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dventure is subjective. For some it may be their first experience at a Japanese hot spring. For others, it’s challenging their fear of heights by bungy jumping or skydiving. For true adventurers, it is a way of life, an intrinsic part of their being that makes them feel alive and connected to the world.There are the adventures of starting your own business, following age-old brewing traditions to make tasty mead like several enterprising microbreweries in Japan. Or there’s the challenge and adventure of creating a fashion brand that only works with local craftsmen and suppliers, focusing on quality and sustainability over mass production and scalability, like Alisa Ota-Tietboel and Masaaki Ota at Maota.

There is the adventure of launching your own outdoor TV series in Japan during a pandemic, like Janni Olsen and Chris McCombs. The former is a popular TV personality in Japan known as "The Swedish Outdoor Girl" and the latter, a “Tokyo Cowboy” who hates the outdoors. Like most adventures, things often don’t go as planned, but somehow they make it work.

Some adventures are born over beers at the pub like the Knights in White Lycra, celebrating a decade of charity rides to Tohoku to raise funds for Mirai no Mori and bring hope to underprivileged children in Japan. And there are adventures with friends, such as culinary tours where you can hook your own fish from the sea and bring your catch directly to the table for an unforgettable meal.

Finally, there are classic outdoor adventures, where experience, knowledge and planning are necessary, such as an attempt on Mt. Fuji before or after the main climbing season. You’ll find these and more in our summer issue.

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Over the years we've had the pleasure of meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We've also been lucky to work with great companies like Montbell that support local communities and human-powered outdoor activities— while making great gear.

They recently introduced us to Xavier and Celine Pasche, who have been cycling around the world for more than two decades and are now touring Japan. When I found out they had been cycling with their two daughters (aged five and ten) I was astonished. As a father of two kids under 10 years old, I’m aware of the the commitment, passion, patience and love that must go into the journey they are on as a family.

As I write, they are pedaling over the pass on Route 292 to Madarao. Over the next few days they’ll give a talk in Iiyama and then continue to Nozawa Onsen to rest before pushing north to Hokkaido. Read their story to find out more about this amazing family of adventurers, follow their journey, catch one of their talks and support their journey. We look forward to their travelogue about their recent Japan adventures in our autumn issue.

The Adventure Travel and Trade Association (ATTA) believes the three pillars of adventure (travel) are nature, culture and physical activity. By that definition, Japan is blessed. The ATTA must agree as they chose Japan—Sapporo, Hokkaido to be specific—as the venue for this year’s annual Adventure Travel World Summit. It’s an incredible opportunity for Japan to welcome some of the world’s most influential figures in adventure travel from industry leaders to top tour organizers, guides and travel writers. We’re proud to have been promoting adventure travel in Japan since 2000 and we wish all the delegates, participants and visitors here for the summit a successful event.

Cover Photo: Xavier Pasche

©2023 OUTDOOR JAPAN G.K. all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of OUTDOOR JAPAN G.K. Printed in Japan. AIRLINE PARTNERS Traveler magazine is available at selected lounges, reservations counters and in-flight libraries with the following airline partners. トラベラーマガジンは、空港ラウンジや予約カウンターや、右記航空会社インフライト・ライブラリーにてお読みいただけます。 —Gardner

Robinson