Alena Eckelmann

All About Alena Eckelmann: From East Germany to Japan, via Hanoi and London, I enjoyed Tokyo and corporate for several years but then found my calling and home on the Kii Peninsula. Since July 2011 I live near the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails where I guide and write while apprenticing with Shugendo priests. I enjoy nature connection and spiritual exploration, forest therapy and transformational travel and I care about rural revitalization, environmental protection, local community, organic farming and feral cats.

What I like about Japan: I love Japan's nature, its regional biodiversity and many mountains; the fact that over 70% of the land is still covered in forest; the endless opportunities for outdoors activities; many trails to be walked. I appreciate that Japan is a fairly safe country for a solo woman explorer. I like training in Japan's traditional ways, be it taiko, aikido or shugendo. I enjoy local hot springs where the young and the old of the community take care of each other. This is where I want to grow old!

In the Footsteps of Japan’s Yamabushi Ascetics

Visit this isolated village in central Japan for a glimpse of Japan's ancient ascetic traditions that are still being practiced today.

Past Features

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All About Weird Japan

Japan is a weird and wonderful place! These videos from Wanderlist are just a small taste of what you can expect when you visit!

Stories to Experience National Parks of Japan

More than just a collection of some of the country's most stunning landscapes, Japan's National Parks tell the story of the diverse ways in which Japanese culture developed in harmony with nature throughout the centuries.

Spring in Tohoku

Food, history and some incredible late-blooming cherry blossoms—Tohoku in spring has it all!

All About Cherry Blossoms in Japan

Savor the 'sakura' nation.

All About Japan's Temples & Shrines

Explore Japan's enduring spiritual history.