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Stories of travel, life and culture beyond the big cities. Outland Japan is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Peter Carnell - a freelance tour guide based in northern Nagano – that transports you to rural, regional and the wilds of Japan in pursuit of stories that lie outside the neon hum of Tokyo and golden trimmings of Kyoto. Stories from the Japanese outlands.
62 Episodes
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Send us a text In Episode 50 of the podcast I speak with Marcus Consolini, owner and general manager of Daimon Shuzo - a 200 year old sake brewery in Osaka - and board member of the Minka Preservation Society. Marcus has hands on experience in the restoration of multiple historical properties in Japan including the brewery, private residences and other buildings. Given that experience, Marcus is an ideal guest to speak about the process of acquiring and renovating ‘kominka’ (traditional house...
Send us a text Episode 49 of the podcast takes us to the smallest of Japan’s four main islands, Shikoku, and onto the Shikoku Henro. Associated with the life and teachings of legendary Buddhist monk Kūkai - also known as Kōbō Daishi – the Shikoku Henro is an 88 temple, 1200km / 745 mile pilgrimage circuit that circumambulates the island. Long-known by Japanese, “the Henro” is increasingly popular for international visitors with many people traveling to Japan specifically to walk a section or ...
Send us a text In Episode 48 we travel to rural Kyoto Prefecture to speak with Vincent Ng, otherwise known on Instagram as Kyoto Insider. As Kyoto Insider, Vince documents his life in rural Kyoto, and in doing so, explores the interconnection of food chain origins while showing off his lifestyle. He is hands on in that exploration, embracing all aspects of rural life. Fishing, farming and hunting all feature heavily and reflect the realities and opportunities of life in rural Japan and how fo...
Send us a text In Episode 47 I speak with Reverend Dr. TK Nakagaki. Rev. Dr. Nakagaki is the author of the book 'The Buddhist Swastika and Hitler’s Cross: Rescuing a Symbol of Peace from the Forces of Hate'. Published in 2017, the book presents a cross-cultural history of the “swastika”, a symbol of peace used by multiple Eastern religions, including Japanese Buddhism, and indigenous peoples but typically regarded as a hate symbol in the West. Known as 'manji' in Japan, the swastika is ...
Send us a text In Episode 46 of the podcast I speak with outdoor guide, Kouhei Nishida. Kouhei is the founder of Shinano Discovery - an outdoor guiding company - and a key member of the team behind creation of the Amatomi Trail. Opened to the public in 2021, the Amatomi Trail stretches 86km / 54 miles from Nagano City through Myoko Togakushi Renzan National Park to Lake Nojiriko and onto Madarao, on the border of Nagano and Niigata Prefectures. The Amatomi Trail is one of, if not the most acc...
Send us a text Episode 45 transports us to Tohoku in the north-east of Japan’s main island of Honshu. Tohoku is a large region comprised of six prefectures – Fukushima, Yamagata, Akita, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori – known for its open and striking landscapes and distinct local traditions. Leading us on this exploration is photographer Alfonso Calero. With more than 20 years of experience as a professional photographer, Alfonso leads small photography tours to Japan each year, including his 10-da...
Send us a text This is the second half of Episode 44 of the podcast, my cha with Richard Pearce of Sustainable Daisen. Originally from the UK, Richard founded and operates Sustainable Daisen – an NPO dedicated to the protection of the Japanese Giant Salamander and effective conservation of its habitat. Richard and I discussed the salamander, the threats it is facing and the tremendous work of Sustainable Daisen in the first part of the interview. In the second half of our interview Rich...
Send us a text In Episode 44 we travel to the southwest of Japan’s main island of Honshu and onto Tottori Prefecture to speak with Richard Pearce of Sustainable Daisen – an NPO dedicated to the conservation of the Japanese Giant Salamander and the habitat it is reliant upon. Originally from the United Kingdom, Richard founded and operates Sustainable with his wife and with the support of others in advocating for, researching and educating the public about the plight of the salamander. One of ...
Send us a text Episode 43 takes us to the beautiful Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture to speak with guest, Lauren Scharf. Lauren and her husband live in a 117 year old ‘kominka’ (farmhouse / folkhouse), a home they have restored themselves and as such, they are part of an enthusiastic community of ‘minka’ owners across Japan. In support of that community, Lauren is also on the board of the Minka Preservation Society, an organisation dedicated to the conservation of Japan’s wonderful herit...
Send us a text Episode 42 of the podcast takes us in the mountains once again as we explore Japan’s mountain religion of Shugendo. My guest leading us in that discussion is Dr Caleb Swift Carter of Kyushu University. Dr Carter specialises in Buddhist Studies and the medieval and early modern religious history of Japan, with a focus on the mountain tradition of Shugendo. As such, he’s ideally-suited to guide us in exploration of what I consider to be one of the more interesting aspects of Japa...
Send us a text In Episode 41 of the podcast we return to Hokkaido and onto its most famous volcanoes as I chat with Chuck Olbery of Hokkaido Powder Guides. Operating for 20 years, Hokkaido Powder Guides offers backcountry, free and customised tours across Japan’s northern island including touring of its most prominent volcanoes – including Mount Yotei, Mount Tokachi, Mount Asahidake and Mount Rishiri. Straddling the Pacific Ring of Fire, - the 40,000 km / 25,000 mi long tectonic belt rings th...
Send us a text In Episode 39 of the podcast we travel to the deep snow country of Minami-Uonuma to speak with Kuwakino Keiko. Keiko is the head chef of Sanaburi, the Michelin-starred restaurant within the renowned hotel, Satoyama Jujo. Awarded that Michelin-star in 2020, Keiko has since gone on to receive a Terroir Award and a score of 15.5 by Gault Millau in 2022 while also nominated as one of Japan’s 100 Best Chefs. Keiko’s acclaimed cuisine draws on the traditional plants and methods local...
Send us a text In Episode 38 of the podcast we travel just outside of Nagano City to speak with Osaka Gaku, the owner of Solashima. Solashima is a vintage and antique store selling furniture and other items. As Gaku explains during the interview, the furniture and other pieces he acquires and sells range in age, design and condition. In collecting items for the store, Gaku seeks out pieces that are beautiful, unique and bear witness to the struggle of craftsperson that created it. The process...
Send us a text Episode 37 of the podcast takes us to Minakami in Gunma Prefecture to speak with Zack Berman of Momi-no-Ki Lodge. Originally from the United States, Zack and his wife Amanda own and operate the large self-contained lodge in the heart of Minakami – a hot spring town now well-established as one of Japan’s best outdoor destinations. We discuss the skiing and snowboarding available at the multiple resorts in the area – including the celebrated backcountry of Tanigawadake Tenjindair...
Send us a text I am pleased to announce that the podcast will be returning with the first episode of Season 4 on Tuesday 22nd October, under the new name of 'Outland Japan'. The podcast has now been running around a year-and-a-half, and during that time, I've discovered more and more stories I’d like to bring you, that lie outside of the snow country, in other areas of regional and rural Japan. Under the new name of 'Outland Japan', I’ll start to do just that as I extend the focus of the pod ...
Send us a text Episode 40 takes us to Japan’s northern island of Japan to speak with John Greiner, founder of Iwanai Resort. Blessed with Hokkaido’s legendary powder and without the crowds of nearby Niseko, Iwanai is regarded as Japan’s best cat skiing and snowboarding mountain. While the lower resort is open to the public, it is Iwanai’s cat operation which has put it on the map as Japan’s best. Mount Iwanai stands 1086 metres / 3562 feet above sea level and offers a diverse range of ...
Send us a text In Episode 36 of the podcast we head into the North Alps – Japan’s highest mountain range – and onto Norikura. Standing 3026 metres / 9927 feet above sea level, Mount Norikura or Norikuradake is one of the highest peaks in North Alps, a volcanic mountain which straddles the border of Nagano and Gifu Prefectures. It is here, in the village below the mountain, that we travel to meet Ogawa Yui, Community Manager of Norikura Zero Labo – a program pushing Norikura toward being Japan...
Send us a text Episode 35 of the podcast takes us to Shiga Kogen Highlands in Nagano Prefecture. Declared a UNESCO Biopshere Reserve in 1980, Shiga Kogen is an alpine landscape which includes major peaks such as Mount Shiga and Mount Kusatsu-Shirane – one of Japan’s most active volcanoes – renowned for its biodiversity, wetlands and distinct seasonal beauty. In this episode I speak with Yokota Shinji – a talented landscape and nature photographer who regularly accompanies guests into th...
Send us a text This is the second half of Episode 34 of the podcast, my chat with Dan Solo of Snowball Japan. Originally from Australia, Dan and his wife Andy first travelled to Japan more than 20 years ago and fell in love with life in the snow country. They set themselves to one day run their own ski lodge, a dream that came to fruition when they opened Snowball Chalet in Madarao, followed soon after by Snowman Apartments. Since that time, Dan and Andy have taken on more properties in Madar...
Send us a text In Episode 34 of the podcast we head to Madarao Mountain Resort in Nagano to speak with Dan Solo of Snowball Japan. Originally from Australia, Dan and his wife Andy first travelled to Japan more than 20 years ago and fell in love with life in the snow country. They set themselves to one day run their own ski lodge, a dream that came to fruition when they opened Snowball Chalet in Madarao, followed soon after by Snowman Apartments. Since that time, Dan and Andy have taken on mor...
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