Life After the Quake: Guiding, Cycling & the Essence of Japan

Snow Country Stories Japan

In Episode 07 of Snow Country Stories Japan, I speak with Kevin Kato, a guide and writer based in Matsumoto, Nagano. Kevin guides extended cycling and walking tours in Japan and in the first half of the interview we discuss the pleasure we both find in guiding, the need to convey of sense of place to guests and the growing popularity of cycling, including cycling tours and new routes in Japan. The Japan Alps Cycling Road is one such route that we touch upon briefly during the interview – a 700km / 435 loop circuit that takes in many of the highlights of Nagano.

In the second half of the interview, we delve into Kevin's story and how he came to be living in Nagano following the Great Tohoku Earthquake'that occurred on March 11th 2011 - an event that triggered the tsunami that devastated vast areas of Japan's coast and resulted in multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Resident in the Fukushima at the time of the quake, Kevin wrote a book – titled ‘For Now, After the Quake: A Father’s Journey’ - about that experience and his family's ordeal of getting to safety; a journey that eventually led them to settle in Nagano, since which time he has been guiding and pursuing his love of cycling, running and the outdoors.
Cycling Japan Tours: http://cyclingjapan.jp/
Japan Alps Cycling Road: https://japanalpscycling.jp/en
Snow Country Stories Japan is a bi-weekly podcast about life and travel in Japan's legendary 'yukiguni'. For more information about the show and your host, visit our website - www.snowcountrystories.com - and make sure to subscribe, rate and review the podcast and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.