view. Or maybe don't.

It's not where you think

The perennial question for us followers of Shugendo

One Traffic Light at a Time

The one Japanese custom the world needs

You’ll find him near waterfalls all over Japan.

And the legends they created.

Those clouds aren't going to watch themselves!

The pilgrim's lodge village of Toge on Haguro-san

Introducing the mountains in the Shonai Region of Yamagata

The waterfalls of Chokai-san

Plus the scientific basis behind it all.

The warlord to end all warlords

Uketamo has a long, long history.

The vermillion and white sash represents yin and yang, the vast cosmos and the natural world.

How I came to live in rural Japan

And the best way to learn the real meaning of words

Notice I didn't say 'winning'.

The Japanese title for Spirited Away is Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi 千と千尋の神隠し.

And the red man who lead us to it

Why do Shinto yamabushi wear the strange vermillion sash? What special meanings does the Futodasuki hold? What does the mirror represent?

Joining a Yamabushi Initiation Ritual

Death is an everyday thing. So is living.

Starbucks is decidedly NOT a Kissaten

Feat. Sakata Rice Crackers!

Yamabushi gotta yamabushi.

I asked the proprietor when the original temple was built.

This might be the most important thing I write this year.

Yamagata in its rightful place

In your element, in the elements

How to prove you are smarter than a Japanese person.

Chokai-san: The Sparkling Gem in Tohoku's Eye

You had me at 'Japanese art'.

Do this and you can officially call yourself Japanese

Here's what I learned.

Why February 28 Is Biscuit Day (And What Your Japanese Car Has to Say About It)

Ichigo Ichie - One moment, one meeting. One chance in a lifetime.

Why do I live in Yamagata? Why don’t I live in Tokyo or Osaka with the rest of them?

At the time, The Unlimited Teddy Bear was watching footage of Minecraft axolotls in English when they realised the English word for Axolotl was, in fact, Axolotl.

And the ultimate in Japanese mountain warriors

Stop for a moment to be in the moment

Focus on the step in front of you, not the mountain in the distance.

How Japan switched from a Lunisolar to a Gregorian Calendar. Or tried to, at least.

'Foreigner in a suit' and The Beginner's Mind