Sign in

Tom Fay

@tom-fay.bsky.social
122 followers 90 following 112 posts

• British outdoors and travel writer based in rural Kyoto/Otaru, #Japan • Mostly into mountains, minka (traditional Japanese houses) and photography • Guidebooks for Lonely Planet, Fodor’s Travel, Bradt, Cicerone ✍🏻 www.thomasfay.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
First snow of the season today in Japan, in the Daisetsuzan mountains in central Hokkaido - a little later than last year. (Photo from Feb)
030
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Took delivery of all the Lonely Planet books I’ve worked on in the last year or so - lots of hours poured into these, but very happy with how they all turned out! Please feel free to grab a copy or two :)
150
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Some moody weather and skies outside the front door this afternoon #japan #garden #kyoto
030
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Spent last week in rural Kochi, mostly documenting the numerous chinkabashi (submersible bridges) which can be found all along the prefecture’s many great rivers
0152
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dining out in the Japan Alps
040
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
A rocky little campground at the base of a rocky little mountain, high in the northern Japan Alps
010
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
It’s now been over a year since I laid cobblestones between the house and the kura (storehouse), and it finally has a nice aged look. I plan to cobble more when I’ve collected enough flat(ish) stones from the nearby river!
060
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I’m usually always behind the camera, but I did some modeling in the Japan Alps for a famous watch brand, so I got some rare selfies in return #japan #mountains
010
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Doing some yard work at my place in Otaru (it’s amazing how high the weeds get here) and discovered a healthy population of extremely long leeches in the garden
021
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Even towards the end of July, there are still a number of extensive snowfields to cross on the approach to Tsurugi-dake (2999m) in the northern Japan Alps
030
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
High in the North Japan Alps, heading towards misty peaks
040
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Of Japan’s three holy mountains - the other two being Mt Fuji and Mt Haku - Tateyama (3015m) in Toyama Prefecture is, for me, the most enjoyable to climb and features the most spectacular scenery
020
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Due to its challenging terrain, Tsurugi-dake (2999m) was the last peak to be officially climbed in Japan. But when surveyors first climbed it in 1907, they were surprised to discover a rusted sword and staff (dating back to approx 800 AD) at the summit…
070
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Plenty of snow remaining high up in the North Japan Alps
010
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Kenzanso might just be the most beautifully situated mountain hut in the whole of the Japan Alps #japan #hiking #mountains
071
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
It’s been a hot couple of days in rural Kyoto, but still haven’t had to use the aircon yet this year - one of the benefits of living in an old and dark house! #summer #japan #kyoto
020
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Lots of mukade (centipedes) around at the moment - a fact of life in the Japanese countryside. Got stung by one for the first time recently, the pain is pretty intense!
020
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Camping high up in Japan’s Southern Alps, not a bad view to wake up to #japan #hiking #mtfuji #landscapes
1131
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
A big bend on the 196km-long Shimanto-gawa in Kochi Prefecture, Japan’s longest river with no major dams
000
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Found a juvenile aodaisho (Japanese rat snake) curled up in the persimmon tree today, a good place to escape the rain #japan #wildlifephotography #nature
020
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Feeling reflective at Taisho-ike, one of the most scenic spots along the Azusa River at Kamikochi #japan #mountains #outdoors #landscapes
040
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
I used to consider myself a 晴れ男 (guy who brings sunny weather), but the heavy rain has followed me from Shikoku back to Kyoto. The local river is completely overflowing this morning
030
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
The view from my hotel room in Shikoku is distracting me from the important task of watching the World Cup
070
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
The tiny alpine resort of Kamikochi in the Japan Alps has become a tourist hotspot in recent years, but few visitors see the valley from high vantage points such as this
070
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Capturing the shadow from the summit of Mt. Fuji (3776m) #japan #hiking #mountains
050
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
There is talk of introducing entry fees for visitors to Kamikochi, the tiny and picturesque mountain resort in the Japan Alps. I don’t mind that much, but I do wish hut & camping prices would return to pre-Covid levels - ¥4000 to camp and ¥16,000 for a night in a hut is a joke
020
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Sunrise from high on ridge in Japan’s North Alps
000
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Ideally I’d spend most of the Japanese summer high up in the alpine zone at around 3000 metres…
000
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
The front garden is suddenly looking a bit wild, need to tidy it up a bit this weekend #japan #garden
110
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Climb any big mountain in central Honshu and there’s a good chance that Mt Fuji will be visible somewhere in the distance… #japan #mountains #nature #hiking
080
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Hikers gather below the spear-like summit of Mt. Yarigatake (3180m), arguably the most iconic peak of the Japan Alps
030
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The highest mountain in Japan (Mt Fuji, 3776m) looms behind the 4th highest mountain in Japan (Mt Aino, 3190m) at sunrise
030
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Mt Fuji from high up in Japan’s Southern Alps
160
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Mountain hut high above Hakuba, in the North Japan Alps
040
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Traipsing up Japan’s most famous permanent snow patch, the Daisekkei, on Mt. Shirouma (2,932m) which towers above the popular ski-town of Hakuba
020
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
June in Japan is the month of frogs, fireflies and leeches - if you plan to do any hiking in this season (especially in damp areas near streams) be especially careful of the latter
020
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
High up in the tea fields above the matcha-producing town of Wazuka, southern Kyoto
070
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
If you ever wondered how to dispose of an old skip
020
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Nice evening for a wander through the local rice fields
0140
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
A ‘one-man’ train trundles through the rice fields of rural southern Kyoto
070
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Hello again Matsumoto Castle. Nicknamed the ‘crow castle’, this is one of only 12 castles in Japan with its original feudal-era tenshu (castle keep) still intact.
081
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Flat lands and mountains in rural Shiga
020
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
A few snaps from around the garden while trying to avoid melting in the heat today #birdwatching
050
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
After a long and tiring day in the city, it’s always nice to come back home to the countryside
040
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Early morning high in the mountains of Niigata
150
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
It’s May and summer is not that far away, but some fairly large swathes of Hokkaido have seen a bit of snowfall today and this evening (red on map) #japan
010
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Biggest earthquake I’ve felt in three years of living in this old house just now; rocked and creaked like an old wooden ship at sea, but she’s still sailing
020
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Some of the wildlife I’ve spotted around, and in the case of the Japanese macaque, on my house this week
230
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Spring scenes in rural Kyoto
030
Tom Fay @tom-fay.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
It’s a beautiful and warm spring day in rural Kyoto. Plan to spend a few hours in the forest, where the bamboo shoots have just started to emerge
050