Alena Eckelmann

@alena.eckelmann

Celebrating my 10th year anniversary in Japan in May 2018, the country that I call home now. I lived in crazy Tokyo for 6 years and since 2011 I call the Kii Peninsula (Kumano, Koyasan and Yoshinoyama) my home.

I have visited all 47 prefectures of Japan and for the last 4 years I have worked as a guide for foreign visitors.

My special interest is in Japanese nature and spirituality. I love spending time in the forest and mountains and I love visiting temples and shrines.

I am also a licensed guide for the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails and for Koyasan, the Buddhist monastery, in addition to being a practitioner and guide for Shinrin Yoku (Forest Therapy).

In recent years I have taken visitors to walk the Kumano Kodo trails, the Nakasendo trail, the 88 temple pilgrimage trail around Shikoku Island and to Dewa Sanzan, the three sacred mountains in Yamagata Prefecture.

If you look for nature and spirituality in your trip to Japan, then Wakayama, Nara and Yamagata Prefectures are ideal places to get started!

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Food

Ponshukan – Sake Heaven

A highlight for entertainment in Echigo-Yuzawa in "Snow Country" is right at the train station. It is the Ponshukan, an unusual institution where you can combine sake tasting from mini sake vending machines and onsen bathing - in hotsprin..

Niigata 3

Culture

Sakai Knife in the Making

Knife is not knife! While most of us nowadays like knives made of stainless steel, professionals in the Japanese gourmet world prefer carbon steel knives from Sakai. The blade you see actually consists of two layers forged into one: a softer jigane ..

Osaka 1 1

Activity

Shirahama Beach

A white sandy beach and a southern resort feeling with palm trees and a stunning sunset make Shirahama Beach located at the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula an excellent alternative to flying out to Hawaii. Actually Shirahama Beach and Waikiki Beach..

Wakayama

Activity

Trekking on Mount Zao

Mount Zao is nowadays not the object of worship of any religion like some other mountains in Japan but it is mainly revered by hikers and nature lovers in summer and by skiers and snowboarders in winter. However, a closer look around in the area giv..

Yamagata

Culture

Timber Woodcraft in Shogawa, Toyama

Shogawa is the name of a river that has its source in the mountains of the Takayama area in Gifu Prefecture. It runs through Toyama Prefecture and flows into the ocean of Toyama Bay. The river, which flows for 115km through mountains areas, has alwa..

Toyama 21 2

Culture

Inami Wood Carving

Inami Town in Toyama Prefecture is well-known for their skilled wood carvers and sculptors. There are 120 wood carving workshops spread out throughout the town with 300 wood carvers. It is said to take ten years at least before someone can reach the ..

Toyama 1

Culture

Takaoka Lacquerware

Japanese lacquerware, or Shikki, has gained popularity around the world. There are several famous centers of lacquerware production throughout the whole of Japan (except for Hokkaido). Takaoka ranks amongst the top together with Wajima Lacquerware (I..

Toyama 10 1

Culture

Making Your Own Sake Cup

You like sake and you enjoy sampling the regional flavours of this Japanese brew, but do you own your sake cup? At the Takaoka Regional Industrial Promotion Centre you can cast your own sake cup! You need to make a reservation for this workshop in ad..

Toyama 1

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