All About Japan

Alena Eckelmann

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

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.

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