From a Japan Times story about hiking in the countryside northwest of Tokyo:

The fellow passengers on the weekend “holiday special express” from Shinjuku to Okutama or Musashi-Itsukaichi — an hour northwest of Tokyo — are a strange melange: There are lots of young men — often much the worse for wear — going home after a night of heavy drinking; there are young girls heading home after dancing the night away; early risers off to work; and clear-headed kids heading off to school sporting events.

And then there are the hikers.

They are a part of the weekend scenery at any large rail station across Japan: generally middle-aged or older, with small, colorful day packs (often with an irritatingly noisy bell clanging ting-ting-ting with every step to frighten away all those imagined man-eating black bears in the hills) and decked out in just the right gear: colorful waterproof gaiters, heavy boots, hiking pants, multipocketed vests, the right head wear (a baseball cap or floppy all-round sun hat) and collapsible hiking sticks.

Who knew they had REI stores in Japan? I loved this part, too:

For weary hikers or pilgrims there are tea houses and restaurants serving delicious homemade soba in the small shotengai (shopping arcade) before the entrance to the shrine, but unfortunately any sense of solitude or communing with the spirits is destroyed by the loud pop music that too often emanates from one of the shops.

All I can think of is: What a country!