07/10/2025 / Last updated : 07/10/2025 d.d Hiking / Walking

Climbing Kurumayama　　車山

May 23rd. 2025 Michi no eki Venus Line Tateshina　　道の駅ビーナスライン蓼科 Morning at Venus Line Tateshina michi no eki. This michi no eki, situated on the shore of Lake Tateshina, is a popular spot and preparation for the weekend tourist rush is underway. Stalls are being set up for food, cute things and arty stuff but, this early, things are still pretty quiet. The lake is not very large and provides an easy walk around its perimeter. There is a small sculpture garden (Tateshina highland Geijutsu no mori sculpture park) that has some interesting pieces but mostly a lake walk of trees, reeds, coots and watery reflection. We wandered it at dusk […]

26/01/2025 / Last updated : 26/01/2025 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Kunimigaoka and Mitate gorge　国見が丘、見立渓谷

November 19th. 2024 Kunimigaoka, cloud sea. The night at michi no eki Seiunbashi was very cold, a sudden, drastic drop in temperature. 3 degrees C with the clear sky, bright with a waning moon. This morning D. wants to go to Kunimigaoka to view the cloud sea. Consequently, we set the alarm for 6.30 and set off before breakfast. It is, however, quite a long drive and well past sunrise when we arrive to a wonderful view with an almost complete absence of cloud. We can see a puff of smoke hanging over Mt. Aso far away in the distance. The reclining Buddha, formed by Nekodake and Aso, very clear […]

17/01/2025 / Last updated : 18/01/2025 d.d Hiking / Walking

Shimojo Ginko tree and Aso Oguni　下城の大銀杏と阿蘇小国

November 16th. 2024 Michi no eki Oguni　道の駅小国 Wake early in michi no eki Oguni. Very damp and misty morning, very warm too. We were too hot during the night. Michi no eki Oguni we have visited many times but this was the first time to overnight. The parking adjacent to the toilets is limited for such a popular spot. Most of it given over to spaces for large vehicles. However we note an increase in the number of camper vans, especially the oversized ones. The toilets are modern and clean, though rather too small for the amount of traffic. No rubbish bins are provided except for cans and pet bottles. […]

29/09/2024 / Last updated : 29/09/2024 d.d Hiking / Walking

Chomonkyo　長門峡

April 17th. 2024 Michi no eki Ganjoju Onsen lives up to its promise. There are only 4 overnight vehicles. The morning is wreathed in mist and a moth that I photographed a year earlier on the toilet wall because it was so large and beautiful (the moth not the toilet) was still there. Well, one of the same species in much the same place. Chomonkyo After leaving the michi no eki, we drive about 40 minutes to Chomonkyo/gorge. The latter stages of this drive is along a narrow and I mean narrow (prefecture road 310). In the unlikely event that you read a lot of these pages, you will be […]

30/07/2023 / Last updated : 30/07/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Sandankyo Hiking　三段峡

April 22nd. 2023 Michi no eki San Eight Mito Michi no eki San Eight Mito provides us with a good night. There are no other guests, and the facilities are reasonable. Although very close to the road, there is no traffic so this is not an issue. It is not a popular shachuhaku (sleep in a car) spot but it is a possibility. Sandankyo From the michi no eki we set off for Sandankyo. This gorge has been a very famous tourist attraction from perhaps Taisho times. We were debating whether to climb Mt. Shinnyu or walk the gorge, both start from essentially the same place. The weather is bright […]

15/07/2023 / Last updated : 15/07/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Nara/ Kyoto border Kasagidera and Dragon Shrines　笠置寺、龍穴神社

April18th. 2023 Kasagidera Temple From the michi no eki Minami Yamashina we drive to Kasagidera. A large temple not on the usual tourist itinerary, outside autumn leaves season anyway. The access to Kasagidera is up a somewhat daunting lane that ends in a car park for perhaps 20 cars. No one is collecting parking fees earlyish on a Tuesday morning in Spring. From the car park, there is a walk of perhaps 200 metres, past an unlikely ryokan to the first temple building. Here a gentleman accepts 300-yen temple entrance fee and another 300 for D.’s Goshuin. We are then free to wander the mountaintop circuit (about 800m) of temple […]

24/06/2023 / Last updated : 27/06/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Climbing Mount Tsukuba　筑波山

April 11th. 2023 Michi no eki Hakko no Sato Kozaki Hakko no Sato Kozaki is a reasonable place to stay. It is large with a lot of overnight visitors, but the facilities are large enough to cope and the rubbish bins are emptied regularly. Very busy and rather noisy in the morning due to the convenience store. There is a vegetable stall with exceptionally cheap produce sadly of no use to us. There is also a shop selling all manner of fermented things. Heavy on the miso. Climbing Mt. Tsukuba On leaving we drive to Mt. Tsukuba (877m) where from the shrine, we opt to take the Shirakumobashi course. There […]

18/06/2023 / Last updated : 02/07/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Nokogiriyama Nihon-ji Temple　鋸山日本寺

April 9th. Tokyo Bay Aqua Line Leaving Tokyo via the Aqua Line which we had fondly imagined to be some kind of bridge across Tokyo Bay. It turns out to be a 9.5 kilometre tunnel full of crawling Sunday traffic. After the Umihotaru S.A. it does become a bridge to Chiba side, but the magic has gone. ＊Tokyo Bay Aqua Line ; 3140 yen (car with ETC ; 800 yen) Nokogiriyama Nihon-ji Temple Once in Chiba, a prefecture we are visiting as we have neglected it so far, we head for Nokogiriyama. To climb from the bottom, take the ropeway or drive to the top? That is the question. It […]

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