I've posted some of these on various threads, but thought I'd collect my thoughts here.

When my friend said, I'm going hiking (tramping in Kiwi dialect!) in Japan, and hoping to do a 5 day traverse, would you like to come, I was pretty interested in going. I'd visited in 2006, and always been quite keen to get out of the cities and off into whatever wild is around. My friend is also a mountain guide, and speaks pretty fluent Japanese, also bonuses. My family was kind enough to let me go.

We've done a fair bit of travelling together, and know how each other travels and hikes, so that was all good. My only issue is that he still does marathons, where I would be lucky to run 10k these days. But I can walk, and even some distance uphill. I did do some training, with the caveat that mountains are in short supply in southern Ontario. Still, it did help.

The traverse started near Mt. Tanigawa, Gunma prefecture, and ended near Tsunan in Niigata province. The traverse ranged from ~600m to 2150m (lots of up and down, the tracks were typically peak to peak). Pack weight was obviously an issue, and I got my base pack weight down as low as I could. We were staying in free huts, or tenting, so we did have to carry a tent, and cook gear. We then took the local train down to Nagano.

In terms of camera gear, I did have a bit of a selection issue. I was always going to take my GR, and very happy I did - there really still is nothing to touch it for versatility, image quality, and size. Many of the photos below are from it. I did want a tele and video solution, though.

I was going to take Fuji gear, but the lack of a compact tele solution put me off, and size-wise it seemed too big. I am not as young as I was, and wanted to enjoy walking, so controlling weight was really important.

For work travelling last year, I picked up and have enjoyed a Panasonic GM1, and I ended up caving and buying an open-box GM5 (viewfinder) for this trip. I took the 12-32mm kit, 20mm F1.7, 45mm F1.8 olympus, and the compact 35-100 F4-5.6. In a bag, with a spare battery, the whole set weighed 929g. This sat on the front of my pack waist strap. I also took my compact Benro tripod. I ended up using the 20mm and tripod the least, but enjoyed them when needed. I also got some decent video, which was great to share with others, and which I would do again. At pixel level, Micro 4/3 doesn't always look the best compared to APS-C, but is perfectly adequate, and equally sharp with good lenses.

Long story short, I had a fantastic time, and think I put together a few compelling landscapes, and even a couple of street shots. I would recommend Japan back country to anyone (the only downside is the rarity of any sort of toilet). The weather didn't always play the game, but that is part of travel.

Without further ado:


Night Market by Aaron, on Flickr


The Path by Aaron, on Flickr


Forest quiet by Aaron, on Flickr


Reflected by Aaron, on Flickr


On the Bridge by Aaron, on Flickr


Ridgeline by Aaron, on Flickr


Double-vision bluff by Aaron, on Flickr


The track across the tops. by Aaron, on Flickr


Tarn on the Tops by Aaron, on Flickr


Summit Traffic by Aaron, on Flickr


Morning after the storm by Aaron, on Flickr


Train by the river by Aaron, on Flickr


Golden Fields by Aaron, on Flickr

[tromboads]

Thank you for sharing, the images are lovely. I just must get there for a look!

[caliscouser]

Very nice! I think these images present a very different side of Japan that we don't see often.
What a great trip.

[PenPusher]

Very enjoyable, and well worth the trip across to Flickr to see the rest of the photos. I particularly like the night market shot.

[Clarkey]

Thank you for sharing, the images are lovely. I just must get there for a look!

Many thanks! By all means do so, it really is interesting.

Very nice! I think these images present a very different side of Japan that we don't see often.
What a great trip.

Again, many thanks - so much of what we perceive is Japan, but there is such a vibrant outdoors scene there. The internal towns are interesting in their own right, and one part that I haven't conveyed there is that the place is one giant garden. I haven't posted video, but the mountain bus ride into town after walking out was one of the highlights.

Very enjoyable, and well worth the trip across to Flickr to see the rest of the photos. I particularly like the night market shot.

Thanks very much! If there was one regret, it was that we only had the evening in Tokyo (around Ueno station) to go out. On the plus side, the streets were busy, wet and full of life. Nagano, at the end of the trip was also interesting, but in a completely different way.