19/12/2018 / Last updated : 16/03/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Nikko, Senjogahara hiking　日光

Day 61, November 2016, The morning is cold in michi-no-eki Nikko. There is ice on the windscreen for the first time. The michi-no-eki (road station) is not very large but very busy as people visit the toilet and the convenience store. Toshogu, Tokugawa Ieyasu. It is time for us to pay our respects to Tokugawa Ieyasu, so we head out to his shrine, Toshogu. This shrine, where Tokugawa Ieyasu was enshrined as a god, was re-constructed in 1636 by his grandson the third Tokugawa shogun. We have some trouble finding the car park but, eventually, walk to the shrine. The entrance fee is an exorbitant 1300 yen, especially as most […]

19/12/2018 / Last updated : 16/03/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Aizu Tsurugajo castle　会津鶴ヶ城

Day 60, November 2016, Unexpected rain in the night and I find my crocs full of water. There is a grey, watery sky but no actual rain. I count at least 42 shachuhaku vehicles in the parking area of michi-no-eki Kita no Sato. Mostly they are camper vans but there is the man in the K (small size) car and a couple in a BMW! Not sure what that was about? After checking the ducks on the small lake – pintail and pocard – we set off for Tsurugajo castle in Aizu. Aizu-Wakamatsu Tsurugajo castle The Tsurugajo castle proves to be very busy even though it is still quite early […]

18/12/2018 / Last updated : 16/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Ura-Bandai Nakasenuma hiking　裏磐梯中瀬沼

Day 59, November 2016, Michi no eki Bandai The locals are early, preparing for Mochitsuki (rice cake making) on a bright chilly morning at michi-no-eki Bandai. As we breakfast, the mist comes rolling in and we can see almost nothing. We wait around, delaying our departure. When the sun shows signs of breaking through the mists, we set off for some small lakes. Nakasenuma There is a walking trail around these lakes. It is not very long, but we make sure we have a picnic with us. The walk is very easy, mostly flat with broad paths but it affords a view that, I felt, was unprecedented – just […]

16/12/2018 / Last updated : 09/02/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Urabandai Goshikinuma　裏磐梯五色沼

Day 58, November 2016, Morning in Michi-no-eki Kita no Sato Intermittent rain during the night but the morning is sunny, if cold, and very wet underfoot. There are dark clouds hanging on the mountains and a few short showers. Sometimes the clouds lift and we get glimpses of the higher peaks sprinkled with early snow. We drive to Goshikinuma, to walk the trail by the ponds. The skyline we drove in the rain –the Gold Line- is closed today as the temperature is low about 4 degrees. The weather seems uncertain, so we put on lots of layers and rain suits. As we start to walk, the sunny patches become […]

13/12/2018 / Last updated : 22/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Mt. Gassan, hiking　月山

Summer 2018, Woken early by a combination of heat and noisy neighbours packing equipment. A pleasant breakfast but it is becoming too hot to linger in the sun. We pack everything in the car and set off for Mt.Gassan Eighth Station (Midagahara). Kyukamura Haguro campsite is well placed for easy access to Mt. Gassan. Easy access being a steep, narrow, winding road leading to a large car park that is already overflowing at 9.30 am. Mt. Gassan – Midagahara The bright sunshine of the campsite has already given way to low, drifting cloud at this altitude. We plan a short circular walk on the usual wooden walkway around Midagahara. When […]

11/12/2018 / Last updated : 22/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Naruko-kyo　鳴子峡

Summer 2018, Michi-no-eki Sannai was a good spot for shachuhaku (sleep in a car), very quiet, away from the main road and a reasonable toilet. Ten vehicles share a large parking area with us. Naruko-kyo Before viewing Naruko-kyo gorge, our first stop of the day was to be a geyser. When we arrived we thought the entrance fee a bit steep so we turned around and made for Narukokyo. This gorge is an important scenic area for Miyagi prefecture and to give it its due it is a dramatic landscape. We listened to Ospreys (birds not the infamous American aircraft) calling from the pines perched on the crags. I was […]

10/12/2018 / Last updated : 22/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Akita Komagatake hiking　秋田駒ケ岳

Summer 2018, The night, at michi-no-eki ‘Shizukuishi Anekko‘, was much cooler than expected. I found it necessary to put on a sweater around 4 am. The morning is bright and clear as we arrive at Alpa Komakusa. Here we leave the car and take the bus to Mt. Komagatake Eighth Station, to begin our walk. Our plan is to walk to Amidaike, a small pond/lake between two fairly accessible peaks. Amidaike pond The climb to this point is quite steep, the path bordered by thick bushes and sasa grasses. It is like walking through jungle especially as the day is hot and oppressive. There is relief from this as, every […]

09/12/2018 / Last updated : 09/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Bandaisan area Michi no Eki

Day 57, November 2016, This being a national holiday, michi no eki ‘Adachi’ is very busy early on a bright, breezy morning. Today we plan to walk around the many lakes and admire the views of Ura Bandai. As we begin to drive up into this mountain area, we can see a very large rainbow ahead. This means it is raining up there. The higher we get, the worse the weather gets. We can see the cloud pouring over the ridges of the mountain until finally the rain is falling in torrents and the wind must be approaching typhoon levels. michi no eki ‘Tsuchiyu’ It is cold, wet and very […]