Traveling with purpose. Writing from the heart. Marie Journals is a personal travel blog about slow travel, hiking, and intentional journeys—mostly around Japan. Here, I share honest travel stories, detailed guides, reflections from the trail, and practical tips from my own experiences hiking and walking pilgrimages like the Camino de Santiago.
I started hiking around 2015 but I never really thought of investing in proper hiking gear until last year. I just use the stuff and wear the clothes that I already have at home or bought the cheapest stuff and did not consider the quality of the things I was buying. Last summer, I got…
I’m gonna be honest with you. As much as I love hiking and being in nature, it terrifies me to my very core to go hiking by myself. I’m scared of snakes, wild animals.. and spirits. Yes, I’m talking about ghosts and stuff like that. It stopped me from going hiking by myself for the…
Last weekend, me and my friends went on a roadtrip to Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture. It’s my first time going to Yamagata and I was so excited to go to Ginzan Onsen because I’m crazy for onsen like that. I hate crowds though and every time I travel, I try to go to the less…
Last year, when we went on an overnight hike to Karamatsu, there was a female hiker who fell and hit her head during the descent. It happened near the hut, so the staff at Karamatsu-dake Chojo-sanso were the ones who called emergency services to request a helicopter transport. Do you know how much search and…
I never thought I would enjoy winter hiking in this lifetime because I’ve always loved sunny weather and warm temperatures. But after hiking in autumn (which was freezing at the summit of Nikko-Shirane), I’ve become more open to cold-weather hikes — and this trip to Unryu Keikoku / 雲竜渓谷, also known as “Cloud Dragon Valley,”…
I’ve been to Hokkaido during the summer a few years ago, but I’ve always wanted to experience their famous Snow Festival. Because of COVID-19, the festival was canceled for a few years, and this year (Feb 2024) is the first time the biggest version of the festival finally came back — so I thought it…
I think Tsukuba just became my newest favorite city in the Kanto region. They have parks, museums, adventure spots, onsen, and hiking areas — so many things to do there. We even passed by a road lined with ginkgo trees, and the autumn foliage was absolutely beautiful! For this trip, we decided to hike Mt….
Mt. Oyama (1,252m) is very popular among locals, mainly because of Oyama Afuri Shrine. The shrine’s history is said to date back more than 2,200 years, and it has been a well-known pilgrimage spot since the mid-18th century during the Edo period (1603–1868). There are multiple trailheads to choose from, and you have plenty of…
Tottori 鳥取県 my #24th(All places have google map links if you click on them) July 13, 2024– Before checking-in to my driving school in Shimane, my friend Alysa and I decided to stop by Tottori Prefecture to see the famous Sand Dunes. At first, I was worried there wouldn’t be much to do for the full…
Alright Demon Slayer fans… You definitely know this mountain we hiked last week because it’s where Tanjiro Kamado and his family used to live. If you’ve seen the first episode of Kimetsu no Yaiba, you know which mountain I’m talking about. Episode 1 and this anime already got me crying my eyeballs out. I recently…