Tanabe City is best known for being the gateway to the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails, yet this former castle town has much more to offer.

There are a great number of machiya (traditional townhouses) and yashiki (former samurai residences) and a dozen shrines and temples in the vicinity of the city center.

Tanabe also has a number of illustrious VIPs – Benkei, Ueshiba Morihei and Minakata Kumagusu.

• Benkei is a legendary 12th century Buddhist warrior monk.
• Ueshiba Morihei, aka O-Sensei, is the founder of Aikido.
• Minakata Kumagusu is a pioneer naturalist and scientist with all the trappings of prodigy and an eccentric researcher.

This article was first published in Kansai Scene magazine in March 2013.

Read the full article here: http://www.kansaiscene.com/2013/03/secret-discoveries/

On a recent monitor I visited Shirahama, an onsen resort near Tanabe City. The beach was quite empty at this time of the year; just a few people walking along the seashores to catch the sunset.

Lush green forests and mountains as far as one can see; countless streams and waterfalls with crystal water; and rustic friendly villages – this is what first sparks the interest. Then the rich heritage of the region considered the spiritual heartland of Japan gets you hooked. Kumano is situated in the southern part of the Kii Peninsula, just three hours by train or car from Nagoya or Osaka. This mountainous area is a great place to cool down and power up during Tokyo’s boiling summer.

This article was published in Metropolis magazine, in June 2012.

Please read the full text of this article here: Kumano: Hikers’ Heaven Meets Onsen Paradise

In April 2012 I went to Yoshinoyama in search of the famous cherry blossoms. It was the tail-end of the sakura season.

I took the cable car up the mountain and then walked from the cable car station uphill. In the short period of time it took me to reach Kuromon gate, I had decided that this was not for me. Yes, I saw that the sakura blossoms were still there, but the masses of people just put me off.

Although I came to see the sakura blossoms just for one day, I managed to walk all the way from the Niomon gate of Kimpusen-ji temple to Kimpu-jinja shrine. This is a constant uphill walk. People everywhere!

After all, I did enjoy the view of of the big wooden hall of Kimpusen-ji in the distance and the mountain slopes covered in pink from the sakura blossoms in the foreground. I also enjoyed the view of Mount Katsuragi and Mount Kongo from near Kimpu-jinja shrine.

At the time I did not know yet that I would be coming to Yoshinoyama often and in all seasons some years later…

This article was published by Eye-Ai magazine in October 2010.