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 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,”…