13/01/2019 / Last updated : 10/02/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Shiraito no taki and Aokigahara　白糸の滝、青木ヶ原

Day 68, November 2016, Asagirikogen michi-no-eki Despite being 900 meters high in November, it was a warm night. Fujisan looks grey and ominous this morning. The michi-no-eki Asagirikogen is busy though it is before 7am. Even tour busses are pulling in to unload, mainly elderly, passengers to use the toilets. What time did they leave their hotels? We head out early, though clearly, not as early as some. Shiraito no taki – Shiraito Waterfall D. is anxious to get to Shiraito no taki before the crowds as it is a very famous spot. We succeed in this and get to the parking area before the attendants so, free parking for a […]

06/01/2019 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Michi-no-eki in the Oze area

Summer 2018, Oze Hinoematamura michi-no-eki. Michi-no-eki Oze Hinoematamura is very good for a restful night but even in mid-August it was cold. The morning temperature was 9 degrees and our thin sleeping bags not enough even with a blanket. Very early, we put the blankets inside the sleeping bags. This makes a world of difference and we sleep well until, at 8am. Then, sun forces us out of the oven. Today is a driving day, as we plan to skirt round the Oze area to the other, Gunma prefecture, side. This route 252 is a wild ride, until we hit route 17 and the road becomes very dull. Climbing up to […]

20/12/2018 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Yudonosan Shrine　湯殿山

Summer 2018, Michi-no-eki Nishikawa Michi-no-eki Nishikawa (R. 112) at Gassan proves even better than expected. Though busy, there must have been well over fifty shachuhaku (sleep in a car) vehicles, it is organized and clean. In the morning, I realize, it has a garden with an artificial stream and a pond with Yamame (spotted trout?). Later, returning for lunch, we discover it has a reasonably priced restaurant and the food way above expectations. It has little gourmet touches that one does not usually associated with michi-no-eki. Recommended. Leaving Nishikawa earlier, we retraced our route of yesterday back to the Yudonosan toll road. Here we have a surprise as the 400 yen […]

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 […]

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 […]

26/10/2018 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Michi-no-eki Futatsui and Lake Tazawa　田沢湖

Summer 2018, Juniko lakes (twelve lakes) are our destination for the day but when we arrive we are not impressed. So underwhelmed, in fact, that we circle the car park and leave. Michi-no-eki Futatsui Lunchtime finds us at Futatsui on route 7. This is a re-new michi-no-eki, open only about three weeks at this point. It is a very large affair, masses of parking and a good deal of open space around. The building itself is rather grand with a high timber roof of intricate rafters. The restaurant serves the usual suspects but is reasonably priced. The Yoneshirogawa (Yoneshiro River) flows behind it and there is a flight of broad steps […]

25/10/2018 / Last updated : 16/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Mt. Haguro, Dewa Sanzan Jinjya, by way of the stairs　羽黒山

Day 52, October 2016, We spend a very wet night, with the car rocking in the wind, but the morning rain is intermittent. The toilet in this road station has a notice requesting visitors to keep the place clean and there is a picture of a cute, cartoon lady with a big, smile happily cleaning the bowl. In reality, the elderly lady cleaning the facility is a sour faced, harridan. She looks daggers at a youngish woman, from a large camper van, who comes out of the Ladies with a dog litter tray. This sort of thing is, understandably, frowned on by local road station personnel and should be avoided […]