LATEST ARTICLES
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#Beppu#Yufuin#OitaWhy does Beppu have so much hot water? Chasing steam across Oita, from the Hells to Yufuin's sea of clouds
Red, blue, gray — why does the same ground in Beppu push up water in such different colors? A January 2023 trip through the Hells of Beppu, Yufugawa Gorge, Higashi-Shiiya Falls, and the morning clouds over Mt. Yufu.
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#Lake Toya#Muroran#HokkaidoLake Toya and Muroran Are Landscapes Built by Living Volcanoes — Three Days Circling a Caldera and Its Eruptions
Why did a red mountain rise out of a field? Why does a mountain float in the middle of a lake? From Lake Toya's caldera to Showa-Shinzan, Mt. Usu, and the sea cliffs of Muroran — three days tracing Hokkaido's living volcanoes, capped by a helicopter flight.
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#Yakushima#Kagoshima#graniteYakushima Is One Giant Block of Granite — Two Days Walking an Island Where Mountains Rise Straight from the Sea
Why is there a 1,900-meter mountain in the middle of the ocean? Why do Yakushima's cedars live for thousands of years? Every answer traces back to one thing: the island is a single mass of granite. A two-day walk through Shiratani, Senpiro Falls, and Yokogawa.
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#Miyazaki#Takachiho#Takachiho GorgeThe day I finally understood Takachiho Gorge's vertical cliffs
Rowing a boat at Takachiho Gorge in Miyazaki, looking up at Manai Falls from the water. Three generations, five people — Iwato Jinja, Kunimigaoka, and a night of Kagura. A November 2023 trip log.
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#Noto Peninsula#Ishikawa#coastal geologyTwo Seas, One Reef: Reading Noto's Coast at Senmaida and Kamogaura
Why are Noto's rice terraces so impossibly steep? Why does the sea look completely different on either side of a single rocky headland? A one-day walk along the Noto Peninsula, reading the answers in the landforms. Parking and map info included.
- 奥景#Introduction#About Okkay Vistas
Welcome to Okkay Vistas
Japan, one layer deeper. A travel blog about the landscapes just past Japan's postcard spots — and the geology and topography that shape them.