The Road Not Taken

While travelling abroad as a younger man, I often had the feeling that the highlight of my entire vacation was just around the next corner. This obsession of mine often frustrated my travelling companions. The Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower and the Roman Colosseum are no-brainers—of course you have to see these sights if you get the chance. But personally, I prefer serendipity. I love stumbling upon a hidden gem that few tourists have ever seen or experienced. Don’t you?  

It’s that very same nagging feeling that continues to compel me to explore the mountain roads of Japan. I cannot travel down each and every road, but at the very least, I can try to do justice to the one I have chosen to travel by:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

–Robert Frost

This site aims to curate your journey along the mountain roads at the heart of rural Japan. Allow me to share the very best that Yamanashi has to offer. It doesn’t take much imagination to picture times long forgotten on these serendipitous adventures.

Warmest regards,

David Ellis (デイビット  エリス)

Click on the link below to see the location of Yamanashi in relation to Tokyo and the surrounding area. Yamanashi Prefecture borders Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Nagano and Saitama. The main city of Kofu is about 90 minutes from Tokyo (JR Shinjuku Station) on a regular express train. It takes about 2.5 hours to drive to Kofu from Haneda Airport. You can also access Yamanashi from the Shinkansen line (bullet train) that runs through Shizuoka. Take the JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line to JR Shizuoka Station, change to the Limited Express Fujikawa bound for the JR Minobu Line. There are also highway buses from various cities. You can easily catch a bus from JR Shinjuku Station for around ¥2,000. For real diehards, you can walk from Nihon Bashi to the foot of Mount Fuji, just as people did in the Edo period (1603-1868).

Yamanashi Location Map

Please read my opinion piece from The Japan Times.

Discover how I am expanding inbound tourism in Japan.

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