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.
Kamakura is this super chill coastal town just south of Tokyo, kind of like a mini escape from the big city vibe. It’s got a cool mix of old-school Japan and surfer town energy — think ancient temples, hiking trails, and then right around the corner, a beach with people walking dogs and riding waves….
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…
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….
Beginner-friendly route option HERE. Back on Aug 22, 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, I decided to get back into outdoor activities and attempted to hike Mt. Karamatsu. I hadn’t been working out during that time and had gained about 10 kg since hiking Mt. Fuji two years prior. The climb was extremely difficult…
I love hiking. I also love onsen. If you ask me which one I love more, I don’t think I’d have an answer. So if you’re like me and want the best of both worlds, you should definitely check out the Mt. Mitake – Mt. Hinode – TsuruTsuru Onsen route. TIMELINE Sep. 22, 2024 /…
If you’re looking for a beginner friendly dayhike, Mitake-san is perfect for you. Mount Mitake has long been worshipped as a sacred mountain. Mitake Shrine dates back to as early as 90 B.C., making it one of the oldest in Japan. Known in Japanese as anzan sugi, Mt. Mitake’s sacred cedar trees are believed to…
I recently went on a waterfall meditation / sound healing retreat for my birthday. It was a very interesting experience for me because it was my first time doing waterfall meditation and my second time experiencing sound healing. I saw a reel from Yamatrips Japan about waterfalls meditation at Seizan-so right right around the time…