Outdoors
Enjoy camping and time outdoors while learning skills that also work when it counts.
What we cover
- Camping basics and gear: first gear, pitching and striking camp
- Fire, water, shelter: lighting a fire, finding and treating water, sleeping under a tarp or tent
- Disaster camping: a weekend at home or at camp as if the power and water were out, a practice popular with Japanese families
- Rope and blades: basic knots, handling a knife safely
- Hiking and outdoor activities
Articles about fire or blades link to Safety.
Choosing a campsite: flash floods, dead branches, wind and rockfall
Where to pitch and where not to, from the National Park Service, NOAA and Japan's river authorities: dry washes and sandbars, hazard trees, rockfall, wind and lightning, a five-direction check, the three knots for pitching, and drying your tent before storage.
Read more Choosing a campsite: flash floods, dead branches, wind and rockfall
Sleeping warm: sleeping bag temperature ratings and sleeping pad R-values
What the comfort, limit and extreme ratings on a sleeping bag mean (ISO 23537-1), how pad R-values are tested (ASTM F3340) and why stacked pads add up, how altitude lowers the temperature, Japan's shelter bed lessons, and avoiding low-temperature burns.
Read more Sleeping warm: sleeping bag temperature ratings and sleeping pad R-values
Disaster camping: Japan's habit of practicing a night without power, water or gas
Japanese schools and families practice for disasters by spending a night on camping gear and stored supplies. What those programs do, how the idea fits Ready.gov and Red Cross advice, how to start with a few hours, a one-night checklist, and the safety rules.
Read more Disaster camping: Japan's habit of practicing a night without power, water or gas
Carrying a knife in Japan: the 6 cm rule and what counts as a legitimate reason
Knives are among the Ten Essentials, but Japan restricts carrying them. Its weapons law bans carrying a blade over 6 cm without work or another legitimate reason, and a separate law covers concealed blades of any length. Self-defense, convenience or fashion don't count. What police say about camping, and how to transport a camp knife.
Read more Carrying a knife in Japan: the 6 cm rule and what counts as a legitimate reason
Treating water in the backcountry: boiling, filters, chemicals and UV compared
Even a clear mountain stream isn't safe to drink untreated. What each method does against bacteria, viruses and parasites according to CDC and NPS: boiling kills everything, most filters stop parasites but not viruses, chemicals miss some parasites, UV needs clear water. And why filtering then disinfecting is the next best thing to boiling.
Read more Treating water in the backcountry: boiling, filters, chemicals and UV compared
Sun and UV outdoors: the UV Index, sunscreen that works, and why snow and altitude matter
Protect your skin whenever the UV Index is 3 or higher. CDC and EPA guidance on broad-spectrum SPF 15+ (NIOSH says 30+ for outdoor workers), reapplying every 2 hours, shade and clothing, plus how much more UV you get at altitude and on snow, from both U.S. and Japanese sources.
Read more Sun and UV outdoors: the UV Index, sunscreen that works, and why snow and altitude matter
Stinging insects and venomous snakes: prevention and first aid, U.S. and Japan
About 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S. each year, and about 5 die. CDC's do's and don'ts for snakebite (no tourniquet, no cutting, no sucking), what to do around bees, wasps and hornets, and how Japan's advice differs, from hornet-safe clothing to Okinawa's habu.
Read more Stinging insects and venomous snakes: prevention and first aid, U.S. and Japan
The Ten Essentials and a trip plan: what to carry, who to tell, and what to do if you're lost
The National Park Service's Ten Essentials (navigation, sun protection, extra clothing, light, first aid, fire, repair kit, food, water, shelter), why your phone isn't a substitute, how to leave a trip plan with a trusted contact, and NPS's steps if you get lost: stop, retrace, stay put, call, signal.
Campfire safety: build it right, put it out cold, and how Japan's new fire warnings work
Most wildfires are started by people; NPS says nearly 85%. Check restrictions, keep tents at least 15 to 25 feet away, never leave a fire, and put it out with Drown, Stir, Drown, Feel instead of dirt. In Japan, bonfires are the top cause of forest fires, and since January 2026 a forest fire warning can make outdoor fire use illegal.
Read more Campfire safety: build it right, put it out cold, and how Japan's new fire warnings work
Hypothermia and frostbite: warning signs and first aid
Hypothermia can happen even above 40°F when you're wet from rain, sweat or cold water. CDC's warning signs, what to do (and what not to do) for hypothermia and frostbite, and how to stay dry and warm at camp and in a winter power outage.
Read more Hypothermia and frostbite: warning signs and first aid
Ticks: repellents, tick checks and safe removal
CDC guidance for hikers and campers: EPA-registered repellents and permethrin-treated gear, showering within two hours, a full-body tick check, drying clothes on high heat, and how to remove a tick with fine-tipped tweezers (and what not to do).
Hiking in Japan: what the mountain accident statistics say, and why you should file a trip plan
Japan recorded 3,122 mountain accidents involving 3,623 people in 2025, with 332 dead or missing. Getting lost was the top cause (30.9%), then falls (19.2%) and slips from heights (17.3%). Solo hikers were far more likely to die. How Japan's trip-plan system works and how to file one.
Bear safety for hikers and campers: NPS basics, and how Japan's advice differs
Avoid surprising bears, store food properly, never run. The U.S. National Park Service's guidance on encounters, food storage and bear spray, what to do if attacked by species, and why Japan's Ministry of the Environment advises something different.
Read more Bear safety for hikers and campers: NPS basics, and how Japan's advice differs
Lightning safety outdoors: U.S. and Japanese guidance compared
When thunder roars, go indoors. What counts as safe shelter, staying safe inside, last-resort tips if you're caught outside, the myths that get people hurt, and how the National Weather Service's 30-minute rule compares with Japan's guidance on trees and 'protected zones'.
Read more Lightning safety outdoors: U.S. and Japanese guidance compared
Never use stoves or heaters inside a tent: carbon monoxide at camp
Camp stoves, lanterns, charcoal and generators inside tents, campers or cars can kill. CDC's rules and numbers, Japanese test results (a campfire inside a two-room tent passed 200 ppm CO in about 9 minutes; a stove in a closed solo tent in about 15), symptoms, what to do, and how to stay warm without flame.
Read more Never use stoves or heaters inside a tent: carbon monoxide at camp