Looking for a place to stay on a budget? Need an insider’s guide to a travel destination? Couch Surfing is a non-profit network of over a million travelers that share a common interest in travel, friendship, and cultural exchange. Open your house up and offer your couch to wanderers and in return for the comfort of millions of couches around the world. The greatest part of couch surfing is that it is entirely FREE! (more…)

What exactly is canyoning? To the uninformed layman the word may conjure up images of an adventurous trip exploring a canyon, although the details are not readily apparent. It sounds interesting, but uninformative. In my expert opinion (I am a one-time canyoning veteran as of this past weekend) I would more appropriately name it, “waterfalling” because that is precisely what it is — jumping off rushing waterfalls! (more…)

The sunburn, the threat of rain, the sweat, the cheers, and the beer are all part of kaleidoscope that is The ALT Soccer Tournament. (more…)

“Did you come to this country to pray for the proper functioning of your genitals?” — Not quite!  But regardless, I handed over 900 yen to the creepy lady in her penis garden and began the tour of Gunma’s only penis museum. (more…)

Hi. My Name is Ian McDonald. After a massive 3 day gauntlet of introductory conferences in Tokyo, seeing Gunma from a bus window for the first time served up quite a shock to my initial expectations of what life was going to be like in Japan. The proud skyscrapers of Shinjuku thawed quickly into a sprawling green landscape guarded by mountains and hills in nearly every direction. I had been mesmerized by Tokyo, but after a couple of hours on the highway I realized I had only then entered Japan. (more…)

A wise old man in some corner of Japan once said, “He who climbs Fuji is a wise man.  He who climbs twice is a fool.”  It’s been almost one year since I myself made the ascent up Japan’s highest peak, and perhaps it is my foolish intention to reach the summit again this August. (more…)

In days past, Gunma Prefecture was called “Joshu” or “Jomo”, and, as samurai, shogunate, emperors, and commonfolk traveled to and through our dear Gunma Prefecture in search of silk, agricultural treats, military gain, or maybe love, it was only inevitable that they would find themselves at the abrupt foothills of the Kanto Mountain Range. Gunma Prefecture has many mountains across its landlocked mass, but these 3 specific mountains are very special and revered as Shinto deities. (more…)